THE field of competitors for the Unibet European Championship has been confirmed ahead of the event at the Ethias Arena in Hasselt from October 30-November 1.
The 32-player tournament was won by Michael van Gerwen 12 months ago, when he also landed a spectacular nine-dart finish, with the Dutchman entering this year's event as the number one seed.
World Champion Gary Anderson will be the number two seed, with four-time European Champion Phil Taylor the number three seed and Scotland's Peter Wright seeded fourth.
New World Grand Prix champion Robert Thornton will travel to Belgium as the number five seed, with 2013 European Champion Adrian Lewis, James Wade and Ian White completing the eight seeded stars.
Kim Huybrechts' brilliant European Darts Grand Prix triumph in Sindelfingen on Sunday not only preserved the Belgian's place inside the world's top 16 but moved him up to tenth on the PDC Order of Merit.
Former World Youth Champion Michael Smith, last year's European Championship runner-up Terry Jenkins, 2012 European Champion Simon Whitlock, Brendan Dolan, Mervyn King, Dave Chisnall and Vincent van der Voort all qualify by virtue of their places within the world's top 16.
The field also features 15 qualifiers from the one-year ProTour Order of Merit, including seven guaranteed European spots, alongside Scandinavian Darts Corporation qualifier Magnus Caris.
Jelle Klaasen was the leading ProTour Order of Merit qualifier, with fellow Dutchmen Benito van de Pas, Raymond van Barneveld, Christian Kist, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Jeffrey De Zwaan also set to compete in Hasselt.
In-form Austrian ace Mensur Suljovic - a semi-finalist in the World Grand Prix and European Darts Grand Prix in successive weekends - is joined by fellow countryman Rowby-John Rodriguez in qualifying alongside Germany's Max Hopp and Spain's Cristo Reyes, who has impressed in his first year as a professional.
Alan Norris' recent Players Championship victory in Wigan has helped the former Lakeside Championship finalist to earn a European Championship debut, with Gerwyn Price also set to make his first appearance in the event following a strong year.
English duo Justin Pipe and Stephen Bunting and Scotland's John Henderson also qualify by virtue of their ProTour form as they bid to claim their maiden major PDC titles in Hasselt.
The draw for the Unibet European Championship is expected to be made early in the week commencing October 19, and will be confirmed at www.pdc.tv once available.
The Unibet European Championship will be played from Friday October 30-Sunday November 1 at the Ethias Arena in Hasselt, Belgium. For tickets, visit www.pdc-europe.tv.
2015 Unibet European Championship
PDC Order of Merit Qualifiers (Top Eight Seeded)
1 Michael van Gerwen (Netherlands)
2 Gary Anderson (Scotland)
3 Phil Taylor (England)
4 Peter Wright (Scotland)
5 Robert Thornton (Scotland)
6 Adrian Lewis (England)
7 James Wade (England)
8 Ian White (England)
9 Michael Smith (England)
10 Kim Huybrechts (Belgium)
11 Terry Jenkins (England)
12 Simon Whitlock (Australia)
13 Brendan Dolan (Northern Ireland)
14 Mervyn King (England)
15 Dave Chisnall (England)
16 Vincent van der Voort (Netherlands)
ProTour Order of Merit Qualifiers
Jelle Klaasen (Netherlands)
Justin Pipe (England)
Mensur Suljovic (Austria)
Benito van de Pas (Netherlands)
Stephen Bunting (England)
Gerwyn Price (Wales)
Alan Norris (England)
John Henderson (Scotland)
European Qualifiers from ProTour Order of Merit
Raymond van Barneveld (Netherlands)
Christian Kist (Netherlands)
Rowby-John Rodriguez (Austria)
Cristo Reyes (Spain)
Max Hopp (Germany)
Dirk van Duijvenbode (Netherlands)
Jeffrey De Zwaan (Netherlands)
Scandinavian Qualifier
Magnus Caris (Sweden)