World Darts Championship: Gian van Veen out to show he can rival Luke Littler as title favourite by picking up maiden world title
Gian van Veen has shot up to world No 7 in the rankings but is yet to win a game at the World Darts Championship, which he is looking to change this month; watch every match of the World Darts Championship until January 3 live on Sky Sports Darts
Friday 12 December 2025 21:09, UK
Gian van Veen is in the remarkable position where he enters the World Darts Championship as world No 7 but is yet to win on the Alexandra Palace stage.
It has been a remarkable year for the Dutchman, picking up his first ranking title at Players Championship 6 and then his first major at the European Championship against Luke Humphries.
He then made it back-to-back World Youth Championship wins after beating Beau Greaves 6-3 in Minehead.
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It is a year that has seen him race up the rankings but he is still yet to see that form click at the Worlds.
In his 2024 appearance he suffered a first-round loss to Man Lok Leung and then in 2025, it was a similar fate in the second round to Ricardo Pietreczko after entering as a seed.
Now, he is hoping he can turn the confidence he has found into a real run at the biggest tournament of them all, starting with a win over Cristo Reyes on Friday, live on Sky Sports.
"I have grown so much this year as a player. The first year was heartbreak, losing to Man Lok Leung. Last year I didn't perform at all against Ricardo Pietreczko, so I still haven't won a game there yet," Van Veen said.
"But as I said, I have grown so much, I am much more confident this year. I'm really looking forward to getting back to Ally Pally to hopefully put that right, what I didn't do the last two years.
"Hopefully have a great run there as well."
While Van Veen would obviously prefer to have won previously at the Worlds, it is something he can use to his advantage with many around him in the rankings defending significant sums of money at Alexandra Palace.
Meanwhile, it is a chance for him to add a hefty amount and climb even further up from world No 7.
"Of course, I'm now seventh in the world, so I think the gaps are getting bigger and bigger. But a lot of players are defending £50,000 or £100,000 around me on the rankings and I'm not," he added.
"Maybe there's even room to grow even further and to gain on some players on the ranking.
"It is nice to be No 7 but if you're No 10, No 5, it doesn't really matter to me. I just want to play well, have deep runs in tournaments, and then the ranking will provide for itself."
'It either clicks or it doesn't'
How does Van Veen go about making sure it happens for him at the Worlds?
That is a question he doesn't think he can answer with statistics, but more it will be about how it feels on the stage and he admits that getting that first one is going to be the most difficult of them all.
"It is a difficult one, I think it clicks or it doesn't," Van Veen said. "That's what it feels for me.
"I need to just do what I've been doing the whole year, and then I'm sure it'll click on that stage. As soon as I get my first win, the pressure is off my shoulders, and then hopefully I can get many more wins.
"The first one is going to be the most difficult one. Hopefully that monkey gets off my back this year, and then we'll see where it goes.
"People are probably going to expect me to get to the last 16 or quarter-finals, but for me it's just winning my first game, and then make it to Christmas, then hopefully make it into New Year.
"It is a big tournament, lots of weeks of darts, so I am just setting mini-goals for myself and hopefully I can achieve them."
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