"The Premier League might put extra pressure on him" - Danny Noppert advised not to think about Premier League aspirations at PDC World Darts Championship

For Danny Noppert, 2026 may be the best year of his career at the PDC. The Dutchman managed to reach the final on the European Tour once and reached the semifinals of a major tournament several times. Partly because of this, he is currently the sixth ranked player on the PDC Order of Merit. 'The Freeze' owes it to himself to finally show it on the big stage at the Alexandra Palace during the PDC World Darts Championship 2026 in December.

According to Vincent van der Voort, himself a 16-time participant in the World Championship, it would be 'the icing on the cake' for the Dutchman if he manages to finish his top year with a strong World Championship. So far, Noppert has not had the best results during his previous participations in the biggest and most important tournament of the year. He has never made it past the third round in any of his previous appearances. As the current number six in the world, however, more is expected of him this year.

Still, Van der Voort argues that Noppert's year should not be labeled a "failure" should he once again fall early this year. "It's not that his whole season has been worthless," he kicks off in the latest episode of the Darts Turned Door podcast. "I don't think he'd feel like a failure. He's probably incredibly sick of it, but he wouldn't call it a failed year. It would be a shame if his year fizzled out."

In the first round, Noppert will meet a player he would rather have avoided. Fellow countryman and fellow-Frisian Jurjen van der Velde will be his opponent. "That would be a shame," said Van der Voort. Should 'The Freeze' survive this round and even make it to the quarterfinals, then Michael van Gerwen could be his next compatriot, provided that 'MVG' himself manages to get that far.

"That would be fantastic, on New Year's Day," Van der Voort stated. "I just hope he can put the whole Premier League Darts thing aside. He just needs to focus on a good World Championship, but the Premier League might put extra pressure on him. I think he can put that aside."

Usually the World Darts Championship is decisive in the PDC's choice of which players to invite. The top four players in the world are guaranteed an invitation, but the other four participants are chosen. Noppert has a real chance of being invited for the first time due to his excellent year, but will have to play a good World Championship to keep his chances alive.

He will first have to deal with his compatriot Jurjen van der Velde, after which possibly the winner of the match between Nick Kenny and Justin Hood awaits. "He can't complain about the draw," Van der Voort concluded with a wink.