John McDonald announced the game as much as possible. Two legends were about to take the stage, said the Master of Ceremonies. Michael van Gerwen against Gary Anderson – this World Cup round of 16 pairing outshone everything. It was a promise to all darts fans. It was redeemed.
Anderson and van Gerwen should have a wonderful game to watch, just as they had done several times before. It was the 73rd meeting between the two. These include legendary matches such as the 2017 World Cup final, in which van Gerwen not only won his second title, but also broke Anderson’s two-year dominance in the Ally Pally. Since the semi-finals of the 2019 World Cup (6:1 for MvG), the duel on darts’ biggest stage had not taken place.
From the start, the Scottish double world champion thought about late revenge for the defeat seven years ago. Driven by the audience, who clearly sided with Anderson from the walk-on onwards, he took the first two sets straight away, winning the decider in each case. But van Gerwen also had his best game and made it 1-2. Both leveled off at just under a hundred points on average. The fast pace of the two also contributed to the game being a pleasure for the spectators.
“Anderson is simply better in the key moments”
But it was Anderson who won over to his side. First he broke MvG twice to take a 3-1 lead. “Van Gerwen brought his best average. But in the key moments Anderson is just a little better,” analyzed commentator Dan Dawson on English TV on Sky Sports at this time. Then the Scot benefited from his opponent’s double problems. Three-time world champion van Gerwen landed in the Madhouse with the score at 1:1 in the fourth set and was also unable to use three arrows on double 1. Anderson was there.
And then the evening’s entertainment was over quicker than anyone expected. Van Gerwen conceded the decisive break because he again missed three clear arrows on the doubles field. In the end, the world number three was dispatched in just 33 minutes and 24 seconds. It is the first time in ten years that van Gerwen has been eliminated before the quarter-finals of a World Cup – excluding 2022, where van Gerwen was taken out of the tournament early due to a positive corona test. For a name like “Mighty Mike”, the performance is a bitter disappointment.
After the quick exit, van Gerwen appeared frustrated on the Dutch TV station Viaplay. “I wasted it in important moments. That annoys me enormously. I have to blame myself for that, not anyone else. I certainly didn’t play any worse than him, but he was very concentrated in the crucial moments – and I was extremely sloppy. That’s what you’re being punished for here,” said van Gerwen. And further: “Timing is the most important thing. Especially in games like this. You have to be there straight away. I neglected that too much today. Shit, you don’t want to be in that position.”
Despite the clear result, Anderson was dissatisfied. “Today was one of those nights where it felt comfortable,” Anderson said. “My scoring was terrible, but my doubles were there at the right time.” He also didn’t want to know anything about a chance for his possible third world title. “No, I don’t believe in it. I have to get through my next game first. If I get to the final, I have a chance.”
Previously, Anderson will now face surprise man Justin Hood in the quarterfinals. In the afternoon, the world number 86 completely surprisingly eliminated the top Northern Irish player Josh Rock from the tournament with an outstanding performance on the doubles (75 percent). “He’s an excellent darts player, he’s fantastic,” Anderson praised his opponent.
Darts World Cup 2026, results round of 16
Luke Woodhouse (ENG/25) – Krzysztof Ratajski (POL) 2:4
Jonny Clayton (WAL/5) – Andreas Harrysson (SWE) 4:2
Justin Hood (ENG) – Josh Rock (NIR/11) 4:0
from 8:15 p.m.:
Charlie Manby (ENG) – Gian van Veen (NED/10) 1:4
Michael van Gerwen (NED/3) – Gary Anderson (SCO/14) 1:4
Luke Humphries (ENG/2) – Kevin Doets (NED) 4:1
Luca Wiecek is sports editor for WELT. He will be reporting from Alexandra Palace in London until New Year’s Eve.
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