LUKE LITTLER has been given an additional challenge in his mission to ‘complete’ darts – with the advert of a new TV major.
Of all the things he wants to accomplish this year, The Nuke is desperate to win next month’s .
If he achieves that goal, then he will emulate Michael van Gerwen, 37, with a clean sweep of victories in all of the PDC’s premier televised events.
However, it has now been confirmed that the inaugural European Open will take place in the Austrian city of Salzburg from June 18-20, 2027.
This three-day competition will take place the weekend after the World Cup of in Frankfurt.
And it will increase the total number of darts majors from 11 to 12, meaning Littler, 19, will have one more gap to fill on his already impressive CV.
The European Open will involve 160 players – the qualifying structure is yet to be announced but may be similar to the UK Open format — and should carry a significant prize pot.
It will be shown on ITV next summer, though it will clash every other year with their live football coverage of the World Cups and European Championships.
In other news for 2027, France will stage a PDC ranking event for the first time.
Lievin – a northern French town, just a few kilometres from Lens – will host the fourth of 15 events on the 2027 European Tour circuit.
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de France will take place from March 19-21 – the weekend before the Easter holidays.
Euro Tour competitions will also be staged in Germany (six events), Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Holland, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Switzerland.
France is not a traditional stronghold of darts, like Germany or Holland, and only has one pro, Thibault Tricole, who is ranked 68th on the PDC world rankings.
The hope of darts bosses is that Littler, the world No.1 and reigning world champion, will be tempted to hop on the Eurostar to this new stomping ground in France.
This follows his decision to skip several events on the European circuit, specifically those staged in Germany.
And The Nuke, 19, took umbrage last weekend with hostile crowds in Amsterdam during the World Series of Darts Finals.
PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter said: “The 2027 calendar is another reflection of the continued growth of the PDC circuit and we’re delighted to be taking our events to more fans across Europe.
“Taking the European Tour to France for the first time is an exciting development for us.
“We’ve seen the circuit continue to grow into new territories in recent years and we’re looking forward to visiting Lievin in March.
“The introduction of the European Open in Salzburg is another significant addition to the calendar and further strengthens what is already a fantastic schedule of events throughout the year.
“With 15 European Tour events alongside our established televised tournaments and a busy ProTour schedule, 2027 promises to be another exciting year for our players and fans.”
