“I'm in Van Gerwen and Luke Littler's shadow” – Gian van Veen not yet thinking about a possible world title

Gian van Veen has booked his place in round four of the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship with a mature and controlled display. The Dutchman won convincingly again, beating Madars Razma 4–1, even if he insists it did not feel like his best game of the tournament.

That, in fact, was what pleased him most. “I think everyone watching this game will notice that I wasn’t as comfortable as in the previous two matches. But still, to average 98 with a good doubles percentage, I’m really happy to get through.”

He looked satisfied afterwards, but also realistic. “As I said before, I didn’t feel really comfortable up there. My darts weren’t landing at the angle I wanted them to. That was a bit frustrating.”

Yet his standard held firm. “But when I went 3–0 up, I looked at the screen and saw averages of 98, 102, 103 across the sets. I thought, ‘That didn’t feel that good.’”

Van Veen sees that ability as a significant step forward. “I think that’s a real benefit for my game — even when it doesn’t feel great, I can still average 98. That’s really positive.”

It also reflects the growth he has made across the past year, with his European Championship title a clear turning point. “One hundred percent. After winning the European Championship, my confidence went through the roof,” he said. “Even though I didn’t get through the Grand Slam group stage, I still played well — I won two of my three games.”

He pointed to further evidence that his level has stayed high even when results have fluctuated. “I played at the Players Championship Finals, beat Luke Humphries, then lost to Chris Dobey in a really good game. So even when the results weren’t perfect, the level was there. That’s what I took from it.”

That confidence has translated to Alexandra Palace too. “Here, in the first three rounds, I haven’t averaged below 98. I’m really looking forward to the last 16 and feeling confident. Who knows what can happen.”

For all the growing attention, Van Veen insists he is not getting carried away by the rankings permutations. “Yes and no. If it happens, I’ll pinch myself,” he said. “Twelve months ago, I was around 27th or 28th in the world coming into the World Championship, and it’s gone so quickly.”

Even so, he stressed his priorities remain elsewhere. “But I’m not focused on the rankings. I know exactly where I am, but I’m taking it game by game. Rankings are important, but the World Championship is more important.”

He also admitted he briefly lost focus once he had moved 3–0 clear. “A little bit, yeah,” he said. “At 3–0 up, I thought, ‘Just three more legs and you’re through.’ In the fourth set, I was dreadful. I had to regroup and refocus.”

That wobble, he explained, was tied to overthinking the way his darts were landing. “I was overthinking how I was holding the dart, trying to get them flatter,” he said. “After that, I told myself not to overthink it. Even if you’re not hitting 180s, hit 174s or 171s — who cares — just hit triples. That’s what I did in the final set, and I played well.”

Despite sitting sixth in the world and producing another strong performance on the biggest stage, Van Veen was unwilling to describe himself as part of the sport’s elite just yet. “No, I don’t feel like one of the elite players,” he said. “Before this tournament, I’d never won a match here, so I threw all the bookies’ predictions straight out of the window.”

He admitted it still feels strange to be ranked where he is. “It still feels weird to be world number six. I need to start believing it,” he said. “If I keep playing like I have over the past 12 months, then yes — I’m part of that top group right now.”

Back home, Van Veen is increasingly discussed as the Dutch number two behind Michael van Gerwen, and he acknowledged that brings its own pressure. “It’s difficult,” he said. “In the Netherlands, you always have Michael van Gerwen. Everyone is looking for the number two behind him.”

He said he has proved he can fill that role. “I’ve shown in this tournament that I can be number two in the Netherlands. I’ve overtaken Danny Noppert in the rankings,” he said, while also noting why the dynamic can be helpful. “There’s a lot of pressure, but Michael has dealt with it for many years. For me, it’s new, but I’m dealing with it well so far.”

Van Veen also believes it helps that the spotlight is still firmly on others. “As a Dutchman, I’m in Michael’s shadow. As a young player, I’m also in Luke Littler’s shadow,” he said. “That helps.”

Would he like to step out of that shadow one day? “Of course,” he said. “As a human being, you want to be world number one, Dutch number one, world champion. But for now, I’m happy being in the shadow… And if I win this tournament, then I’ll step out of it — and I won’t complain.”

A key part of his development, he said, has been working with a mental coach. “About a year and a half or two years ago, around the end of 2023,” he explained. “It’s not something I only started once I shot up the rankings.”

He believes that support is paying off now. “He has a background in top-level football, so he understands pressure. I’m really happy with him.”

Even with the title now theoretically four wins away, Van Veen is refusing to get ahead of himself. “No, not really,” he said. “Four wins sounds close, but it feels a long way away. Four very long, very tough matches.”

His idol in darts is not van Gerwen, but Gary Anderson. “In this sport, Gary Anderson,” he said. And asked to name the toughest opponent in the tournament, he did not hesitate: “Luke Littler. Anyone who says otherwise is lying.”

As for what he will take from this win, Van Veen made it simple. “The most positive thing is winning while not feeling comfortable,” he said. “What I need to improve is getting my darts landing the way I want them to. If they do, I can really use them.”