Michael van Gerwen faces Michael Unterbuchner as he chases a third Elten Safety Shoes European Darts Grand Prix crown in Sindelfingen.
Meanwhile, Gary Anderson will begin his bid for a third consecutive title against Niko Springer.
The fifth European Tour event of 2026 will see a 48-player field competing for the £35,000 top prize in Sindelfingen from April 17-19, as Anderson prepares to take centre stage once again at the Glaspalast.
The two-time World Champion has not featured on the European Tour circuit since February's Poland Darts Open, but will be amongst six former European Darts Grand Prix winners in action this weekend.
Friday's opening round featured 16 matches across two sessions, which saw the likes of Cameron Menzies, Joe Cullen, Wessel Nijman, and Dave Chisnall progress.
Josh Rock will take on Keane Barry, Nathan Aspinall plays Jeffrey de Zwaan, while Gian van Veen has the prospect of Cullen and Gerwyn Price has the challenge of Chisnall.
Round One Results
Afternoon Session
Valters Melderis 6-5 Karel Sedlacek
Wessel Nijman 6-2 Ian White
Keane Barry 6-3 Niels Zonneveld
Krzysztof Ratajski 6-3 Michael Hurtz
Kevin Doets 6-4 Jurjen van der Velde
Andrew Gilding 6-3 Paul Krohne
Mickey Mansell 6-2 Rob Cross
Dave Chisnall 6-4 Petr Krivka
Evening Session
Michael Unterbuchner 6-5 William O'Connor
Joe Cullen 6-1 Maik Kuivenhoven
Jeffrey de Zwaan 6-3 Peter Wright
Cameron Menzies 6-3 Raymond van Barneveld
Damon Heta 6-4 Madars Razma
Kim Huybrechts 6-3 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Oskar Lukasiak 6-5 Daryl Gurney
Niko Springer 6-1 Robin Masino
Round Two
Afternoon Session (12pm)
Mike De Decker v Krzysztof Ratajski
Jermaine Wattimena v Kevin Doets
Ryan Searle v Wessel Nijman
Danny Noppert v Oskar Lukasiak
Chris Dobey v Andrew Gilding
Gary Anderson v Niko Springer
Stephen Bunting v Mickey Mansell
Josh Rock v Keane Barry
Evening Session (6pm)
Ross Smith v Cameron Menzies
Gerwyn Price v Dave Chisnall
Nathan Aspinall v Jeffrey de Zwaan
James Wade v Kim Huybrechts
Gian van Veen v Joe Cullen
Michael van Gerwen v Michael Unterbuchner
Martin Schindler v Damon Heta
Jonny Clayton v Valters Melderis
Afternoon Session (12pm)
Round Three
Evening Session (6pm)
Quarter-Finals
Semi-Finals
Final
The BetMGM Premier League heads to the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool which hosts another crucial night of action.
Luke Littler locks horns with arch rival Luke Humphries, as home hero Stephen Bunting takes on Jonny Clayton.
Gian van Veen faces Gerwyn Price in a crucial battle near the top of the table, while Michael van Gerwen hopes to make further inroads towards the Play-Offs as he takes on Josh Rock.
Ranking points are awarded per night - with five to the winner, three to the runner-up and two to the semi-finalists - to form the league table from which the top four players will progress to Finals Night at The O2 in London on Thursday May 28.
Who will win this year's Premier League Darts? Luke Humphries will be defending his title and you can watch the action every single Thursday until May on Your Site. .
