Gian van Veen admits the feeling of being a PDC major champion still hasn’t quite sunk in. Less than two weeks after his breakthrough triumph at the European Championship in Dortmund, the 22-year-old Dutch star is preparing for another busy spell of televised action — beginning with the Grand Slam of Darts, followed by the Players Championship Finals and the World Youth Championship Final.
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“It’s settled in a little bit, but not 100% yet,” Van Veen smiled. “Maybe it’s going to take a couple of months before it really has, but the past week and a half has been like living on cloud nine.”
The victory in Dortmund was Van Veen’s first senior PDC title and confirmed his emergence as one of darts’ brightest young prospects. Unsurprisingly, the reaction back home in the Netherlands has been significant.
“It’s been really nice,” he said. “Loads of Dutch newspapers and TV stations wanted to do articles. We’ve been spoiled with Raymond [van Barneveld] and Michael [van Gerwen], and it’s been a while since someone new has won a major — Danny [Noppert] won the UK Open, but since then it’s been kind of quiet. So it’s great to see that attention again.”
“I’m taking it as another tournament”
Despite his maiden major success, Van Veen insists the pressure hasn’t changed heading into the Grand Slam, where he faces a daunting group that includes Josh Rock, Wessel Nijman, and Lisa Ashton.
“For me, not so much,” he said when asked if expectations feel different. “I just want to continue what I’ve been doing this year. My standard has been really good, and in Dortmund I finally got it over the line. I’m taking it as another tournament — of course with massive confidence from Dortmund.”
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Van Veen’s path doesn’t get any easier. After the Grand Slam, he faces Luke Humphries in the opening round of the Players Championship Finals. But he’s determined to keep his mindset simple.
“It’s a very tough group stage again this year, nearly the same as last year,” he explained. “Hopefully I can repeat what I did then. It’ll be difficult, but if I can do that, I’ve got a really good chance of going through. I’m just going to enjoy it.”
And what about the growing chatter linking him to the 2025 Premier League? “Of course I want to be involved — it would be really nice,” he admitted. “But as soon as I’m in the practice room or on stage, I don’t think about it anymore. I just focus on the game ahead.”
Confidence from Dortmund
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Van Veen’s composure under pressure was one of the most striking elements of his European Championship victory. It’s something he believes could be key in the coming months.
“It gives me massive confidence,” he said. “This year on the European Tour I’ve lost countless semi-finals 7–6, really close games. But now that I’ve got over the line against Michael [van Gerwen] and Luke [Humphries] in deciding legs, I can look back and know I can hit those doubles under pressure. That’s huge for me going forward.”
The next big test will be the World Championship, where Van Veen is still searching for his first win at Alexandra Palace.
“My confidence is much higher now, and the performances have been better this year,” he said. “I’m in the top 10 in the world without winning a game at Ally Pally — hopefully that changes this year. I’m just going to enjoy it.”
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"Premier League talk is nice, but it’s not the focus”
Asked about avoiding a post-major slump — as happened to Mike de Decker after his Grand Prix success last year — Van Veen was pragmatic.
“Mike was around number 20 when he won, and I’m number seven now,” he said. “That’s a massive difference. I’m not defending a lot of money on the rankings before the Premier League cut-off, so I’m not going to drop much. If you’re top 10, you’re always in with a shout.
Of course, if I lose early in all three tournaments, I won’t get picked, and that’s fair enough. The Premier League is a dream, but my focus right now is on these tournaments and my ranking.”
The next Dutch Number One?
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With Raymond van Barneveld in the twilight of his career and Michael van Gerwen no longer quite as dominant, Van Veen could soon find himself leading the Dutch charge.
“It’s a possibility,” he said. “If I keep my numbers up like they’ve been this year, then maybe. But you never know with Michael — even when he’s not in great form, he can just turn it on, like last year when he reached the World Championship final. If he does that again, I probably won’t be near him, but if not, hopefully I’ll be there to take his spot.”
Still, Van Veen doesn’t feel burdened by expectations to be the next great Dutch star.
“Not really. Maybe from the outside, but I don’t feel that pressure,” he said. “We’ve got so many great players — Danny Noppert, Dirk van Duijvenbode, Wessel Nijman. If Michael’s form dips, I’m sure one of us will step up. Hopefully it’s me, but it doesn’t have to be.”
“I don’t want to compare myself to Luke Littler”
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Van Veen’s rise has inevitably drawn comparisons with Luke Littler and Josh Rock — the trio often cited as darts’ “next generation.” But the Dutchman insists he’s keeping it in perspective.
“It’s nice to be mentioned in the same sentence as Luke Littler,” he said. “But what he’s done in the past two years is phenomenal. I don’t want to compare myself to him — if I did, I’d be crying in bed all week!
He performs under pressure every week, and that’s why he’s number two in the world and probably soon number one. Of course I want to be there too, but I’m not in a rush. We’ll see what happens.”
Van Veen’s breakout performance at the 2024 Grand Slam — where he produced the second-highest tournament average in the event’s history — proved to be a defining moment.
“Yeah, 100%,” he reflected. “Before that tournament, I wasn’t practising well and wasn’t too confident. But I played some great games in the group, had the highest group-stage average ever, and that gave me a real confidence boost.
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I was told it was my first win at a Sky Sports event, which I didn’t even realise! That made me believe I could do it on the big stage. It really gave 2025 a kickstart.”
The next few weeks could be crucial for Van Veen’s season — and potentially for his place in next year’s Premier League lineup.
“These are the months where the most prize money is earned for the rankings, so it’s the right time to be in form — and luckily, I am,” he said. “Winning the European Championship gave me a massive boost. I’ve got tough draws at the Grand Slam and Players Championship Finals, and playing Bo [Greaves] in the World Youth Final will be difficult too. But I’m feeling good and confident in my game.”
“Wessel’s a dangerous beast”
Van Veen also praised compatriot Wessel Nijman, who joins him in a Grand Slam group for the second straight year. “Everyone knows how talented Wessel is — he’s so good,” Van Veen said. “On TV, he hasn’t yet shown the bottle you need to be top 16 or top 10, but he’s got the ability. You saw it at the European Championship when he missed match darts against Michael van Gerwen. If one of those goes in and he gets on a run, he’ll be a real force. Maybe the Grand Slam will be the tournament where he shows that. If he does, he’ll be a very dangerous beast.”
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Van Veen’s combination of humour, humility and confidence makes it easy to see why fans and pundits alike view him as a future superstar. For now, though, he’s not getting carried away.
“I’m just enjoying my darts at the moment,” he said with a grin. “Whatever happens next, happens.”
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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- 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