Luke Littler’s verdict was different from Gian van Veen’s after the pair clashed

Luke Littler and Gian van Veen face off on the opening night of the Premier League after their World Championship final blockbuster ended 7-1 to The Nuke

World Darts Championship finalists Luke Littler and Gian van Veen are set to face each other once more as the Premier League gets underway in Newcastle. But the two players have starkly different views on how their Alexandra Palace showdown unfolded.

Defending champion Littler powered through the competition at the start of the year to secure his third consecutive world final appearance. His opponent was the determined Van Veen, who had never previously won a match on the Ally Pally stage before that tournament.

Sadly for the 23-year-old from the Netherlands, he couldn’t compete with Littler’s dominance, as The Nuke thrashed him 7-1 to claim his second world title. Following the match, Van Veen acknowledged that the 19-year-old sensation completely outclassed him.

But Littler held a different perspective on his performance against Van Veen. The duo will now meet again on the opening evening of this year’s Premier League at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena.

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After his 7-1 defeat to Littler in the World Darts Championship final, Van Veen reflected: “It will drive me on very much. I know what it’s like to play in the World Championship final now.

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“I know what it’s like to get really far in the tournament, but I also know what it’s like to lose in the final. And I’ll tell you, it doesn’t feel great, of course, but especially to get smashed like I did today. But hopefully next year I’m going to win another couple of games because that’s always the goal, always the goal in this tournament.”

While Van Veen reckoned he got “smashed” by The Nuke, the reigning world champion saw things rather differently. Littler reckons the contest was far tighter, with his rival having opportunities in every set.

Littler confessed: “The first set I wasn’t happy but I kicked on from there and said to myself, ‘Give it time and you’ll find it’ and it all went to plan. Credit to Gian, he’s had a great tournament. He was there every set, so I had to take my chances.”

The teenager will be out for revenge in this year’s Premier League, as it remains one of the few major trophies not currently in his cabinet. Luke Humphries dethroned the 19-year-old sensation last year after Littler’s triumph in 2024 and the young star has now opened up about his ambitions for the 2026 competition.

“Obviously, it still hurts. It’s one of those games. I let Luke back into it at 5-5 and then after the second break he kicked on and played the better darts,” Littler said when quizzed about last year’s showpiece.

“But yeah, it’s a long 16 weeks and then week 17 at The O2. I mean, we all know we’re good. That’s why we’re in the Premier League. We know we’re going to battle it out for 16 weeks straight against each other.

“It’s going to be interesting and I’m really looking forward to it. I’m looking forward to the battles with everyone.” Speaking about his ambitions, Littler added: “Just go with the flow and see what happens.

“Obviously, get some nightly wins on the board. Try to break my own records, try and break the 180 record if I can. But the most important thing is to get to The O2 and hopefully get the trophy back.”