A New Era at Ally Pally? Littler Faces van Veen in Historic World Final

The 2026 PDC World Championship final takes place tonight at Alexandra Palace, as World No.1 and reigning World Champion Luke Littler meets World No.3 Gian van Veen in a contest that defines darts’ current trajectory.

It will be the youngest final in World Championship history, with a combined age of just 41, and the first to be contested for the £1,000,000 prize.

It is also a repeat of the 2023 World Youth Championship final, won by Littler when he was just 16. With the Sid Waddell Trophy on the line, the narrative is clear: can Littler cement his dominance with back-to-back World titles, or will van Veen upset the odds after never winning a game at Alexandra Palace prior to this year’s event?

Tournament Form

Both players arrive in magnificent form, and the key metrics below highlight just how impressive their level has been throughout the tournament.

Player	Tournament Average	180s	Checkout Percentage	Sets Dropped
Luke Littler	103.14	57	54.4% (80/147)	3
Gian van Veen	102.16	48	51.23% (83/162)	8

“The Nuke” has made light work of reaching his third final in his third World Championship appearance, a feat only previously achieved by Phil Taylor.

His numbers speak for themselves, producing a staggeringly consistent level in both power scoring and the outer ring.

Remarkable, to think this is the two-year anniversary of when he broke onto the scene as a 16-year-old schoolboy, narrowly losing out to then World No.1 Luke Humphries in the final on debut. Two years on, he returned to the Palace as the man to beat.

The teenage sensation has since lit up the darts world, and after picking up five major titles already in 2025, he’ll be looking to crown it off with a back-to-back World Championship triumph. That would see him join Adrian Lewis, Gary Anderson, and Phil Taylor, who have successfully defended the title.

As for Gian van Veen, his rise is nothing short of sensational either. The 23-year-old arrives in the final after a landmark season, having claimed his maiden PDC major title at the European Championship and enjoyed a run here that has lifted him to World No.3 and Dutch No.1, ending Michael van Gerwen’s reign in that position for the first time since 2012.

He has produced a remarkable level throughout, as proved in his numbers, only a shade under Littler’s. This includes posting the highest average of the tournament (108.28) and defeating former World Champions Luke Humphries and Gary Anderson in successive rounds.

Being here is even more remarkable given his dartitis struggles in recent years, as well as the fact that he was averaging 69 at Q-School in 2020, before landing a tour card in January 2023.

Verdict:

While the Dutchman has proven that he belongs at the very top, this is only his second televised major final. By contrast, it will be Littler’s fourteenth in just two years, having already lifted nine major trophies.

With that extra big game experience, I am backing “The Nuke” to defeat Gian van Veen 7-4 in sets in the final to claim back-to-back World Championship titles.