"Training with Dimitri to be ready for both World Championships" – Van den Bergh brothers active across multiple global events

For the Van den Bergh brothers, this winter has been all about preparation – and plenty of it. While Dimitri gets ready for his return to the PDC World Championship later this month, younger brother Xanti has been putting in the hours for a very different world stage: the ADC Global Championship.

It’s an unusual situation even for a darts-mad family, with both brothers building towards separate World Championships at the same time, often side by side at the practice board.

That shared build-up has become a defining feature of Xanti’s season. Daily sessions of three to five hours with Dimitri formed the backbone of his preparation, not just to sharpen his scoring but to condition himself for the pressure of a world-level event. “No ordinary games,” he explained to Het Nieuwsblad — just focused drills designed to leave both brothers ready for the biggest stages in their respective calendars.

The ADC’s mission is clear: to give ambitious amateurs a proper platform and a realistic route towards a professional career. That includes online events, local pub tournaments and regional qualifiers, always built around the philosophy that darts should remain accessible to everyone. The organisation deliberately focuses on growth at grassroots level, ADC director John Lokken explained previously on the Double Top podcast.

Following the success of last year’s inaugural edition — where Devon Petersen claimed the £25,000 top prize — the ADC has gone even bigger this time. The winner will pocket an extraordinary £60,000, nearly €68,000 — unheard-of in amateur darts. No surprise, then, that the championship draws players from all over the world.

Among the 56 qualified players was Xanti Van den Bergh. His name has become increasingly familiar to the wider public after his impressive showing at the Blaklader Flanders Darts Trophy, where he narrowly lost to five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld. Despite the huge stage inside Antwerp Expo, he remained remarkably composed. “Strangely enough I was completely relaxed,” Xanti told Het Nieuwsblad. “For a moment I even thought I could win, but once I missed that dart at D20, I knew it was going to be tough.”

Xanti put in a serious preparation block for the ADC Worlds — and he did so alongside his brother Dimitri, who competes at the PDC World Darts Championship in mid-December. Their sessions were intense: three to five hours a day, but always with targeted practice routines. “No casual games — proper training to be ready for the Worlds.”

The sizeable prize fund certainly hasn’t escaped him. “What would I do with that kind of money? Use it wisely. Dimitri has experience with that sort of thing, so I’ll definitely ask him for advice.”

Once the ADC Worlds are over, Xanti faces another pivotal moment: January’s Q-School, where a PDC Tour Card will be on the line. If he succeeds, a brother-versus-brother clash with Dimitri could suddenly become reality.

Still, Xanti carries the comparison with pride. “I have no problem at all being ‘the brother of’. I’m mostly just very proud of what Dimi has achieved.”

The ADC World Championship ultimately ended in disappointment for the 21-year-old Belgian. He managed to win only two of his six group-stage matches and finished sixth in his pool. Only the top four progressed to the next round.