Wessel Nijman odds slashed for 2027 PDC World Championship after maiden European Tour win

Wessel Nijman has been slashed in the betting for December’s PDC World Championship after a dominant maiden European Tour victory at the 2026 European Darts Trophy.

The Dutch star, 25, pocketed a cool £35,000 after routing Gerwyn Price 8-3 in Sunday’s final at the Lokhalle in Gottingen, Germany – producing a fifth straight ton-plus average in the showpiece to complete what was a stunning stroll to success.

Nijman has been a force on the PDC Pro Tour for the best part of three years now, having won back his Tour Card in January 2024 having served half of a five-year suspension from the sport for his part in a match-fixing scandal during the coronavirus pandemic.

He has lifted four floor titles, the most recent of which came last month, but had shown precious little of his A-game on the big stage until this weekend, where his class finally came to the fore.

Nijman had his biggest scare in round one on Friday when having to recover from 3-0 down to see off Spain’s Cristo Reyes in a last-leg decider. But from that point onwards, the youngster was irrepressible in dumping out some of the sport’s biggest names.

A 100.42 average saw him swat aside former World Grand Prix champion Mike De Decker 6-2, before two more spellbinding displays accounted for Premier League duo Gian van Veen (112.87) and Josh Rock (106.05) for the loss of just three legs.

In the semis, Nijman met his former next door neighbour Niels Zonneveld, who didn’t wilt away but was powerless to resist his old friend’s 110.41 average on the way to a 7-1 triumph.

And he was once again over the 100 mark in beating ex-world champion Price, breaking his big-stage duck and sending shockwaves through the darting world.

‘No words’ for Nijman who sensed his opportunity

Speaking after his trophy lift, Nijman admitted he was speechless over his achievement but knew he was playing well enough to come out on top early in the event.

He told the PDC: "I think there are no words to describe how I'm feeling right now.

"I felt so great all day long. I think you saw when I played Gian, Josh and Niels, I played so well.

"I thought to myself: 'This could be the day you win a title', and I'm so happy I did.”

And after silencing a lot of his critics, who have questioned his bottle on the biggest stages, Nijman insisted he remains focused on climbing up the rankings.

"I didn't need to prove anything to myself,” he added. “I needed to prove to other people that I can play like this on the big stage.

"I'm doing it now in a European Tour event and I hope I can do it in the biggest major events, so I can show the world that I'm capable of winning any event there is.

"The main goal this year was to get into the top 16 and be a seeded player in major tournaments, and I think this is a big step towards that."

Expert analysis: 33/1 Nijman is a ‘potential World Champion’ but has ‘work to do’

Odds Now’s expert darts writer and tipster Matt Hill believes the sky is the limit for Nijman, who is now a best price of 33/1 for the 2027 PDC World Championship with Sporting Index and 25/1 elsewhere.

Hill said: “Those who follow my work will know I’ve been excited about Wessel Nijman’s potential since he first regained his Tour Card.

“When you look at what he achieved at youth level, mixing it and actually often getting the better of Luke Littler, it was no secret that Nijman possesses the raw tools to be a Premier League-level operator.

“But quite rightly, many have questioned his ability to bring his best game to the big stages over the last two years. Too often, we’ve seen him exit in the early rounds of majors – he’s still actually waiting for a first major quarter-final appearance, believe it or not.

“So, while last night did feel like a breakthrough moment for him, I think it’s important not to get carried away at this stage. The crucial thing now will be repeating those kind of levels in a major, something like the Matchplay this summer.

“I’ve been worried about the mental side of Nijman’s game in recent times. At the back-end of last year, he seemed to be pausing for far too long before crucial doubles and there were some catastrophic losses, where he just seemed to implode on the outer ring.

“If he starts playing like he did in Gottingen more often, then he is a potential World Champion – no doubt about it. But I still think he’s got a lot more work to do before we can be putting him in that conversation alongside the likes of Littler.

“If you’re a punter looking to get big-priced runners on side for the Worlds, taking the 33/1 about Nijman is probably a good call. But that price has still got a lot of movement in it, to my eye.

"It could collapse further if he shines in Blackpool – but equally, we could be looking at 50s come October if he’s still not managed to crack the major stage. He was 33/1 for most of last year and ended up going off 100s, so that's something to consider too.

“Either way, he’s one of the most intriguing names in this market and it’s going to be exciting to see what the coming months hold for him.”