Gian van Veen has admitted he is “pinching himself” at the prospect of facing Luke Littler in the World Darts Championship final, just a few years after dartitis left him questioning his future in the sport.
The World Youth Champion defeated Gary Anderson 6-3 at the Alexandra Palace Classic to secure his place in the final against Littler, who is aiming to become only the fourth player in history to successfully defend a world title in a final.
Van Veen’s impressive performance followed his first TV rankings title at the European Championships in October, taking him above a career-high world number three, and the 23-year-old is now hoping to become only the third Dutchman to lift the Sid Waddell Trophy.
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Van Veen will face Littler in the final after beating Anderson in an Ally Pally thriller!
He has previously suffered from dartitis, a condition that affects the release of darts, and Van Veen, who is also color blind, is proud to have overcome past problems to reach the biggest match of his career to date.
“Three or four years ago, I was crying on a table in Barnsley, wrestling with darts,” Van Veen said. told Sky Sports After his win over Anderson. “Now look at me four years later. It was all worth it!
“Everyone who worked so hard for me, even my parents when I was 12 or 13, took me to all the tournaments around the Netherlands, and here I am, it’s unbelievable.”
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Anderson and Van Veen both hit the Big Fish with crazy dart sets at Ally Pally!
“I’ve suffered from dartitis for many years. I got it about four years ago, right before I got my tour card. I never thought something like this would happen to me when I didn’t have dartitis at the time.
“Getting to the World Championship finals is something I never dreamed of. I never dreamed of it, but now it’s happened. I’m really happy.”
Despite beating ‘The Nuke’ in three of their five meetings in 2025, Van Veen lost to Littler in the final of the 2023 World Youth Championships ahead of winning the competition for the next two years.
“I’m still pinching myself and I’m not going to stop pinching myself because I’m still going further into the tournament,” Van Veen added at a press conference. “I am playing very well in this tournament.
“I think my lowest average was around 97 or 98, so I feel really good on that stage, especially in this format. Today was a very long game, but I still averaged 103 and my checkout percentage is really good.
“Of course it gives me a ton of confidence. Luke Littler is waiting and everyone knows what he can do, so I have to bring my A game or it’s going to be a very difficult game.”
Van Veen added of the challenge he looks forward to facing Littler, who joins Phil Taylor as the only players to reach the final in each of his first three PDC World Championship appearances: “It’s very difficult because he will apply pressure from set one.
“So I’m going to take my chances and keep following the way he scores, because he’s probably a better scorer than me. I just have to keep going, take my chances and I’ll get my chances.”
Why Van Veen is a ‘world-class operator’
Wayne Mardle, Sky Sports Darts:
“Last year, Van Veen went to bingo. He and Wessel Nijman were head to head, but he won the European Championship just like that. Nijman will think that if I can do something similar, I can succeed.
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Wayne Mardle previews the World Darts Championship final between Littler and Van Veen.
“Van Veen showed he can do it under pressure and that’s what makes him a world-class operator. He has to do it all again (against Littler). It was fascinating. It was everything you want in professional sports from start to finish. Some of the standards in it were absolutely outrageous.
“It doesn’t change whether someone loses (Van Veen or Littler) has the best spell of their life or not, it’s just a case of them continuing to try again.
“We said Littler and (Luke) Humphries would be in all these finals for years to come. We didn’t see this happening. But since October when Van Veen won the European Championships he has been the man to challenge Luke Littler.
“It’s an exciting time to play darts.”
Who will win the World Darts Championship? Watch the final live on Sky Sports Darts from 7.30pm on Saturday. Stream darts and other top sports with NOW.
