Gian van Veen History

Van Veen’s ascension has been remarkably swift by darts standards.

After securing his Tour Card in 2023 he immediately showed his potential by topping the Development Tour order of merit ahead of Littler and reaching his first major semi-final at the European Championship, beating Michael van Gerwen along the way.

A 2023 World Youth Championship final defeat to Littler did nothing to quell the Giant’s progress as he reached his first European Tour final at the 2024 Hungarian Darts Trophy, missing match dart in losing an 8-7 deciding-leg thriller to Van Gerwen.

Van Veen also marched to the quarter-finals of the Grand Slam in November that year, where his darting idol Gary Anderson edged him out in a 16-14 marathon.

A year on from his defeat to Littler, Van Veen claimed the 2024 World Youth Championship with a 6–5 victory over fellow Dutchman Jurjen van der Velde. He became the second player ever to go back-to-back in the event in 2025.

That was undoubtedly the year Van Veen made a real name for himself on tour.

First he secured his first ranking PDC title at Players Championship 6 by beating Humphries and later reached the final of the German Darts Grand Prix, losing again to Van Gerwen.

He ticked off a World Cup semi-finals appearance during the summer before snaring his first major PDC title at the European Championship, producing a nerveless 100 checkout in the deciding leg to defeat Humphries.

Van Veen carried that momentum into the 2026 World Darts Championship, embarking on a sensational run that cemented his place in the BetMGM Premier League.

He once again conquered Humphries in a classic quarter-final before toppling his hero Anderson in the semis and losing to Luke Littler in the final.

Despite the loss, his place at the top table was secured, as was his rise to world number three and, arguably just as importantly, Dutch number one ahead of the legendary Van Gerwen.

Gian van Veen Stats

Even at this early stage of his career, Van Veen has no shortage of highlights. Here are some of the standouts:

• Van Veen became only the second player to defend a world youth title when he beat Beau Greaves in the 2025 tournament
• He dominated the 2023 Development Tour, winning six titles and finishing number one on the order of merit ahead of Littler
• The Giant became one of only two players in history, alongside Dimitri van den Bergh, to win back-to-back PDC World Youth Championship titles when he beat Beau Greaves in the 2025 final
• His first major singles title came when he beat Humphries in a last-leg decider in the final of the 2025 European Championship
• Van Veen broke into the world top three after making the final of the 2026 World Championship – a leap of over 20 places in just 12 months

Gian van Veen Titles

Van Veen is a champion at youth and senior level. The most notable trophies he has lifted include:

• European Championship – 2025
• World Youth Championship – 2024, 2025

Related Players

As a debutant who has already battled the best, Van Veen enters the 2026 BetMGM Premier League season with several key rivalries already established.

His 7-1 defeat to Littler in the World Championship final will make him hungry for revenge on the Nuke, while Humphries is a player the Giant has enjoyed recent success against having gone unbeaten against him in 2025.

There is also the small matter of seven-time winner Van Gerwen, whose Dutch top spot Van Veen has recently seized, as well as former world champion Gerwyn Price and major winner Stephen Bunting.

Fellow debutant and World Cup winner Josh Rock will be a threat, too, while 2021 Premier League titlist Jonny Clayton is capable of upsetting any odds.

Read more about the other 2026 BetMGM Premier League Darts participants below. It’s showtime!