Wessel Nijman: 5 facts about Martin Schindler’s opponent at the 2026 European Championship

Wessel Nijman is waiting to face Martin Schindler at the European Championship in Dortmund. Here is a closer look at the 26-year-old Dutchman.

Martin Schindler only secured his place at the European Championship at the final European Tour event in Maastricht, and goes into the match as the 31st seed. His opponent could hardly be tougher: Nijman is seeded second and currently sits 12th in the world rankings. The head-to-head record also favours the Dutchman.

But who exactly is Wessel Nijman? Here are five facts about the top seed on the Pro Tour.

Wessel Nijman was born on 26 June 2000 in Uitgeest, a village in North Holland. He throws Mission Darts, and his walk-on song is “Summer of ’69” by Bryan Adams. He has no nickname. He considers the tradition silly and describes himself as a down-to-earth, ordinary lad.

Nijman started playing darts when he was eight or nine. His hero at the time was Raymond van Barneveld. Asked about players from outside the Netherlands, he names Adrian Lewis. Here is a curious detail: as a child, his older brother used to play darts with their neighbour Niels Zonneveld, who also competes on the PDC Tour and is in Dortmund. Wessel joined in later and soon surpassed his brother.

Nijman was considered one of the Netherlands’ brightest young talents from an early age and won several titles in youth darts. In 2020, a scandal brought his progress to a halt: the Darts Regulation Authority’s disciplinary committee banned him for five years after he deliberately lost a match 0–4. Half of the ban was suspended after he took part in training and anti-corruption measures. He returned in 2023, won several Development Tour titles and secured a Tour Card.

Nijman worked as an electrician for many years. At the start of 2026, he quit his job and increased his practice from around one hour to three or four hours a day. The impact was clear: he began the year 29th in the Order of Merit and had won four titles by April, a tally matched only by Luke Littler. He claimed his first European Tour title in Göttingen, beating Gerwyn Price 8–3 in the final.

On his European Championship debut in 2025, Nijman narrowly lost 6–5 to Michael van Gerwen in the first round. After his breakthrough, he beat van Gerwen for the first time in his career in Sindelfingen. He is strict about his phone: he switches it to aeroplane mode during tournaments. After winning the title in Göttingen, it buzzed and beeped for minutes on end.