World Darts Championship 2026 results: Luke Littler faces Gian van Veen in the final

As Littler sailed across the field, there was no such luck for Van Veen as he beat his idol Anderson in a brilliant match.

It started with the Scot winning the first set on darts by an average of 104 points, but any notion that Van Veen, 23, might be tired in his first world semi-final was quickly forgotten, as he shot 10 fours to start the second set.

An impressive average of 113.35 saw him level at 1-1 after 117 runs and he was a taster of what was to come in the following sets.

Anderson started the next step with a 144 checkout but Van Veen struck back, hitting a perfect six to start the deciding leg on his way to 11 ties.

Somehow, the fifth set took the match to another level once again. First, Anderson broke with a 10-quarter bullet and hit a 170 to take a 2-0 lead in the legs, a leg that made it 3-2.

Instead, Van Veen made it 4-1 after a 170 run forced him to make a crucial decision. He won it and averaged 111.46, while Anderson was left wondering how he lost a set that averaged 117.44.

However, the 55-year-old’s resilience shone through and, with the crowd behind him, he won the next two sets to make it 4-3 and pile the pressure on his younger rival – who missed four darts to make it 5-2.

But while both players showed signs that the grueling nature of the match had taken its toll, Van Veen held on, taking a 5-3 lead and then finishing strongly with a 13-bet shot to book his place in the final.

“Getting to a World Championship final is not even a dream come true because I couldn’t dream of it,” Van Veen, who had never won a World Championship match before this event, told Sky Sports.

“It has happened now and I am very happy.”