Darts Weekly column: The biggest talking points from the European Championship

The 2025 European Championship had a thrilling conclusion on Sunday night as Gian van Veen survived a match dart to lift his first major trophy.

The Giant dumped out four-time winner Michael van Gerwen in the semi-final before edging out world number one Luke Humphries in a deciding leg to win.

Glory had been coming for the 23-year-old, who won his first Players Championship event earlier this year and has had a succession of impressive performances in 2025.

A few weeks ago, I tipped Van Veen to be one of the next first-time major winners, so it’s nice to be vindicated by the young man.

Whilst Van Veen’s maiden major victory was the story of the weekend, Dortmund gave us many more talking points as the World Championship begins to draw nearer, but I’ll take a closer look at our champion first.

Gian van Veen primed for Premier League

The expectation on Van Veen’s shoulders has been growing for some time, accelerated by a stunning opening round win over Luke Humphries at the World Matchplay.

Fans and players alike have talked up the Dutchman – James Wade aside – and he delivered.

The sport is full of great young players such as Wessel Nijman and Martin Schindler – but there was always something different about Van Veen.

As well as talent, he has a maturity and composure that is difficult to teach, which is essential to thrive at the top echelons of any sport.

I was out in Dortmund for the tournament with Darts Now and I asked Gian about this mindset after his victory, and he offered some advice for other young players, showing his class.

Winning a major doesn’t guarantee a player a Premier League spot, with last year’s European Champion Ritchie Edhouse not in the tournament for example.

I firmly believe, however, that Van Veen is as safe as one can be for the elite competition after last week’s triumph.

For the PDC, he’s a dream; he looks good, speaks confidently, is fluent in multiple languages and is consistently explosive on the oche.

If he does get the call-up, he won’t be overawed by the big boys, and I’d expect him to have a strong campaign on debut.

Luke Humphries extends lead over Luke Littler – but is it enough?

One of the biggest stories heading into Dortmund was the potential for Luke Littler to ascend to world number one for the first time, overtaking Humphries who has held the spot since December 2023.

A shock defeat for the Nuke in the second round at the hands of the veteran Wade put an end to that story, briefly – but though Humphries extended his lead over the World Champion by reaching the final, it’s surely delaying the inevitable.

Just over £70k separates the two Lukes at the summit of the rankings, with Cool Hand unable to add to his ranking points before the World Championship – this week’s Pro Tours aside.

Humphries is defending the winner’s cheque at both the Grand Slam and the Players Championship Finals this year and even if he wins both, he’ll have a net gain of precisely £0.

Littler, on the other hand, was absent from both events two years ago and therefore will add to his ranking by just turning up, even if he exits at the first hurdle.

For Humphries to retain the number one spot heading into Alexandra Palace, it’s likely he’ll have to win the next two majors and hope The Nuke suffers early defeats in both.

Whilst possible, Littler’s track record suggests that’s highly unlikely, and it appears Humphries himself is frustrated at the narrative around the top position.

I put the question to the eight-time major winner in Germany twice and I sensed exasperation from Humphries at so much as talking about the situation, though he admitted that Littler would be a worthy world number one should he achieve the feat.

Peter Wright clinging on to top 32 berth

Last week was an all too familiar feeling for Peter Wright as he exited a major at the first hurdle for the fifth time this year.

The defeat to Ross Smith was particularly damaging as the 2023 champion was defending £120k from two years ago.

Snakebite plummeted 12 spots to world number 30 at the conclusion of the tournament and as It stands, he is not yet qualified for the Grand Slam next week and thus is set to lose more ranking money.

The former two-time World Champion has had a torrid time on the oche over the last few years and though we’ve seen the occasional spark, there’s little to suggest a resurgence.

Whatever happens, the 55-year-old’s legacy is cemented as one of the greatest to ever play the sport.

He has previously spoken to Darts Now about the toll constant defeat has taken on him during this spell, and a fall outside of the world’s top 32 may be the beginning of the end for his legendary career.

Michael van Gerwen remains a credible threat

Another darting great who has struggled on the stage lately is three-time World Champion Michael van Gerwen.

His struggles on and off the oche have been well-documented this year but there are signs that the Green Machine may slowly be getting back to the level he demands from himself.

In September, he lifted the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam – his first major in two years – and was able to reach the semi-final of the European Championship on Sunday.

Between those was a first-round exit at the World Grand Prix and some poor Players Championship performances which means he will be absent from Minehead.

Despite the inconsistencies to his game, Van Gerwen produced a string of impressive performances in Dortmund – albeit fortunate to survive seven match darts in his opener against Wessel Nijman – and was unlucky to not reach the final.

The vulnerable Dutchman missed five darts to break eventual champion Van Veen and throw for a spot in the final, casting a cloud on what was an encouraging weekend.

Though Mighty Mike fans will feel frustrated at seeing their man throw matches away in unrecognisable fashion, there are clear positives.

No matter his form, a Van Gerwen disasterclass at the World Championship is a rare sight and I’ve seen enough from him over the last couple of months to rate him as a credible threat at Ally Pally once again.

Incidentally, he’s a best price of 14/1 to lift the Sid Waddell trophy for the fourth time which is tempting for someone with his pedigree and record.

READ MORE: Van Veen 12/1 for Ally Pally glory after European Championship win