“Maybe I look at the number two spot" - Gian van Veen has eyes on breaking two Lukes hold over PDC Order of Merit

Gian van Veen is entering a very different phase of his career. After his breakthrough run at the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship, the Dutchman is no longer framed as an outsider, but as a player expected to deliver.

Following his 3–1 win over Ryan Joyce in the opening round of the Winmau World Masters, Van Veen spoke at length about how he plans to manage the season ahead, the pressure that now comes with his ranking, and how he is adjusting to a rapidly expanding calendar.

After the match, Van Veen was asked how he intends to approach the coming months, with the PDC schedule continuing to grow.

“I’m not going to play everything,” he said. “Especially during the Premier League, you can’t play all the Players Championships.”

Van Veen explained that selectivity will be key during the Premier League period, with match rhythm the priority rather than volume.“During the Premier League you can’t play all the Players Championships,” he reiterated. “After the Premier League, there’s enough time to play all the Pro Tours. But before then, I’m going to pick and choose some.”

That approach, he says, is about staying sharp without burning out. “I’ll play some Players Championships just to get my match rhythm and match practice,” he explained. “Of course I want to be my best at the end of the year.”

Away from scheduling, Van Veen admitted that the opening round itself was not as comfortable as the scoreline suggested. “Especially the first set, I missed so many darts to go one set up,” he said. “Even though you try not to think about it, it stays in your head.”

That awareness lingered as the match progressed. “When I went 2–1 up, I was thinking I could have been off stage by then,” Van Veen admitted. “But it is what it is.”

Despite the win, Van Veen acknowledged he did not feel at his sharpest, pointing to a lack of recent ranking match play. “I felt a bit rusty,” he said. “Even though I played the World Series, this is the first ranking major after the Worlds. It’s been a couple of weeks and I’ve been busy travelling, so I didn’t practice too much.”

That said, he felt the World Series appearances had still played an important role. “For me, 100 percent it helped,” Van Veen said. “If my last PDC tournament had been four or five weeks ago, today would have been totally different. I would have felt even more rusty.”

“That match practice really helped, even though it was in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia,” he added. “I didn’t feel as comfortable as I hoped, but definitely more comfortable than if I hadn’t played the World Series.”

Van Veen is fully aware that his status has changed over the past year, particularly after his World Championship performances.“It feels weird to say it’s my first time at this tournament,” he said. “Because I’ve played in this venue 20 or 25 times already on Pro Tours, Development Tour and Challenge Tour.”

“But it shows how much I’ve grown in the last 12 months,” he added. “Last year I was around number 26 or 27 in the world, now I’m number three and qualified for this tournament.”

With that rise comes expectation.“A little bit,” Van Veen said when asked if he feels the pressure more now. “I don’t approach matches differently than last year, but there is extra pressure.”

That pressure, he believes, is unavoidable.“If you want to be at the top of the world, everyone expects you to win,” he said. “You’re just going to have to get used to it.”

He accepts that adjustment will not be instant.“It’s going to probably take a couple of weeks or months,” Van Veen said. “But I’ll get used to it.”

While Van Veen is not setting rigid targets for the season, he did outline what success would look like.“I’m not defending a lot of money,” he explained. “So quarter-finals or semi-finals in majors would already be fantastic.”

The world rankings are not far from his mind, though he remains realistic.“Maybe I look at the number two spot in the world, but that’s tricky,” Van Veen said, referencing Luke Humphries. “Luke is a fantastic player, so he can win a lot of majors of course.”

Above all, Van Veen stressed that enjoyment remains central to his approach as his profile continues to rise.“I’m just trying to enjoy all the new experiences,” he said. “There are going to be so many more new experiences this year.”