Luke Littler and Gian van Veen will contest a landmark Paddy Power World Darts Championship final after both players delivered commanding performances in Friday night’s semi-finals at Alexandra Palace.
The penultimate night of the tournament produced a compelling narrative, as Littler continued his remarkable rise and Van Veen completed a stunning breakthrough run to reach his first world final.
World number one Littler eased past Ryan Searle 6–1, producing another display of ruthless scoring power. The 18-year-old posted his third tournament average above 105 and fired in ten 180s, underlining his status as the man to beat. After dropping the opening set, Littler took control emphatically, reeling off ten legs in a row to surge into a commanding lead. A brief response from Searle, sparked by a 170 checkout, did little to halt the momentum as Littler calmly wrapped up victory.
The win places Littler in elite company, making him just the second player after Phil Taylor to reach the World Championship final in each of his first three appearances.
Reflecting on the achievement, Littler said he was proud to be alongside such legendary names but stressed his focus is now firmly on defending his crown. He also acknowledged the challenge posed by his final opponent, noting their history on the Development Tour and Van Veen’s fearless current form.
Earlier in the evening, Van Veen produced one of the performances of his career to defeat Gary Anderson 6–3 in a gripping contest. After losing the opening set, the Dutchman found another level, claiming four sets on the spin, three of them decided by a single leg.
One standout set saw both players trade 170 checkouts, with Van Veen edging the decider despite Anderson averaging over 117. The Scot attempted to mount a comeback, narrowing the gap to 4–3, but Van Veen held his nerve to close out the match with authority, finishing on a 13-dart leg.
Clearly emotional afterwards, the 23-year-old admitted he was still struggling to process what he had achieved, having failed to win a match at the World Championship in his previous appearances. Buoyed by his confidence and consistency, Van Veen insisted he believes he can go all the way, while recognizing the scale of the task against Littler.
Saturday evening’s final will see the two youngest players ever contest the Sid Waddell Trophy, with a record £1 million prize on the line. Littler enters the clash as the bookmakers’ favorite, but Van Veen’s fearless run suggests a potentially explosive finale to the tournament.
