“Baetens? No idea, I was cooking” – Dirk van Duijvenbode caught off-guard by 2026 PDC World Darts Championship draw

Dirk van Duijvenbode has learned that Belgium’s Andy Baetens will be his first opponent at the upcoming 2026 PDC World Darts Championship — a player in strong form and, crucially, someone who plays at a rhythm that should suit him well.

Speaking to Viaplay in a video call, the Dutchman offered exactly the kind of dry, straightforward honesty fans expect from him.

When told Baetens was waiting for him in round one, Van Duijvenbode admitted he hadn’t watched the draw unfold. “I was cooking,” he joked. “What does it matter whether you watch it or not? It doesn’t change anything.”

He then shifted into a more serious assessment. “Baetens… yeah, there were easier draws, I think. But honestly: when I get an easy draw, I don’t throw anything at all. Maybe this is actually better.”

Analysts in the studio viewed the draw positively. “I think he’s a player who matches your tempo nicely,” one commentator said. “No nonsense — that suits you well.”

Van Duijvenbode agreed. “In the end, you always have to rely on yourself. But indeed: there were a couple of awkward players in there as well. Baetens is pretty calm. In terms of quality he’s very good — maybe even one of the toughest qualifiers. But yeah, you can’t change anything anyway. You just have to throw well yourself.”

For now, Van Duijvenbode isn’t ready to map out his full World Championship build-up — everything depends on his match date. “Let me wait and see when I’m playing. If it’s only around the 16th or 17th, then I’ll probably think about a week at Papendal.”

That training base worked perfectly for him last year. “It was really nice to be somewhere where you’re purely focused on your performance. Everything is close by: physio, fitness, food, drink — you don’t have to do anything. You can fully concentrate. At home there are always distractions. Not there. It’s just very effective work because everything is within two or three hundred metres,” he concluded.