These three young darters could win the PDC World Darts Championship, according to Stephen Bunting

Stephen Bunting is impressed with the new generation of darters and points out three names that he believes can seriously compete for the world title this year. The world number four sees the biggest emerging threats in Luke Littler, Gian van Veen and Wessel Nijman.

Bunting, now 40 and still in the hunt for his first PDC world title, notices that the competition from young corners is getting stronger. "Gian van Veen should definitely be mentioned among them, and so should Wessel Nijman," he said in an interview with London Evening Standard. "They have been revelations. They are no longer new to the sport. They have experience now and know how to win on the big stage."

According to Bunting, Van Veen's recent European title is crucial. "Gian has that tournament. That gives enormous confidence heading into the PDC World darts Championship. He's going to be a dangerous player."

He is also clear about Littler. "Littler is young, but exceptional. He, Van Veen and Nijman are the three main youngsters who are at the top of their game right now and have a chance to win the world title."

Bunting praises Littler's influence on the dart world. "Littler is the name everyone is talking about. He is the reason why sponsorship money and funding in our sport has gone up and why the average age of the audience has gone down so much."

The Englishman himself notices the growing popularity. "What he has done for the sport in such a short time ... It's not just him. I also notice it now. When I go shopping in Liverpool for a while, suddenly I have a group of 15-year-olds following me for autographs and pictures. Five, 10 years ago that never happened."

Bunting realises that the establishment needs to adapt. "He is only going to continue to rise. We have to improve, otherwise he's going to walk away with all the titles."

In addition to the three male talents, Bunting also names Beau Greaves as a dangerous outsider. The 21-year-old player pressured Luke Humphries into the fourth round of the UK Open earlier this season and eliminated Littler in the semifinals of the World Youth Championship.

She is also the record holder with 44 titles in the PDC Women's Series. "Nobody wanted to draw against her. Certainly not. She's an exceptional talent," Bunting said.

Bunting will compete for the second time at the PDC World Darts Championship in December, the tournament in which he was a semifinalist at the 2021 and 2025 editions. On Sunday, Dec. 14, he will face Sebastian Bialecki in the first round.