Gian van Veen wins an incredibly good World Cup semi-final against Scottish legend Gary Anderson. He also defies the whistles from the audience. After the victory, van Veen gives an emotional interview.
If you need proof besides child prodigy Luke Littler that darts has developed into a game for youngsters – here it is, please. He is Dutch, 1.93 meters tall and goes by the name Pieter Gerard van Veen, known as Gian. 23 years old – and after the 6:3 in the World Cup semi-final against Gary Anderson, Littler’s big challenger.
What kind of days are these for van Veen in London’s Alexandra Palace. In the previous two years he had not been able to win a single game on darts’ biggest stage. Now he has not only replaced Michael van Gerwen as Dutch number one after 13 years. Van Veen is in third place in the world rankings in the live ranking, van Gerwen, who has been top dog for years, is only number four there. With this placement he will celebrate his debut in the Premier League, the elite league of darts, this year. And now he has also beaten his idol Anderson.
“He was my favorite player when I was growing up,” van Veen said after the quarterfinal victory over world number two Luke Humphries. “The first World Cup I saw was in 2011 when he reached the final against Adrian Lewis. To be able to play against him in a World Cup semi-final fifteen years later is really crazy.”
Now one might assume that meeting the role model causes intimidation – especially since Anderson is also 32 years older than van Veen and a legend of the sport. The opposite was the case, the Dutchman appeared so ripped off for long stretches, as if he had never done anything else.
Two 170 finishes in one of the best sets ever
Anderson took the first set in a fast-paced and outstanding game, but then had to watch as van Veen hardly missed any chances. Only two errors in nine attempts gave “The Giant” a 3-1 lead. And then there was that fifth set, which commentator Stuart Pyke and ex-pro Mark Webster would say on English TV that it “might be one of the best you’ve ever seen.” Anderson had already made his statement with the 170 high finish, the highest in darts, and had taken a 2-0 lead when van Veen produced something magical.
First he checked 90 points to connect, then he caught the big fish. This is also what the 170 checkout is called. “This is unbelievable. This is unbelievable. What the hell is going on here?” asked Pyke. And when van Veen then completed the sentence a short time later with the last dart in his hand, amid boos from the audience, the duo analyzed: “There is nothing that van Veen cannot do on a dartboard.”
But because Anderson was also able to do a lot that evening, it turned out to be one of the best games of the World Cup so far. Driven by the fans, who now sang more and more often about the Scot and whistled at van Veen more and more often when he tried to checkout, Anderson fought his way to 3:4, setting another example with an 81 finish on the bullseye. Son Tai, who accompanied his father throughout the tournament, was caught cheering by the TV cameras.
For the first time, the level of the game decreased somewhat, for the first time both played a set average of under 95 points – and it was van Veen who let the pendulum swing back to his side. Despite the whistles, he deleted 59 points in the decider to make it 5:3. Unlike his final opponent Littler, he showed no negative reaction towards the audience. Not even later in the interview. “I felt comfortable. Of course the fans were against me. But fair play, because Gary is such a fantastic person. He’s a fantastic darts player,” said van Veen on stage at Sky Sports.
Van Veen had previously won the match in a decider in the ninth set and thus made it to the final. Once Anderson left the stage, he let his emotions out with two loud screams at his table.
Van Veen has long suffered from dartitis
Then things got emotional in the interview. Van Veen was asked about his long period of suffering. “Ten years ago, or five years ago, I had such difficulty playing darts. I remember a time three or four years ago, I was at the Metrodome in Barnsley and I was having difficulty. I was crying at the table. Now look at me four years later. It was all worth it,” he said.
A few years ago, the Dutchman suffered from dartitis, a psychological blockage in which players can no longer let go of the dart. Van Veen shed the tears described at a tournament on the second-tier Challenge Tour when he was struggling with dartitis during a game and his opponent thought he was simply throwing slowly on purpose. “As everyone knows, I have been dealing with dartitis for many years, including four years ago, just before I won my tour card,” said van Veen, who has been on the professional tour since 2023.
At the press conference he was then asked for tips for young players who are struggling with similar problems. “As long as you enjoy playing, whether you win or lose, whether you play very well or at 50 average, you should play darts,” van Veen said. “For me it’s a job. But if it’s not the job, it should be a hobby. Just enjoy it.” He himself continued because he did exactly that despite the problems.
Subscribe to WELTMeister Spotify, Apple Podcasts or directly via RSS-Feed.
Van Veen gave special praise to his parents: “When I was twelve, 13, 14 years old, they drove me to tournaments all over the Netherlands. And it was all worth it. Here we are now.”
In the biggest game of van Veen’s life, none other than the reigning title holder Littler is waiting. “Everyone has seen what Luke is capable of. He is playing fantastically,” said van Veen. The two-time youth world champion doesn’t need to hide with his narrow average of 103, which he played against Anderson in his first World Cup final.
Darts World Cup 2026, semi-final results
Luke Littler (ENG/1) – Ryan Searle (ENG/20) 6:1
Gian van Veen (NED/10) – Gary Anderson (SCO/14) 6:3
Finale
Luke Littler (ENG/1) – Gian van Veen (NED/10)
Luca Wiecek is sports editor for WELT. He reported for four days at this Darts World Cup from Alexandra Palace in London.
