Luke Littler's World No. 1 Hopes Hinge on World Championship

Gian van Veen has set his sights on climbing to second place in the PDC Order of Merit, but his bid for world No. 1 status faces a major hurdle as he trails Luke Littler by almost £2 million.

What happened?

The 24-year-old Dutchman currently sits third in the world rankings and believes the coming months present the perfect opportunity to close the gap on Luke Humphries. Van Veen trails the English world No. 2 by £252,000, but the situation on the Order of Merit works in his favour. While Van Veen only has to defend 12.3 per cent of his current prize money over the coming months, Humphries must defend a massive 44.3 per cent of his total earnings.

Why it matters for Luke Littler

Van Veen's World Championship performance will be crucial to closing the gap on Littler, who currently holds the top spot in the world rankings. The Dutchman has enjoyed an outstanding first half of the season, reaching the final of the PDC World Championship and also making the semi-finals of the World Masters.

What comes next?

The calendar offers further encouragement for Van Veen, who was eliminated in the first round of the World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, European Championship, and Players Championship Finals two years ago. However, the reigning European Champion knows the competition at the very top is fierce.

"I don't really look at the rankings," Van Veen said. "I just want to do well and perform well at tournaments. I will probably be more proud of the world title than becoming world No. 1."

Van Veen makes no secret of the fact that he would love to overtake Humphries and move into second place in the world rankings. At the same time, he has enormous respect for both Humphries and Luke Littler.

"Of course I am eyeing the No. 2 spot," Van Veen said. "But if I am being honest, Luke Littler and Luke Humphries are the best two players in the world right now."

Littler lost to Luke Humphries in the US Darts Masters final, and Van Veen expects the Englishman to mount another serious title challenge.

"It's on us to stop him and the other Luke, Littler," Van Veen said. "We will see what we can do."

World title more important than becoming world No. 1

Although moving up to second in the rankings would represent a huge milestone, Van Veen is ultimately looking even further ahead. Reaching the top of the world rankings, however, appears to be a much greater challenge for now.

The Dutchman currently trails world No. 1 Luke Littler by almost £2 million and believes winning the World Championship will probably be essential if he is to close that gap.

"Winning the World Championship will probably be essential if I am to close the gap," Van Veen said. "I will probably be more proud of the world title than becoming world No. 1."

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