Michael van Gerwen will begin his defence of the Interwetten German Darts Championship against Steve Lennon or Marcus Kirchmann, with the draw and schedule for this weekend’s PDC European Tour event confirmed.
Halle 39 in Hildesheim will play host to the year's 13th and final European Tour event from October 13-15, as the race for European Championship qualification concludes in Germany.
The top 32 players on the European Tour Order of Merit following this weekend will qualify for the European Championship, with Masters champion Chris Dobey among the players bidding to force their way into the 32-player field.
Dobey will be among the headline acts in Friday's first round, which will be broadcast through PDCTV, Viaplay and DAZN – with 16 matches taking place across two sessions.
Premier League star Dobey will play Lee Evans in his opener, while Madars Razma - who is currently 32nd on the European Tour Order of Merit - meets Martin Lukeman in a crucial clash in the race for European Championship qualification.
German number one Gabriel Clemens will kick off his campaign against Danny Jansen, while Ricardo Pietreczko faces Mickey Mansell, as the young German bids to seal his European Championship debut on home soil.
Host Nation representative Florian Hempel meets former World Youth Champion Arron Monk, with Hempel needing to reach the final to preserve his hopes of booking his place in Dortmund.
Ten-time TV title winner James Wade takes on Associate Member Qualifier Jelle Klaasen in a stellar first round showdown, with 2019 champion Daryl Gurney pitted against Vincent van der Voort in another intriguing tie.
Dutch prospect Gian van Veen will play James Wilson for a place in round two, with recent Hungarian Darts Trophy runner-up Stephen Bunting set to open his challenge against PDCNB qualifier Jeffrey de Graaf in Friday's finale.
The 16 seeded players enter the fray in Saturday’s second round, as three-time champion Van Gerwen begins his title defence against former World Cup finalist Lennon or Host Nation Qualifier Kirchmann.
Dave Chisnall - a winner of three European Tour titles in 2023 - is aiming to cement his position at the top of the European Tour Order of Merit, and the 2013 German Darts Champion starts his bid against home favourite Clemens or Jansen.
Chisnall can still be overhauled at the top of the Order of Merit by newly crowned World Grand Prix champion Luke Humphries, who marks his return to action against Boris Krcmar or Ryan Joyce.
North American Champion Jeff Smith and Darryl Pilgrim will battle it out for the right to play second seed Damon Heta, with fourth seed Dirk van Duijvenbode drawn against Scott Waites or George Killington.
World Youth Champion Josh Rock will lock horns with Bunting or De Graaf for a place in round three, while sixth seed Rob Cross faces a potential second round showdown against Van Veen.
The winner of the first round tie between Karel Sedlacek and Alan Soutar will be rewarded with a meeting against World Champion Michael Smith, with two-time World Champion Peter Wright set to face Dobey or Evans.
World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall will take on either Klaasen or Wade, while World Grand Prix quarter-finalist Martin Schindler will play his compatriot Pietreczko or Mansell on Saturday evening.
Meanwhile, European Champion Ross Smith - a late replacement for Gerwyn Price in the 48-player field - faces a tough opening assignment against either Van der Voort or Gurney.
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 blockbuster evening session.
Live coverage of all 2023 European Tour events will be streamed through Viaplay in the UK, the Netherlands, Poland and all Nordic & Baltic countries, and through DAZN for viewers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Coverage will also be shown on PDCTV (excluding Germany, Austria and Switzerland) and through bookmakers' worldwide.
NB: Gerwyn Price withdrew and is replaced by Ross Smith from the Reserve List. Under PDC Rules, Price is replaced as a seed by the player ranked highest on the ProTour OOM at the entry deadline, which was also Ross Smith.
2023 Interwetten German Darts Championship
Tournament Draw Bracket - Second Round Onwards
(1) Dave Chisnall v Gabriel Clemens/Danny Jansen
(16) Ross Smith v Vincent van der Voort/Daryl Gurney
(8) Michael van Gerwen v Steve Lennon/Marcus Kirchmann
(9) Joe Cullen v Florian Hempel/Arron Monk
(4) Dirk van Duijvenbode v Scott Waites/George Killington
(13) Martin Schindler v Ricardo Pietreczko/Mickey Mansell
(5) Josh Rock v Stephen Bunting/Jeffrey De Graaf
(12) Danny Noppert v Patrik Kovacs/Jules van Dongen
(2) Damon Heta v Jeff Smith/Darryl Pilgrim
(15) Ryan Searle v Martin Lukeman/Madars Razma
(7) Jonny Clayton v Dylan Slevin/Nico Kurz
(10) Peter Wright v Chris Dobey/Lee Evans
(3) Luke Humphries v Boris Krcmar/Ryan Joyce
(14) Nathan Aspinall v Jelle Klaasen/James Wade
(6) Rob Cross v James Wilson/Gian van Veen
(11) Michael Smith v Karel Sedlacek/Alan Soutar
Schedule of Play
Friday October 13
First Round
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)
Boris Krcmar v Ryan Joyce
Martin Lukeman v Madars Razma
Scott Waites v George Killington
Steve Lennon v Marcus Kirchmann
Karel Sedlacek v Alan Soutar
Dylan Slevin v Nico Kurz
Jeff Smith v Darryl Pilgrim
Patrik Kovacs v Jules van Dongen
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
James Wilson v Gian van Veen
Florian Hempel v Arron Monk
Jelle Klaasen v James Wade
Vincent van der Voort v Daryl Gurney
Ricardo Pietreczko v Mickey Mansell
Gabriel Clemens v Danny Jansen
Chris Dobey v Lee Evans
Stephen Bunting v Jeffrey De Graaf
Saturday October 14
Second Round
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)
Rob Cross v Wilson/Van Veen
Ryan Searle v Lukeman/Razma
Danny Noppert v Kovacs/Van Dongen
Damon Heta v J Smith/Pilgrim
Dirk van Duijvenbode v Waites/Killington
Josh Rock v Bunting/De Graaf
Jonny Clayton v Slevin/Kurz
Ross Smith v Van der Voort/Gurney
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Joe Cullen v Hempel/Monk
Dave Chisnall v Clemens/Jansen
Nathan Aspinall v Klaasen/Wade
Martin Schindler v Pietreczko/Mansell
Michael van Gerwen v Lennon/Kirchmann
Peter Wright v Dobey/Evans
Luke Humphries v Krcmar/Joyce
Michael Smith v Sedlacek/Soutar
Sunday October 15
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