
Who is Jeffrey de Zwaan?
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Jeffrey de Zwaan is a Dutch professional dart player who plays in the PDC (Professional Darts Corporation). Born March 26, 1996, De Zwaan is known for his powerful throwing. He is nicknamed ''The Black Cobra.'' De Zwaan made his breakthrough in 2018, when he surprisingly defeated Michael van Gerwen at the UK Open and later reached the semifinals of the World Matchplay by defeating Van Gerwen again. This tournament marked his breakthrough in darts and established his name as one of the emerging talents within the PDC.
Name: Jeffrey de Zwaan
Nickname: The Black Cobra
Date of birth: March 26, 1996
Residence: Leidschendam
Performance song: Could You Be Loved - Bob Marley
Nickname: The Black Cobra
Date of birth: March 26, 1996
Residence: Leidschendam
Performance song: Could You Be Loved - Bob Marley
Achievements
PDC ranking titles: 2
Nine darters: 3 ( Zero on TV)
Highest average during televised tournament: 106.09 (World Darts Championship 2020
PDC ranking titles: 2
Nine darters: 3 ( Zero on TV)
Highest average during televised tournament: 106.09 (World Darts Championship 2020

Jeffrey de Zwaan
Career
Jeffrey de Zwaan made his debut in the PDC (Professional Darts Corporation) in 2015 . In these first years he gained valuable experience, and managed to qualify for the World Darts Championship. After a cracker, he lost 3-2 in sets to Michael Smith in the first round. De Zwaan began to establish his place within the PDC and continued to work on his consistency.
The year 2018 marked a major breakthrough for De Zwaan. In the UK Open, he defeated Michael van Gerwen, which caused a stir and definitely put his name on the map. Furthermore, 'The Black Cobra' made his mark by winning a Players Championship tournament to his name. Later that year, he achieved his biggest success to that point by reaching the semifinals of the World Matchplay, again defeating Van Gerwen. This achievement made him one of the rising stars within the PDC and earned him much recognition.
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After his breakthrough in 2018, De Zwaan continued to develop. In 2019 , he reached the quarterfinals of the European Championship, confirming once again that he could compete with the world's top players. Furthermore, De Zwaan won his second PDC ranking title. He regularly qualified for major tournaments such as the PDC World Darts Championship and the Players Championship Finals. He continued to perform solidly in 2020 , including a spot in the last sixteen at the World Darts Championship.
The years 2021 and 2022 were volatile for De Zwaan. Partly due to persistent shoulder problems, the Leidschendammer dropped down the rankings and failed to qualify for the television tournaments. He lost his Tour Card, but managed to earn his Tour Card back at the Q-School in 2023.

Jeffrey de Zwaan
Switch to PDC
Jeffrey de Zwaan made the move to the PDC (Professional Darts Corporation) in 2015 to take his darts career to the next level. After successes in regional and national tournaments, he wanted to measure himself against the best darters in the world and decided to join the PDC. The move gave him access to bigger tournaments and the chance to play against top darters such as Michael van Gerwen and Phil Taylor.
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The first years in the PDC were mainly focused on gaining experience and adjusting to the higher competition, but in 2018, De Zwaan made his final breakthrough. His victory over Michael van Gerwen at the UK Open and reaching the semifinals of the World Matchplay confirmed his potential. The move to the PDC gave him the opportunity to further develop and showcase his talent on the biggest darts stage in the world.
What does Jeffrey de Zwaan earn?
Jeffrey de Zwaan's exact income is not publicly known, but like other darters in the PDC, he earns his income mainly through prize money, sponsors and possible appearances. His strong performances, such as reaching the semifinals of the 2018 World Matchplay and good performances in tournaments such as the PDC World Darts Championship, have earned him significant amounts of prize money.
For players who get far in major tournaments, the prize money can be substantial, with amounts of tens of thousands of euros per tournament. In addition to prize money, De Zwaan also benefits from sponsorship deals with brands within the sport of darts. Although he has yet to win a major television title, his constant presence on the ProTour and in major tournaments gives him the opportunity to increase his income. His annual income is estimated to range from €100,000 to €300,000, depending on his performance and sponsorships.

Jeffrey de Zwaan
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Private
Jeffrey de Zwaan keeps his private life largely out of the limelight, so few details are known about his personal life. He was born in Rijswijk, the Netherlands, and still lives in the Netherlands, where he leads a quiet life alongside his busy darts career. Like many other professional darters, he values the balance between his work and his personal time, especially given the busy travel schedule that comes with the PDC.
Off the dartboard, De Zwaan is known as a down-to-earth and humble person. He is focused on improving his game, but also enjoys spending time with family and friends. Despite his rise in darts, he remains true to his Dutch roots and loves the quiet, personal life he leads alongside his career.
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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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- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026
- Fair play to Fallon. But...shows the mockery when a professional players wins what was meant to be an amateur v Pro event, Littlers performance was poor, and what about the players who didn't get a game? Would have been better if the pot was split amoungst all the winners and they all got a leg.BandB31-10-2026
- Not even slightly interestedrick6730-10-2026
- And yet the PDC has decided to aggravate this problem by doubling the Players Championship Finals field from 2027. I can't imagine there will be fewer withdrawals next year with even less reason to turn up. I can only hope that a whole slew of Challenge Tour top-up players receive enough prize money in the absence of much of the elite, that some of the more complacent among them struggle to scrape into even a heavily diluted field! More semi-pro players will get to test their mettle, but the standard of competition will be much inferior. It could hardly be said that the Players Championship series will provide an opportunity for darts' second string to test their Tour Card credentials anymore, but at least it will underscore the achievements of those Challenge Tour players of current and previous years, who were able to prove themselves as more than capable of competing with, and beating, the elite of the sport on a consistent basis, and reaping the due rewards.Deduce635828-10-2026
- No point in being there? Champions want to win.Deduce635828-10-2026
- Littler lost to crabtree in the youth/junior/whatever you call it. He had no point in being there. He's unfortunately now got to the stage,he feels all he has to do is get on the stage to win. Well,I hope he realises part of his fear factor has gone. Happened to Taylor,then van gerwen,and it's causing him to realise pretty sharp,he isn't unstoppable. It's good for the sport,not 1 single player in my 60 years has ever,or will ever be, unbeatable.rick6725-10-2026
- I think it's great to see Mark Webster looking good,good ladrick6725-10-2026
- I agree,I can't believe the lack of coverage of this sad loss. Always enjoyed watching him,but I guess now it's all about littler,well it seems that way. Darts has sadly lost a good manrick6717-10-2026
- In the absence of a report regarding the death of Stefan Lord, I'll assist. An excellent player in the late 70s and early 80s, he actually won the now defunct 3rd place match at two World Championships and a couple of the News of the World Championships. A fabulous player and easily the best Swedish player ever. Rest peacefully Stefan.richieburnettrocks16-10-2026






