Michael van Gerwen will take on either Kim Huybrechts or Steve West at the Belgian Darts Open, with the draw and schedule of play for this weekend's European Tour event now confirmed.
The Oktoberhallen in Wieze will play host to the penultimate European Tour event of the year (ET12) from September 23-25, as the race for Cazoo European Championship qualification intensifies.
The European Tour returns to Belgium for the first time since 2020, and this year’s showpiece will feature eight Belgian representatives, including Dimitri Van den Bergh – a runner-up at the Interwetten German Darts Open a fortnight ago.
Friday’s first round will feature 16 matches across two sessions, with Belgium’s former World Cup finalist Huybrechts taking on West, while former European Tour winners Jamie Hughes and Vincent van der Voort lock horns.
Australia’s World Cup winner Simon Whitlock will play Andrew Gilding in another intriguing tie, with UK Open semi-finalist Keane Barry set to meet American number one Danny Baggish.
Steve Beaton and Ross Smith also collide, with two-time TV semi-finalist Chris Dobey up against former World Youth Champion Bradley Brooks in his opener.
The 16 seeded players enter the fray in Saturday’s second round, with top seed Van Gerwen kicking off his bid for a fourth European Tour title of 2022 against home favourite Huybrechts or West.
Belgian number one Van den Bergh will face Whitlock or Gilding in his opener, while World Champion Peter Wright plays either his compatriot Alan Soutar or Dutch qualifier Niels Zonneveld in round two.
European Champion Rob Cross will face Belgian opposition in the form of Mike De Decker or Remo Mandiau, while Rusty-Jake Rodriguez or Jeff Smith await third seed Damon Heta in Saturday’s curtain-raiser.
Luke Humphries, Gerwyn Price and Michael Smith withdrew from this weekend’s tournament ahead of the draw, and they’ve been replaced as seeds by Martin Schindler, Gabriel Clemens and Adrian Lewis.
As a result, five spots were available in Thursday’s host-nation qualifier, with Andy Baetens, Wouter Vanrolleghem, Roberto Vandaele, Remo Mandiau and Francois Schweyen progressing through to Friday’s first round.
Following Saturday’s second round, the last 16 will take place on Sunday afternoon, before the tournament concludes with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final in a bumper evening session.
Coverage will be streamed through DAZN for viewers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and through PDCTV for subscribers in all other territories, as well as through bookmakers worldwide, with coverage also live on VTM in Belgium.
2022 Belgian Darts Open
September 23-25
Oktoberhallen, Wieze
Tournament Draw Bracket
(6) Peter Wright v Niels Zonneveld/Alan Soutar
(11) Dimitri Van den Bergh v Andrew Gilding/Simon Whitlock
(3) Damon Heta v Rusty-Jake Rodriguez/Jeff Smith
(14) Martin Schindler v Karel Sedlacek/Roberto Vandaele
(7) Dirk van Duijvenbode v Mervyn King/Wouter Vanrolleghem
(10) Jonny Clayton v Keane Barry/Danny Baggish
(2) Rob Cross v Mike De Decker/Remo Mandiau
(15) Gabriel Clemens v Gian van Veen/Ryan Meikle
(5) Ryan Searle v Bradley Brooks/Chris Dobey
(12) Jose de Sousa v Steve Beaton/Ross Smith
(4) Nathan Aspinall v Jamie Hughes/Vincent van der Voort
(13) Dave Chisnall v Jelle Klaasen/Francois Schweyen
(8) Joe Cullen v Dennis Nilsson/Kevin Doets
(9) Danny Noppert v Andy Baetens/Madars Razma
(1) Michael van Gerwen v Steve West/Kim Huybrechts
(16) Adrian Lewis v Boris Krcmar/Cameron Menzies
Schedule of Play
Friday September 23
First Round
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)
Dennis Nilsson v Kevin Doets
Gian van Veen v Ryan Meikle
Karel Sedlacek v Roberto Vandaele
Boris Krcmar v Cameron Menzies
Keane Barry v Danny Baggish
Andy Baetens v Madars Razma
Niels Zonneveld v Alan Soutar
Jelle Klaasen v Francois Schweyen
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Rusty-Jake Rodriguez v Jeff Smith
Bradley Brooks v Chris Dobey
Steve Beaton v Ross Smith
Jamie Hughes v Vincent van der Voort
Mervyn King v Wouter Vanrolleghem
Mike De Decker v Remo Mandiau
Steve West v Kim Huybrechts
Andrew Gilding v Simon Whitlock
Saturday September 24
Second Round
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)
Damon Heta v Rodriguez/J Smith
Gabriel Clemens v Van Veen/Meikle
Martin Schindler v Sedlacek/Vandaele
Ryan Searle v Brooks/Dobey
Jose de Sousa v Beaton/R Smith
Dave Chisnall v Klaasen/Schweyen
Dirk van Duijvenbode v King/Vanrolleghem
Nathan Aspinall v Hughes/Van der Voort
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Rob Cross v De Decker/Mandiau
Jonny Clayton v Barry/Baggish
Dimitri Van den Bergh v Gilding/Whitlock
Peter Wright v Zonneveld/Soutar
Joe Cullen v Nilsson/Doets
Michael van Gerwen v West/Huybrechts
Adrian Lewis v Krcmar/Menzies
Danny Noppert v Baetens/Razma
Sunday September 25
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)
Third Round
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Quarter-Finals
Semi-Finals
Final
Sunday’s games played in Draw Bracket order