World Darts Championship 2026 results: Luke Littler to face Gian van Veen in final

As Littler passed, Van Veen was unlucky as he defeated his idol Anderson in a remarkable match.

It started with the Scot winning the first set against the darters to average 104, but any thoughts that he might be overlooked in his first world semi-final were quickly forgotten as the 23-year-old Van Veen fired a 10-darter shot to start the second set.

A stunning average of 113.35 tied the score at 1-1 with a score of 117 and gave a glimpse of what was to come in the next sets.

Anderson started the next innings on 144 but Van Veen hit back once again, firing six perfect darts to start the deciding leg en route to an 11-darter.

Somehow the fifth set took the match to another level again. First, Anderson broke with a 10-darter and made 170 to make it 2-0 in legs, with another leg to make it 3-2.

Instead Van Veen made it 4-1 after being forced to decide after scoring 170 himself. He won and played with an average of 111.46, while Anderson wondered how he lost the set he played with an average of 117.44.

However, the 55-year-old showed his resilience and won the next two sets with the crowd behind him to make the score 4-3 and put pressure on his young opponent who missed four darts to make the score 5-2.

But while both players showed signs that the relentless nature of the competition was taking its toll, Van Veen remained resolute, putting himself 5-3 ahead and then finishing strongly with 13 darters to cement his place in the final.

Van Veen, who had failed to win a match at the World Championship before this event, told Sky Sports: “Being in the World Championship final is not even a dream come true because I couldn’t have dreamed of it.”

“It’s happened now and I’m so happy.”