Will Gaga’s World Championship end before Christmas?
It has been almost three years since Gabriel Clemens made German darts history at Alexandra Palace. At the 2023 World Championship, the Saarlander sensationally reached the semi-finals, defeating Gervyn Price, among others, in an epic match on his way to the semi-finals, and only failing to advance against the eventual world champion Michael Smith.
However, the “German Giant” was unable to build on his successes from back then. After a disappointing season overall, the 42-year-old is even in danger of losing his Tour Card, which entitles him to participate in the most important events of the year. This makes it all the more important for him to advance to the third round of the 2026 Darts World Championship two days before Christmas Eve at the site of his greatest success. However, my Nijman vs. Clemens tip is leaning more towards the younger Dutchman.
The 25-year-old was one of the discoveries of the first round. After all, he played an outstanding average of 100.91 points in his opening match against Karel Sedlacek. Only the world number one and hot favorite for this Darts World Championship, Luke Littler, was able to beat this average. Nijman, who started a World Championship as a seeded player (31st) for the first time, threw six 180s and also impressed with a checkout rate of 50% (9/18).
In general, the former Junior World Championship semifinalist is in strong form. Nijman has won 15 of his last 19 matches on the tour. Among other things, he won the Players Championship at the end of October. At the Grand Slam of Darts, the Dutchman beat Josh Rock and Lisa Ashton before losing to Luke Littler in the knockout stage. Nijman also kept up well against the world’s best darts player with a 94 average, forcing Littler to bring his A-game to the oche. If he continues this form, the prediction between Nijman and Clemens will be that the 25-year-old will reach the third round of the World Championship in London for the first time in his career.
However, given that the odds on Nijman and Clemens winning are just over 1.25, I think it’s much more interesting to bet on the man from North Holland scoring more 180s. This is supported not least by the fact that “Gaga” “only” scored four maximums in his World Championship opener against American Alex Spellmann.
Apart from that, the man from Saarlouis is only ranked 80th in this year’s checkout ranking and 52nd in the annual ranking in terms of average. The passionate supporter of 1. FC Saarbrücken did not even qualify for many major tournaments. I think it’s too risky to trust that he will surpass himself at the World Championship. However, if you still want to place a bet on the German, you’ll find the best value in the Nijman vs. Clemens betting odds that the “German Giant” will check the higher finish. After all, I see him as weaker in scoring.
Wessel Nijman – Gabriel Clemens Head-to-head comparison / H2H record
All four head-to-head matches between the two darts pros took place this year. The record is absolutely even, with two wins each. “Gaga” won the first two matches; Nijman won the last two. However, the H2H should be taken with a grain of salt, as these were always “simple” matches in best-of-11-legs mode. Now, the match at Alexandra Palace in set mode will probably go on much longer. At the same time, this also increases the chance that the better/stronger player will prevail.
Wessel Nijman – Gabriel Clemens Tip
Gabriel Clemens fondly remembers his semifinal run at the 2023 World Championship. Since then, however, he has only won two matches at the World Darts Championship. Nevertheless, his confident performance at the start of the tournament gives hope that the 42-year-old will find his form again at the peak of the season after a weak 2025. However, Spellman was not a worthy opponent a few days ago. That will definitely change on Monday. According to the odds, Clemens is even the clear underdog against Wessel Nijman from the Netherlands.
In fact, the 25-year-old has had a much better year and has even moved up to 31st in the world rankings. In the first round, he played a 100 average and threw six 180s. With a similar performance, he should make it to the third round of the Darts World Championship for the first time. In any case, I am convinced that the favorite will win and recommend betting on more 180s by Wessel Nijman in the Nijman vs. Clemens duel.
