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The future seems to be now. 2026 world championship The finals not only showcase the best players Darts currently offers But it also gives us a glimpse into a rivalry that could dominate the sport for years to come.
Luke Littler – Teenage darts prodigy, defending world champion, outstanding star Who made the sport cool again? – and Gian van Veen – the upcoming Force Netherlands, reigning two-time World Youth Champion, The Scourge of Luke Humphrys – will be in alexandra palace On the stage, darts’ most famous trophy is held aloft on the right.
Littler knows exactly what that feels like, having made history by winning the world title 12 months ago 17 years oldand Van Veen is trying to break new ground.
The 23-year-old Dutchman is essentially old compared to his 18-year-old opponent, but Littler’s ridiculous rise has twisted things a bit. If Van Veen defeats the seemingly invincible world number one, he will still easily become the second youngest world champion in history. Their combined age will also be the lowest of all world finals.
This could be the first big chapter in a rivalry between Taylor and Van Barneveld, Lowe and Bristol or Van Gerwen and Wright.
The pair came into Saturday’s game with very different styles and had very different experiences in the semi-finals. Ally Pally was rowdy on Friday night.
Littler knocks out 38-year-old world No. 20 Ryan Searle – one of the feel good stories After reaching the semi-finals with the best record of his career, this year’s World Championship ended smoothly with a record of 6-1. “The Nuke” was too powerful for “Heavy Metal”, barely breaking out of third gear to cruise despite losing the first set.
Meanwhile, Van Veen and the two-time world champion Gary Anderson An Ellie Parly classic was instantly created, one of the greatest semi-finals in the championship’s history. Final score 6-3 The story had just begun, with Anderson playing in his eighth world semifinal, averaging 102.91, but still losing to a man who had never advanced beyond the second round of a world championship before this year in his third semifinal of any major event.
An already exciting match really took off in the fourth set decider when Van Veen found himself six darts out of a nine-dart frame, and although he fell short of perfection, he broke Anderson’s throw with an 11-dart to go 3-1 up.
What follows is a series of incredible events. Anderson opened with a 10-dart leg to break up the throws of her Dutch opponent, then completed a three-dart top check with a “big fish” of 170, sending Ally Pally into a frenzy in the remainder of the session. Van Veen fought back with a fine 11-dart before reeling in a huge fish of his own that broke the palace roof and set up the decisive leg, which he grabbed with a double four and seemed to take control of the match.
Anderson refused to lie down and nearly leveled the match at 4-3, but Van Veen wasted four darts in the fourth leg of the eighth set to break the Scot in the decider and move on to glory.
The Scot had one last chance to extend the match, hitting 121 to break Van Veen’s delivery to keep himself alive in the contest, but the youngster fought back hard to claim a thrilling victory.
“Gary gave me everything he had. His shooting and scoring were great,” he said after the win. “But I felt very comfortable on stage and the crowd turned against me but it was fair play because Gary was a fantastic man and a fantastic darts player. He was my idol growing up.
“I never thought anything like this would happen. I can’t even say reaching the world finals is a dream come true because I didn’t even imagine it.”
After defeating Humphries 5-1 in the quarter-finals, his fifth consecutive victory over the 2024 world champion, van Veen said he was the biggest threat to Littler at the tournament. Van Veen’s performance in north London lifted him to third in the world rankings and overtook Michael van Gerwen as the Netherlands’ highest-ranked player.
He’ll need that confidence to get past the unstoppable teenager in the final, but he should be heartened by the fact that he’s the only player with a winning record against Littler, who has faced him more than once and leads 3-2.
“Everyone has seen what Luke is capable of over the past few years,” Van Veen said after the semifinals. “He played really well and so did I. Hopefully it will be a good game.”
Littler faced boos for the first time at world championships in past two weeks made his irritation with them clear. He made some pointed post-fight comments after his fourth-round victory over Rob Cross.
His substitution in the semi-finals prompted a strong reaction from the crowd, but the defending champion quickly shook off any lingering resentment to reach a third consecutive final.
Sale, who this week has spoken openly about the challenges of an eye condition that hampers his vision and sometimes cannot see where a dart lands, has made a strong start and has made the most of his chances despite averaging 94.50 compared to Littler’s 105.0.
But the teenager soon got out of hand, taking advantage of every mistake from Sale to win six straight sets and win with a match average of 105.35 – the third time in this tournament that he has averaged over 105.
The underdog had his moments, most notably when Little finished with seven darts in a nine-dart match before falling just short of the treble 20-bed with the eighth dart. Sale immediately responded with a big fish, successfully stealing the leg with a checkout of 170 and earning a fist bump from his opponent, accompanied by a wry smile.
Of course, that wry smile will turn into a big smile if the boy wonder takes back-to-back world titles Saturday night on the Ally Pally stage.
But the one who stands in his way will be that person He could become the rival that defines his entire career. Littler vs Van Veen – not to be missed.