Littler to face Van Veen in PDC Worlds final

What’s Happening

Okay so Luke Littler and Gian van Veen win their respective PDC World Championship semi-finals and will meet in Saturday’s final.

Littler to face Van Veen in PDC Worlds final Image source, Image caption, Luke Littler is just the fourth player to reach three consecutive PDC World Championship finals By Sam Drury BBC Sport journalist Published 2 January 2026 Luke Littler surged into his third successive PDC World Championship final and will face European champion Gian van Veen in what promises to be a blockbuster conclusion to the tournament. World champion Littler came from a set down to beat 20th seed Ryan Searle in wild style, averaging 105. (it feels like chaos)

35 in a 6-1 win over his fellow Englishman.

The Details

Meanwhile, Dutchman Van Veen overcame two-time champion Gary Anderson 6-3 in a semi-final for the ages that saw both players average just shy of 103. Littlers success meant he has still yet to taste defeat prior to a final at Alexandra Palace and extended the 18-year-olds unbeaten record in major ranking tournament semi-finals to 11.

He became just the fourth player to reach three consecutive PDC World Championship finals, after Phil Taylor, Dennis Priestley and Anderson, and could be the fourth player to win PDC world titles in successive years. Anderson did so most just with back-to-back wins in 2015 and 2016.

Why This Matters

Littler told BBC Radio 5 Live: “Im happy with tonight - the doubles, the finishing, the high-scoring. It could have been a bit better but Im happy to make it three consecutive finals [at the World Championship]. “I missed a few doubles but Im happy with 50-odd percent or whatever it was.

This could change the dynamics of the sport going forward.

The Bottom Line

Hopefully we can do a bit more tomorrow. ” Theres no cure - the eye condition affecting Littlers opponent Searle Published 14 hours ago Littler too strong for Searle Searle made a strong start in his first semi-final appearance at the World Championship, shrugging off a 10-dart finish and 105 average from Littler to take the opening set thanks to some clinical finishing.

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