What is the PDC Europe Start?
PDC Europe Start is the new, multinational amateur tournament series from PDC Europe for the entire DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) as well as Liechtenstein and Luxembourg. Matches are not played centrally, but locally in eight different regions of the DACH. The season comprises ten weeks of regular competition, followed by regional final tournaments. Those who prevail in these tournaments secure a starting place in a newly created PDC Major tournament or in the PDC Europe Super League. Through the Super League, there is then a chance to qualify for the World Championship. This means there is now a direct route from World of Darts Zurich to the Ally Pally in London!
World of Darts Zurich as an official venue
We are one of the official PDC Europe Start venues and, as part of the Eastern Switzerland region, host PDC Europe Start tournaments every Friday evening at 6:00 PM directly in the city of Zurich. At each tournament, you collect points for the regional ranking of your place of residence . The top players in these rankings then qualify for a Regional Final.
If you'd like to learn more about us and our other tournament series, feel free to follow us on Instagram or TikTok . We're looking forward to the tournaments and hope to help pave the way for a professional darts player from Zurich.
How the tournament series works
A season lasts ten weeks. Of your results, the ten best of the season count towards the ranking — you can therefore replace weaker results at any time by participating in other venues.
The DACH region, including Liechtenstein and Luxembourg, is divided into eight regions: four in Germany, two in Austria, and two in Switzerland. Important: Your points count towards the region where you reside—regardless of the venue where you actually compete. Therefore, it's worthwhile to play with us as often as possible, even if you've already participated in other tournaments or live in a different region.
At the end of the season, the top 32 players from each region qualify for the Regional Finals. The winner of their Regional Final becomes the Regional Champion and secures two things: a starting place in a newly created PDC Major tournament and participation in a direct 1-on-1 duel to secure one of the last four remaining starting places in the HYLO PDC Europe Super League.
The Super League is the stepping stone that can lead to qualification for the PDC World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace. Even those who don't win the Regional Final don't go home empty-handed: the losing finalists receive entries to the PDC Europe Next Gen, and a total of €40,000 in prize money is awarded across the entire series.
How you can play with us
To participate, you need a PDCE Start membership (€10 per season); participation in a single tournament costs an additional €6. Anyone aged 12 and over can play. The minimum age for qualifying for a final tournament is 16. Registration is exclusively online via the RegConnect platform. Registration for each tournament opens seven days before the tournament (in our case, Friday at 6:00 PM) and remains open until the tournament starts, or as long as there are available starting places. Registration for our first tournament opens on RegConnect on Friday, July 31, 2026, at 6:00 PM.
Attention: Registrations/deregistrations and payments must be made directly through PDC Europe and cannot be done by us.
The most important facts
Eligible to participate
Persons who reside (for 5 years), were born or are citizens of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein or Luxembourg
Season duration
10 weeks of regular play + regional finals, at least one tournament per week and venue. Fridays at 6:00 PM at our venue, starting August 7th, 2026.
Cost
€10 season membership + €6 per tournament entry
Registration
Online registration via RegConnect, starting 7 days before each tournament. The first registration with us opens on July 31st, 2026 at 6:00 PM.
Minimum age
12 years (16 years for qualification to final tournaments)
Rating
The 10 best results per player count towards the regional ranking of their place of residence.
Total prize money
€40,000; even qualification for the Regional Finals guarantees prize money.
World of Darts Zurich
Regions
8 (4 each from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) — we are part of the Eastern Switzerland region. Your points are counted towards the region of your residence.
Qualification
Top 32 per region
→ Regional Finals
→ 1 Regional Champion per region
Opportunities
Starting place at a new PDC major tournament, playoff place for the HYLO PDC Europe Super League, potential path to the Ally Pally (PDC World Darts Championship)
Contact PDC Europe
Rules
The complete and binding rules of the tournament series can be found on the official PDC Europe website: pdc-europe.tv/de/fuer-spieler/start
Who is allowed to participate:
To be eligible to participate, you must have resided in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, or Luxembourg for at least five years, have been born in one of these countries, or hold citizenship in one of them. The minimum age is 12; you must be 16 to qualify for the final tournaments. Please note: Participants must play under the flag of one of the participating countries. Players from other countries or those already playing at the PDC level for another country are not eligible.
Clothing: The general dress code for local tournaments, as applied to PDC professional tournaments, does not yet apply. Only closed-toe shoes are mandatory at all PDC Start tournaments. (The full dress code, with dark shoes, black trousers, and a collared shirt, applies only to those who qualify for the Regional Finals.)
Game format: Depending on the number of participants, we play in groups of up to 6 people per board. The group stage is played in a best-of-3-legs format (501, Straight In/Double Out). The top two players from each group advance to the knockout round, where matches are played as best-of-5 legs. If a leg takes longer than 60 darts per player, a bullseye decides the winner.
Scoring: The tournaments are self-marking competitions. In the group stage, DartConnect assigns the scorers; in the knockout round, the loser of the preliminary round scores the next match.
In case of any uncertainties: In case of disputes, our tournament management will make the final decision on site; fundamental rule violations will be reported to PDC Europe, which will decide on possible consequences.