World champion versus European champion: Darts final for record prize money

The first-ever PDC World Darts Championship with 128 professionals concludes at London's Alexandra Palace with a true highlight. Defending champion Luke Littler from England will face Dutch European champion Gian van Veen this evening (21 pm).

03 January 2026

From: dpa/sn

In addition to the huge Sid Waddell Trophy, the winner will also receive a record prize of one million pounds (around 1,15 million euros).

In the semi-finals, Littler (6-1 against fellow countryman Ryan Searle) and Van Veen (6-3 against Scot Gary Anderson) cruised to victory. The duel between the 18-year-old Littler and the 23-year-old van Veen symbolizes the generational shift that has taken place in darts, where, unlike in the past, the world's elite is now dominated by young professionals.

The favourite

This is Littler. "The Nuke," as the Englishman is known, cruised through the World Championship with ease, only encountering any real difficulties in his 4-2 victory against Rob Cross in the round of 16. After 2024 and 2025, this is already the third World Championship final for the young star, who is aiming for his second title at Ally Pally. "Everyone knows what Luke is capable of. I have to give my best tomorrow, otherwise it will be a very difficult match," said van Veen.

The World Cup record

In his debut year, Littler won six out of seven matches, and in his world championship year, he won six out of six. After six more victories at this World Championship, the world number one boasts a World Championship record of 18 wins and one loss. Van Veen, on the other hand, needed some time to find his footing at the world's most important tournament. In his first two appearances, he lost his opening match each time, last year against the German Ricardo Pietreczko.

Gian van Veen

The ranking

Littler will remain world number one by a huge margin regardless. If he wins the final, he would be over £1,5 million ahead of his long-time rival Luke Humphries, who lost to van Veen in the quarterfinals of the World Championship. Littler could then not be knocked off the top spot for the foreseeable future – even if he were to take a break from playing for more than six months. Van Veen is currently third and could move into second place with a title win.

Whistles and boos

Both professionals faced boos and whistles on their way to the World Championship final. Littler was already affected in the round of 16 against Cross, after which he confronted the fans from the stage. "You pay for tickets and you pay my prize money. Thanks for booing me," Littler said, his face red with anger, addressing the fans.
Van Veen was booed in the semi-final because the audience wanted to see a longer match against crowd favorite Anderson – but the 23-year-old kept his nerve and did not allow a big comeback from the former world champion from Scotland.

Keywords Other sports Darts Final