Luke Littler thrashes Gian van Veen to defend PDC World title: How far ahead is teenager in Order of Merit?

Luke Littler has recorded a 7-1 victory over Gian van Veen to win his second PDC world title.

Although the 18-year-old dropped the first set to the new Dutch number one, he cruised through large phases of the contest to cement his place at the top of the sport.

Van Veen started with 116 checkout for a 12-dart leg, only for Littler to respond in 14 darts and 13 darts respectively. After he missed double five for a 95 checkout for the set, Van Veen forced what turned out to be a dramatic decider.

After Van Veen missed bull for a 170 and two darts at double eight, Littler squandered another three darts for the set. That allowed Van Veen to return for double four to edge in front despite an average of just 91.48.

A 145 checkout got Van Veen off to the perfect start in the second and it was backed up by a 127 finish. However, the Dutchman missed double eight for a 127 for the set, allowing Littler to capitalise and level things up with a 116.

BIG FISH FROM LITTLER ?

Luke Littler hits the biggest fish on the biggest occasion ?

He now leads Gian van Veen 2-1!

? https://t.co/59TualjgND #WCDarts | Final pic.twitter.com/FyWkJNHFKU

— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) January 3, 2026

Littler built on that momentum with 112 and 81 checkouts before taking out 170 for the third set, and a whitewash soon followed that left Van Veen on the ropes as the defending champion averaged 106.85 after four sets.

The nine-leg streak was brought to an end by a 137 finish from Van Veen at the start of the fifth, but Littler defied being chased by the Ally Pally wasp to take the set 3-1 with a 107.95 average.

At the start of the sixth, Van Veen missed darts to take the opening two legs, and it enabled Littler to cruise into a 5-1 advantage.

Blood from the finger of Van Veen led to a quick board change, yet it did not change the direction of the contest as the Dutchman squandered three darts at a double across two legs to gift Littler another whitewash set.

Come the start of the eighth, Van Veen's double stats read seven out of 20. By comparison, Littler had hit 20 doubles from 45 attempts, highlighting his dominance despite the missed opportunities of his opponent.

LITTLER GOES BACK-TO-BACK ?

Luke Littler is your 2025/26 Paddy Power World Darts Champion ?

The Nuke takes out a show-stopping 147 checkout to win his second Sid Waddell Trophy in trademark style ?

? https://t.co/59TualjgND #WCDarts | Final pic.twitter.com/Rw7J4djseK

— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) January 3, 2026

While Van Veen got another leg on the board, it was mere consolation as Littler sealed the title in style, following a 180 with a 147 finish on his favoured double 15.

The finish earned Littler a 106.02 average for the match, as well as hitting 16 180s. Van Veen recorded 99.94 and nine maximums.

Littler untouchable at top of PDC Order of Merit

While Littler will start defending world ranking points on a monthly basis for the first time in 2026, he sits a mammoth £1.598m ahead of second-placed Luke Humphries in the PDC Order of Merit.

Van Veen is more than £250,000 adrift of Humphries, ensuring that the top two positions in the world rankings are a closed shop for most of next year.