Gian van Veen wants to follow in the footsteps of Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen: "It would mean absolutely everything of course"
PDC
Gian van Veen begins his title defence at the European Championship in Dortmund on Thursday evening. The 24-year-old Dutchman hopes to win the European title for a second year in a row and follow in the footsteps of Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen. So far, they are the only players to have successfully defended their European titles. After a difficult start to 2026, Van Veen has rediscovered his best form and is looking ahead to the tournament at the Westfalenhalle with confidence.
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Van Veen made his definitive breakthrough at the highest level in Dortmund last year. The Dutchman beat Michael van Gerwen in the semi-finals before overcoming Luke Humphries in a thrilling final. The match went to a deciding leg, where Van Veen claimed his first major individual PDC title.
A year later, he returns to the venue where his rise began as the world number three and eighth seed. He faces Andrew Gilding, the 2023 UK Open champion, in the first round. “I think it will be very special to be back in Dortmund after last year,” Van Veen told pdc.tv ahead of his title defence.
“I believe it’s a tournament that really suits me well. Of course it was where I reached my first major semi-final three years ago, so this tournament has nice memories for me.”
Gian van Veen won the European Championship in 2025
From European champion to World Championship finalist
The European title proved to be the start of a hugely successful period for Van Veen. The Dutchman quickly became a regular among the world’s elite and even reached the World Darts Championship final in January.
Although he did not win the world title, Van Veen considers his run at Alexandra Palace the most important moment of his career so far. “I’m very proud of what I’ve accomplished since the European Championship,” he continued. "The highlight has to be making the World Championship final. Even though I lost it, it was still such a career-defining moment for me.
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His strong performances also earned him a debut in the Premier League Darts. He also competed in the World Series events and continued to deliver impressive results at the major televised tournaments.
“Playing in my first Premier League and all the World Series, and now doing well with the semi-finals at the World Matchplay, quarter-finals at the World Grand Prix."
Van Veen believes those results show that his European title was no one-off. “I think it’s been going really well, and I’m glad that I could build on the success from Dortmund last year.”
Kidney stone surgery disrupted start to the season
However, 2026 has not been entirely smooth for Van Veen. The Dutchman suffered health problems in March and needed surgery for kidney stones.
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The operation came at an awkward time, midway through his first Premier League season. It seriously disrupted his campaign in the prestigious competition.
Even after recovering, it took Van Veen some time to find his usual level again. On the European Tour, he even lost his opening match three times in a row. “It definitely wasn’t the easiest start to 2026, but I’ve learnt so much about myself."
The most important lesson he took from that period was that it is impossible to perform at his very best every week. “The main thing I’ve learned is that you can’t perform at your 100% best every time. You cannot do that week in week out, especially with the schedule we have."
Van Veen has now learned to accept that defeats are inevitable, even for players at the very top of the game. “You’re going to lose more tournaments than you’re going to win, and that’s something you have to accept, especially during the Premier League where you play the top players every week.”
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Record average in Maastricht provides extra confidence
After his difficult spell, Van Veen began to improve steadily over the summer. His run to the World Matchplay semi-finals in July marked a particularly important turning point.
In the past month, he has also reached three European Tour semi-finals. Last weekend, he underlined his excellent form at the Dutch Darts Championship in Maastricht.
Van Veen recorded a convincing 6-0 win over Sebastian Bialecki, averaging an impressive 120.24 over three darts.
That set a new European Tour record. The performance has given him a major confidence boost ahead of the European Championship. “You couldn’t pick a better time of the year to be in good form,” said Van Veen.
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“Especially with the 120 average last weekend - even though it’s only six legs, that also gives me a massive confidence boost to know that the work I’ve been putting in is showing on stage."
The Dutchman sees his strong performances as confirmation that he is back among the very best. “I’ve shown everyone that I can still do it, so it’s the perfect time to be in form with the European Championship, Grand Slam, Players Championship Finals and then of course the World Championship coming up.”
Only Taylor and Van Gerwen have done it before
Van Veen is one of five former European champions competing at this weekend’s European Championship. However, he faces a particularly tough challenge. No defending champion has even won their opening match at the European Championship since 2018.
Van Veen will hope to end that run when he faces Gilding on Thursday evening. After that, he will be aiming to go as far as possible in the tournament. Should he win the title again, he would join a very select group. So far, only Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen have won the European Championship in consecutive years.
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For Van Veen, it would mark another milestone in his young career. “It would mean absolutely everything of course,” the Dutchman said.
“It’ll feel empty at home otherwise”
Alongside the sporting honour, Van Veen has another personal reason for wanting to defend his title. The trophy he won in Dortmund last year has held a special place in his home ever since. But with the next edition of the European Championship about to begin, he now has to hand it back.
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Van Veen hopes he will be able to take the trophy home again on Sunday evening. “That trophy has had a special place in our house and it’s about to leave our house again, so I would like to have it back, otherwise it will feel empty!"
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Van Veen says the prospect of the trophy leaving his home for good gives him even more motivation. “That’s a good motivation for myself this weekend, if I needed any at all!”
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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