THE schedule of play for the Unibet European Championship has been confirmed ahead of the Dortmund tournament from October 25-28.
The £400,000 event is a culmination of the year's 13 European Tour events, which provides the 32 qualifiers for the European Championship based on the final Order of Merit.
Top seed Michael van Gerwen, the reigning European Champion, headlines the opening night on Thursday October 25 as he opens his challenge to claim a fifth successive title against Paul Nicholson.
Thursday's opening night also features World Champion Rob Cross up against Danny Noppert, world number two Peter Wright taking on Jermaine Wattimena and former winner Simon Whitlock against Steve Beaton.
Friday afternoon sees the first round conclude with the eight ties from the bottom half of the draw, which includes the tasty match-up between Dave Chisnall and Adrian Lewis.
German duo Max Hopp and Martin Schindler play William O'Connor and James Wade respectively, while former European Championship finalist Mensur Suljovic takes on Cristo Reyes.
The second round begins on Friday night as the winners of Thursday's matches return to the stage, with Saturday's evening session concluding the quarter-final line-up.
The Unibet European Championship then concludes on Sunday October 28, with the quarter-finals in the afternoon session followed by the semi-finals and final in the evening session.
The Unibet European Championship will be held from October 25-28 at the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund, and screened live on ITV4 and through the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners.
For tickets, please visit the PDC Europe website.
Unibet European Championship
Schedule of Play
Thursday October 25 (2000 local time, 1900 UK time)
First Round x8
Steve West v Mervyn King
Ian White v Richard North
Simon Whitlock v Steve Beaton
Michael Smith v Steve Lennon
Joe Cullen v Jelle Klaasen
Michael van Gerwen v Paul Nicholson
Rob Cross v Danny Noppert
Peter Wright v Jermaine Wattimena
Friday October 26
Afternoon Session (1345 local time, 1245 UK time)
First Round x8
Jonny Clayton v James Wilson
Darren Webster v Stephen Bunting
Gerwyn Price v Kyle Anderson
Mensur Suljovic v Cristo Reyes
Daryl Gurney v Ricky Evans
Max Hopp v William O'Connor
James Wade v Martin Schindler
Adrian Lewis v Dave Chisnall
Evening Session (2000 local time, 1900 UK time)
Second Round x4
Cullen/Klaasen v Smith/Lennon
Whitlock/Beaton v Wright/Wattimena
White/North v Cross/Noppert
Van Gerwen/Nicholson v West/King
Saturday October 27 (2000 local time, 1900 UK time)
Second Round x4
Price/Anderson v Lewis/Chisnall
Suljovic/Reyes v Webster/Bunting
Wade/Schindler v Gurney/Evans
Hopp/O'Connor v Clayton/Wilson
Sunday October 28
Afternoon Session (1345 local time, 1245 UK time)
Quarter-Finals
Evening Session (2000 local time, 1900 UK time)
Semi-Finals
Final
Draw Bracket
(1) Michael van Gerwen v (32) Paul Nicholson
(16) Steve West v (17) Mervyn King
(8) Simon Whitlock v (25) Steve Beaton
(9) Peter Wright v (24) Jermaine Wattimena
(5) Joe Cullen v (28) Jelle Klaasen
(12) Michael Smith v (21) Steve Lennon
(4) Ian White v (29) Richard North
(13) Rob Cross v (20) Danny Noppert
(2) Mensur Suljovic v (31) Cristo Reyes
(15) Darren Webster v (18) Stephen Bunting
(7) Max Hopp v (26) William O'Connor
(10) Jonny Clayton v (23) James Wilson
(6) James Wade v (27) Martin Schindler
(11) Daryl Gurney v (22) Ricky Evans
(3) Gerwyn Price v (30) Kyle Anderson
(14) Adrian Lewis v (19) Dave Chisnall
Format
First Round - Best of 11 legs
Second Round - Best of 19 legs
Quarter-Finals - Best of 19 legs
Semi-Finals - Best of 21 legs
Final - Best of 21 legs
Prize Fund
Winner £100,000
Runner-Up £40,000
Semi-Finalists £20,000
Quarter-Finalists £15,000
Second Round Losers £10,000
First Round Losers £5,000
Total £400,000
Nine-Darter Bonus £15,000