Talking Throws: Luke Littler vs Gian Van Veen - World Darts Championship Final
World Darts Championship Final preview
128 came, but only two remain as Luke Littler and Gian Van Veen face off in tonight’s World Championship Final at Alexandra Palace. Littler is bidding to be the first player since Gary Anderson to win back-to-back titles, whereas it is unknown territory for Van Veen, who is in his first final.
In case you needed reminding, the winner will walk away with the Sid Waddell trophy and £1,000,000.
Here is my preview of the showpiece event.
Luke “The Nuke” Littler
Title odds: 4/11
Route to Final
Round 1 – 3-0 vs Darius Labanauskas
Round 2 - 3-0 vs David Davies
Round 3 – 3-0 vs Mensur Suljovic
Round 4 – 4-2 vs Rob Cross
Quarter-Final – 5-0 vs Krzysztof Ratajski
Semi-Final – 6-1vs Ryan Searle
It is easy to forget that Luke Littler is still only 18 years old, yet he has achieved a feat that only Phil Taylor has: reaching his third consecutive final. He is aiming to become the fourth man to retain the Sid Waddell trophy, and he is the overwhelming favourite to do so.
Littler put in a fine display to reach the final and, despite going a set down to Ryan Searle, he rattled off six sets in a row. Searle had only dropped two sets in the tournament before coming face-to-face with the nuke, but a couple of missed opportunities early on for him allowed Littler to take over the match.
Searle was no match for the World Champion, averaging just over 105 in the match. In all truth, no one has been a match for Luke Littler in 2025 as he currently holds six of the major PDC tournaments.
For the first time, Littler may not have all the crowd on his side for this match, as there may be some hang-up from his comments after the Rob Cross match. Also, the Ally Pally loves a Dutchman.
The Nuke has spoken about his dream to become back-to-back champion, but knows he will not have it all his own way in tonight’s final.
Gian “The Giant” Van Veen
Title odds: 2/1
Route to Final
Round 1 – 3-1 vs Cristo Reyes
Round 2 – 3-1 vs Alan Soutar
Round 3 – 4-1 vs Madars Razma
Round 4 – 4-1 vs Charlie Manby
Quarter-Final – 5-1 vs Luke Humphries
Semi-Final – 6-3 vs Gary Anderson
Gian Van Veen’s level has gone up over the last 12 months, and he is at a point now where he is a real force in the game. Following his victory over Luke Humphries, he has dethroned Michael Van Gerwen as the Dutch number one and is the provisional world number three.
For a player who had not made it past the third round before, he has shown some incredible composure in his performances, particularly against two former world champions, Humphries and Anderson, in the two previous rounds.
Anderson cranked the pressure on the Dutchman, particularly when he brought it back to 4-3 in yesterday’s semi-final, but the way Van Veen responded was incredible. The Giant has shown some high-class finishing in this tournament, including a couple of big fish finishes to his name.
You can tell he has taken a lot of confidence from winning the European Championship, and he is showing he can beat anyone on the biggest stage.
He has had an incredible rise to this point, having struggled with Dartitis just four years ago, to now being in the biggest match in darts. There is no doubt that Van Veen would be a popular winner if he could overcome Littler tomorrow.
Head-to-Head
The two met five times in 2025, and Van Veen edges out the head-to-head with three wins to two. Littler beat Van Veen at the UK Open and the Grand Slam on his way to winning both titles.
Van Veen has beaten Littler twice on the European Tour and once in the Players’ Championships.
Farewell to two icons
It is also time to say goodbye to two darts icons, not for their throwing but for their voices. PDC’s Master of Ceremonies, John McDonald and referee George Noble will both retire their iconic voices after the final.
Prediction
Has one of them been saving a nine-dart finish for the final? We’ll see.
I think it will be a match for the ages at the Alexandra Palace, high scoring, big finishing, the lot. I do believe Littler will win as the Englishman has grown into the tournament and has gotten better, each game.
He has been ruthless in the latter stages of his matches, and I do not think Van Veen can afford any mistakes. The Dutchman will put in a fighting performance, but I believe the experience of Littler will pay dividends.
Score prediction: Littler 7-5 Van Veen
We are in store for a great final, but who will get their hands on this tonight?
