Will the reigning world champion extend his winning streak?
Newcastle provides the perfect atmosphere for the first Premier League evening of the 2026 season. The quarterfinals will feature a rematch of the World Championship final – fans could hardly imagine a better start. For our Luke Littler vs. Gian van Veen tip, we have searched the best betting providers for suitable offers.
This is the third time that the reigning world champion has taken part in the Premier League – an advantage over the Dutch number one, who is making his debut in this competition in our Luke Littler vs. Gian van Veen prediction.
Last weekend saw the end of the first Masters tournament of 2026. The Nuke secured his first Masters crown in Milton Keynes, crowning himself champion after some outstanding performances. Only in his first match against Mike De Decker (3:2) did the two-time Premier League finalist finish with an average of less than 100 points.
Littler completed his four other matches against Ross Smith (4:1), Josh Rock (4:0), Gerwyn Price (5:4), and Luke Humphries (6:5) with an average of more than 100 points per frame.
Defending his world championship title has not gone to the industry leader’s head – his performances continue to be phenomenal. The 19-year-old has won 13 of his 14 matches since winning his second world title. Littler recently won two tournaments in a row (World Series of Darts 2 & Winmau World Masters).
Luke Littler – Gian van Veen Head-to-head comparison / H2H statistics
The PDC World Championship final was a one-sided affair. Littler won 7:1, played an average of 106 points, and threw the maximum score on 16 attempts. After that, there was another meeting between the two top-3 players.
The Nuke won the quarterfinal at the World Series of Darts 2 6:4, averaging 111.58 points and throwing five maximums into the triple 20 segment. This was the Englishman’s third consecutive victory over Gian van Veen. Overall, Littler leads the H2H record with 6:4 wins.
Luke Littler – Gian van Veen Tip
The draw for the first Premier League evening sets up a potential final between Luke Littler and Luke Humphries. Last year, Cool Hand Luke clinched the trophy in the final against Littler. Littler won the previous edition, becoming the youngest Premier League champion in history.
Last year, the two-time world champion was unable to defend his Premier League title, but he threw maximum scores in quick succession throughout the tournament and hit the triple 20 three times 185 times – a new record in the PDC Premier League.
Pro Leg, the exceptional player threw 0.48 180s per leg in the last PL season. In addition, Littler finished more than half of his PL matches in the previous season with “over 4.5 180s.” The 19-year-old can achieve this again in the quarterfinals of the first PL evening, especially if Gian van Veen engages the Englishman in a longer match.
