Van Veen Reflects on World Darts Championship: 'Young Players Are Taking Over'

Gian van Veen believes he and fellow young stars are poised to dominate the world of darts, despite his loss to Luke Littler in the World Darts Championship final. Van Veen's impressive run to the final was halted by Littler's dominant 7-1 victory, but the young Dutchman remains confident about the future. Van Veen's rise to world No 3 and his European Championship win in October have cemented his position as a rising star in the sport. He and Littler, along with Josh Rock and Wessel Nijman, are leading the charge of young players looking to overthrow the established guard. Littler's win sees him move ahead of Van Veen in their head-to-head match-up, but Van Veen is guaranteed a Premier League debut and will face Littler again in the future. The two young stars are expected to have many battles on the Pro Tour, Euro Tour, and majors, with Littler motivated by the prospect of further success. Van Veen admitted that his scoring was not his best in the final, but he was proud to have reached the final and is now focused on managing his schedule for the upcoming season. The young Dutchman joins Littler, Luke Humphries, and Michael van Gerwen as automatic qualifiers for the 2026 Premier League season.