Eight Dutch players at the World Series Finals 2026: what are the Dutch contingent’s chances at the home major?

No fewer than eight Dutch players step up to the oche this week at the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam. Michael van Gerwen leads the Dutch contingent as defending champion and top seed. Gian van Veen, Danny Noppert, and Wessel Nijman are also among the home players who can go deep at AFAS Live.

Dirk van Duijvenbode, Jermaine Wattimena, and Maik Kuivenhoven also get the chance to perform in front of their home crowd. What are the prospects for our compatriots in Amsterdam? Below we look ahead to the matches of the Dutch participants at the World Series Finals.

Michael van Gerwen begins his title defence as the number one seed. He owes that status to finishing first on the 2026 World Series Order of Merit. Remarkably, Van Gerwen needed only three of the six regular World Series events to top that list. ‘Mighty Mike’ won both the Bahrain Darts Masters and the Nordic Darts Masters, and reached the final of the Saudi Arabia Darts Masters in between. He also has fond memories of Amsterdam. Last year Van Gerwen beat Luke Littler in the final to lift the title on home soil.

That contrasts with mixed results on the ranking circuit. Van Gerwen did win a Players Championship, but across eleven European Tour appearances he went no further than two semi-finals. At the ranking majors he is still waiting for his first quarter-final of the season. Van Gerwen was initially due to face Lourence Ilagan, but the Filipino was forced to withdraw due to visa issues. Daryl Gurney, who lost in the final round of the Tour Card Holder Qualifier, steps in to take his place.

Gurney, too, is enduring a tough year. The Northern Irishman narrowly missed out on World Matchplay qualification and has reached just one quarter-final at the Players Championships. His standout run on the European Tour was a semi-final at the Austrian Darts Open. The head-to-head strongly favours Van Gerwen. Of their 42 previous meetings, the Dutchman has won 29. Gurney has 12 wins, and one match was drawn. Van Gerwen also won their most recent encounter.

Kevin Doets and Ross Smith are both among the players who have made major strides in 2026. Doets finally claimed that long-awaited first PDC title this season. In addition, ‘Hawkeye’ reached a European Tour final and made his debut in the world’s top 32. Results have dipped slightly in recent weeks after his excellent start. Doets also suffered a heavy personal blow last month with the passing of his father.

He meets one of this year’s most successful ProTour performers in Smith. The Englishman won his first European Tour event and has already collected two floor titles and two European Tour titles in 2026. Last weekend, ‘Smudger’ reached another European Tour final. At the Flanders Darts Trophy he had to bow to James Wade. The head-to-head between Doets and Smith is perfectly balanced at 4–4. Their last meeting came at the World Matchplay in July. Doets averaged 104 but still lost 10–6.

Jermaine Wattimena faces one of the game’s biggest names straight away on home turf. ‘The Machine Gun’ takes on former world champion Luke Humphries. Wattimena is building on his strong 2025 form. After two titles in 2025, he added another Players Championship this season and reached his first European Tour final.

Humphries is far from an unbeatable opponent for the Dutchman. Of their 14 previous meetings, Wattimena has won five. ‘Cool Hand Luke’ is not playing the heaviest schedule this year, but when he does turn up, he frequently goes deep. Humphries has already won three Players Championship titles and one European Tour title. He also triumphed at the World Cup of Darts and the US Darts Masters. The World Series of Darts Finals is one of the few major titles still missing from his résumé.

Dirk van Duijvenbode only secured his ticket for Amsterdam late on. The Dutchman was not initially in the field, but got the call after Man Lok Leung withdrew. The draw does not appear unkind. Van Duijvenbode faces Viktor Tingstrom, who, based on his results, is among the less experienced players in Amsterdam. ‘Aubergenius’ enjoyed an excellent World Matchplay this summer, reaching the semi-finals. He also made two quarter-finals on the European Tour. Since the summer break, however, things have been less smooth. In his last two European Tour outings, Van Duijvenbode lost his opening match with below-par displays. A win in Amsterdam would be a timely boost.

Tingstrom earned his spot thanks to his performances at the Nordic Darts Masters. The Swede caused an upset there by beating Stephen Bunting 6-5 to reach the second round. Tingstrom has held a Tour Card since 2025, but at the Players Championships he has never gone beyond the last 16.

Gian van Veen is gearing up for his second World Series Finals. The European champion debuted in 2024 in Amsterdam and looks to be hitting top form at just the right time. After a difficult spring, Van Veen reached the semi-finals of the World Matchplay this summer. Last weekend he also made the last four at the Flanders Darts Trophy. Notably, he beat exactly the man he now faces again in Antwerp, 6-3: Chris Dobey. Thanks to that win, Van Veen leads the head-to-head 2-1.

Dobey has won two Players Championship titles in 2026, but big results on the European Tour have eluded him. He reached the semi-finals at the Poland Darts Masters in February. After that he went no further than two quarter-finals on that circuit.

A new milestone is within reach for Wessel Nijman in Amsterdam. The Dutchman is chasing his first quarter-final at a major and, on paper, has a favourable draw against Simon Whitlock. Nijman is enjoying an excellent season. He won six Players Championships and two European Tour events, although his last title dates back to June. His results have lifted him to 12th on the world ranking. With strong showings at the autumn majors, even the Premier League Darts for 2027 could come into view.

Whitlock qualified via the World Series Order of Merit without winning a match. The Wizard competed at the two World Series events in Oceania and received one point for each appearance. Those two points were enough to book his spot in Amsterdam. In New Zealand, Whitlock lost 6-4 to Josh Rock. At the Australian Darts Masters, Gerwyn Price proved too strong at 6-2. Nijman and Whitlock have never met in an official match.

Danny Noppert may face the toughest assignment of all the Dutch players. The Freeze meets world number one Luke Littler. Noppert is certainly not without a chance, as the Joure thrower has shown before. He beat Littler once, at a European Tour event in 2025. The other six meetings went the way of The Nuke.

Noppert has been prominent on recent European Tour stops with a semi-final and two quarter-finals. Earlier this year he also reached the last eight at the World Masters and the UK Open. At the World Matchplay, however, he went out in the first round. Noppert has fond memories of Amsterdam. In 2019 he reached his first PDC major final at the World Series Finals.

Littler arrives on a remarkable streak. The Englishman has won every major so far in 2026. He also reached the final in Amsterdam last year, but Van Gerwen denied him the title. On his debut in 2024, Littler won the tournament.

Maik Kuivenhoven also received a late invitation after a withdrawal. The Dutchman replaces Alexis Toylo and faces former champion Jonny Clayton. Kuivenhoven is in a pivotal season. He has climbed to 65th on the world ranking, sitting just outside the top 64 required to retain his Tour Card after this season. His results offer encouragement. Kuivenhoven has played four European Tour events this year and reached both a semi-final and a final on the floor. He has already secured spots at the Players Championship Finals and the PDC World Darts Championship.

Clayton won the World Series Finals in 2021. The Welshman is playing better in 2026 than this season’s honours list might suggest. His only title came at the New Zealand Darts Masters. At the ranking majors, Clayton followed his World Championship quarter-final with only another run to the last eight at the UK Open. He also reached the Premier League semi-finals, though that event does not count towards the world ranking. In addition, The Ferret made a European Tour final and two finals at the Players Championships. Clayton is currently fifth in the world, with Wade and Van Gerwen close behind. With a view to another Premier League invite in 2027, it could be important for the Welshman to hold his position. Kuivenhoven and Clayton meet for the sixth time. Clayton leads 4-1, but there is a notable detail: their only encounter in 2026 was won by Kuivenhoven.