Eight Dutch players chase World Grand Prix title: the chances for Michael van Gerwen, Gian van Veen and Wessel Nijman
PDCWednesday, 23 September 2026 at 06:00
From Monday 28.09.2026 to Sunday 04.10.2026, Leicester hosts the next major on the calendar with the World Grand Prix. With no fewer than eight Dutch entrants, the Netherlands is well represented again. But are there real chances for our compatriots to lift the title? In this article we set out the key talking points.
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The World Grand Prix is known for its unique double-in, double-out format. Where players normally only need to finish on a double, here they must also hit a double to start each leg. That piles extra pressure on the opening visits, as multiple missed starters can leave you chasing from a long way back.
With Michael van Gerwen, Gian van Veen, Danny Noppert, Wessel Nijman, Kevin Doets, Dirk van Duijvenbode, Jermaine Wattimena, and Niels Zonneveld in the draw, Dutch hopes are widespread. Favourable first rounds are rare in such a stacked field, though, so how big are the realistic chances for our players to go deep this week?
Draw for the Dutch at the World Grand Prix 2026
| Dutch player | Opponent |
| Michael van Gerwen | Ryan Joyce |
| Gian van Veen | Dirk van Duijvenbode |
| Wessel Nijman | Rob Cross |
| Danny Noppert | Niko Springer |
| Dirk van Duijvenbode | Gian van Veen |
| Kevin Doets | Nathan Aspinall |
| Jermaine Wattimena | Chris Dobey |
| Niels Zonneveld | Josh Rock |
Michael van Gerwen
With six World Grand Prix titles, Michael van Gerwen is one of the two most successful players in this major’s history. Only Phil Taylor did better, with 11. Between 2014 and 2019 the Dutchman was almost untouchable in Dublin, and he last won the title in 2022.
A seventh crown looks unlikely this year. Mighty Mike has struggled for months, veering from high peaks to deep troughs. Knowing you must be razor-sharp in a double-in, double-out event, it seems a stretch to expect everything to click in Leicester next week.
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The World Series of Darts Finals underlined the work still to be done for the three-time world champion. Van Gerwen seemed set to beat Daryl Gurney, but missed six match darts and crashed out in the first round. Wayward doubling is exactly what you cannot afford at this tournament.
The draw is not the worst for the Dutchman. He faces Ryan Joyce, who finished ninth on the Pro Tour Order of Merit. The Englishman, like Van Gerwen, is not in sparkling form, which could open the door for MVG. The head-to-head also favours Van Gerwen, who has won 10 of their 13 meetings.
Gian van Veen & Dirk van Duijvenbode
The only all-Dutch tie in round one. Fittingly, it’s between Gian van Veen and Dirk van Duijvenbode, who also met recently at the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam.
That night showed how evenly matched they are. In AFAS Live, Van Duijvenbode led 8-6 before Van Veen reeled off four straight legs to seal a 10-6 victory.
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It later emerged that Aubergenius had played the whole tournament with a hand injury, raising questions about how that will develop heading into the World Grand Prix. Even with the issue, he impressed by upsetting Luke Humphries 10-9 in a last-leg decider in round two.
Van Veen reached the semi-finals in Amsterdam thanks to that win over his compatriot, but that proved a step too far. He averaged only 85 and went down tamely to eventual champion Ross Smith.
On paper this is a coin flip. The head-to-head narrowly favours Van Duijvenbode, who has won four of their six meetings. The last two, however, went to Van Veen. With Van Duijvenbode’s hand problem, it is also uncertain how he will look in Leicester.
Van Veen recently beat Van Duijvenbode 10-8 at the World Series of Darts Finals.
Wessel Nijman
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In Leicester, Nijman will hope to reach a first major quarter-final at last. First he must get past Rob Cross in round one, and that is a tough assignment.
“Voltage” looks set for another climb up the world ranking in 2026. Cross is having an excellent year, won a floor title, and finished eighth on the Pro Tour Order of Merit for the World Grand Prix. At the World Series of Darts Finals, however, he surprisingly lost 6-2 to Ryan Searle.
Yet one man is truly breaking through this year: Wessel Nijman. The Dutchman won two European Tour events and added six floor titles. Those results have lifted him to 12th in the world, with the top 10 in sight. A deep run at a major is still missing for now.
The World Grand Prix might change that. His head-to-head with Cross is at least encouraging. Of their five previous meetings, the Dutchman lost only once. That lone win for “Voltage” did come at last year’s World Grand Prix.
Danny Noppert
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Noppert put together a fine run at the World Grand Prix last year. The Dutchman beat Jermaine Wattimena, Stephen Bunting, and Gary Anderson to reach the semi-finals. There, he had to bow to Luke Humphries.
On paper, this tournament should suit “The Freeze.” He generally relies more on his doubles than pure scoring power. In this format, that is ideal. His semi-final last year underlines it, as does his previous semi-final in 2021.
He meets German talent Niko Springer in round one, who qualified as number 13 on the Pro Tour Order of Merit. On paper that makes him one of the lower-ranked players, but it will be no formality for Noppert. Springer has repeatedly shown he can beat big names and, once in rhythm, his scoring is hard to contain.
Noppert will be the favourite on paper, but their head-to-head tells a different story. They have only met three times, yet the German won two of those matches. Noppert will have to be sharp if he wants to reach the last four again.
Noppert reached the semi-finals at the World Grand Prix in 2021 and 2025.
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Kevin Doets
Kevin Doets is probably one of the names every top-16 seed hoped to avoid in the draw. The Dutchman won his first Players Championship title this year and regularly went deep on the floor. He also made a European Tour final, which he lost 8-6 to Josh Rock.
Thanks to these strong results he is now firmly inside the world’s top 32 at number 27. That is why Nathan Aspinall will not have been thrilled to see the Dutchman’s name next to his in the draw.
Aspinall, ranked 16th, often has the misfortune to face Luke Littler in round two at events like this, so a first-round win would help him climb a few spots and likely avoid the world champion.
But drawing Doets is far from ideal. Looking at their head-to-head, you could even call “Hawkeye” a bogey player for the Englishman. Of their nine previous meetings, the Dutchman won seven, including at last year’s World Darts Championship.
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Jermaine Wattimena
Like Doets, Wattimena is probably a name the big guns wanted to miss. As number three on the Pro Tour Order of Merit, the Dutchman drew Chris Dobey (world number 15), which is relatively kind.
Dobey is not known for clinical finishing. In fact, the Geordie often lets chances slip on the outer ring. On his good days he is very hard to beat, as shown by his two floor titles in 2026. But “Hollywood” has also thrown away matches through wasteful doubling. At this tournament, those doubles are crucial.
That gives Wattimena plenty of opportunity, even though he is usually regarded more for scoring than for ruthless finishing. If he can also find strong opening doubles at the start of legs, he should be capable of beating Dobey.
The head-to-head clearly favours “The Machine Gun.” They have met 13 times, with the Dutchman winning nine against the Englishman.
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With a strong run at the World Grand Prix, Wattimena could break into the world’s top 16.
Niels Zonneveld
Finally, there is Niels Zonneveld, who is having an excellent year on the ProTour. While he still awaits his first PDC title, he has made his mark on the floor and the European Tour this season.
Over the first four Euro Tour events, he reached two semi-finals and a quarter-final. He also made two quarter-finals on the floor. That ensured early in the year, via the Pro Tour Order of Merit—where he finished 11th—his place at the major.
“Triple Z” is up to 25th in the world and could break into the top 32 for the first time in his career with a strong result in Leicester. He has, however, drawn a tough opponent in Josh Rock.
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The Northern Irishman is up to world number 7 and, with a good run, could climb to number 5. The head-to-head narrowly favours the Dutchman, though. Of their five previous meetings, Zonneveld won three. Those were also the three most recent clashes, so he will travel to Leicester with confidence.
Samuel GillChief Content Officer
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
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