Luke Littler will defend his title. © AFP / BEN STANSALL

Littler and van Veen are battling for the darts crown

Luke Littler is in the final of the Darts World Championship and is therefore only one step away from defending his title.

03 January 2026

From: dpa

The 18-year-old Englishman won his semi-final at London's Alexandra Palace convincingly 6-1 against Ryan Searle. This marks Littler's third time reaching the final in his third World Championship appearance. The tournament favorite and world number one will face Dutchman Gian van Veen in the final on Saturday. "It was very good and I'm very happy," Littler told DAZN after reaching the final. "When your opponent keeps hitting 140s, 180s, and then another 140, you have to feel comfortable, and I did."

Littler improved dramatically after initially falling behind 0-1 against the underdog and world number 20. His final average was over 105 points. Englishman Searle couldn't reach that level and failed to put the favorite under pressure.

High-class second semi-final

Shortly afterwards, European champion van Veen won a high-class and equally close duel against two-time champion Gary Anderson with a 6-3 victory. The 23-year-old had already replaced his compatriot Michael van Gerwen as the number one in his home country before the start of the semi-final.

Gian van Veen is in the final. © Social Media

Like Littler, world number ten van Veen also initially trailed, but then won four sets in a row. The Scot Anderson, ranked 14th in the world, didn't give up, however, and fought his way back to 3-4. The veteran couldn't quite turn the match around, though, because he missed the chance to level the score.