Luke Littler reached the semi-finals at Alexandra Palace, while Luke Humphries lost 5-1 to Jan van Veen and was expelled from the World Darts Championship 2026.
Van Veen posted 11 180s, 22 140s, 170 checkouts and a 55 percent success rate in doubles, averaging an astonishing 105.41 points in a statement display.
Humphries was aiming for a second World Darts Championship title, but his path was thwarted when interim world No. 3 Van Veen took the ranking from fellow Dutchman Michael van Gerwen, winning five of their last five meetings with ‘Cool Hand’.
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World Championship Quarterfinals Luke Littler vs. Krzysztof Ratajski Highlights
MVG has held the Dutch No. 1 title since 2013, but now Van Veen is the man with the title and will face Gary Anderson for a spot in the final.
Meanwhile, Luke Littler will face Ryan Searle, who picked up a 5-0 victory over Krzysztof Ratajski.
It was expected to be a quality battle between the pair, and it was immediately clear that it would be, with both averaging over 103 in the first set as Van Veen took the deciding leg on D6 to take an early advantage after sensational 120 and 124 checkouts.
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Jan van Veen scores two big checkouts in the first set of his quarter-final match against Luke Humphries
Van Veen’s level dropped slightly in the second set, and from there the world No. 2 took control, his steely look showing he was in the zone with an early break to level up the competition.
The third set was then a virtual scrap, but the decisive moment came in the deciding leg, when Humphries kept wandering into the wrong bed, allowing Van Veen to jump to D10 and take the lead again. From there, things went up a notch.
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Jan van Veen hits 170 checkout in quarter-final match against Luke Humphries
Double drama for Humphries again after Van Veen came through the clutch and reeled in the big fish, allowing Humphries to get flustered by the Dutchman’s 116 average. From a 2-0 deficit in the set, Humphries found the all-important 158 checkout, which only propelled Van Veen to a new level, helping him with two 180s and leaving him with just 36 after nine darts to take a 3-1 lead from there.
Van Veen was just one set away from the semi-finals after winning the deciding leg again, but was unable to complete his second 170 finish, but came back with a 25 to lock up D8. From there, he defended his throws admirably under pressure, capping off a monumental moment with 11 darters on D16.
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Jan Van Veen reacts to his win over Luke Humphries at the World Darts Championship
“See this smile? This smile will not disappear for the next 24 hours! I am very happy,” Van Veen told Sky Sports.
“I felt really, really good today. My average of 105 describes how I feel.
“He (Humphries) is a great player and every time we play him we know we have to perform at our best to have a chance of beating him.
“I was preparing for that and luckily it happened today.”
Littler advances after whitewash quarterfinal victory
Littler achieved a brutal 5-0 victory over Krzysztof Ratajski to reach the top four of the World Darts Championship for the third consecutive year.
Littler was greeted with boos when he came out as a walk-on, but the boos died down as soon as he started his show to the Ally Pally crowd, and his signature chants erupted as he ignited the stage.
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Reigning champion Luke Littler takes to the stage during the World Championship quarter-finals to applause from the crowd.
Ratajski brilliantly broke Littler’s throw and brought the first set to the deciding leg, but at that moment the reigning champion came back to life, reeling in the big fish and leading 1-0 to loud cheers.
Littler then took the second set in just over four minutes, ending the set with checkouts of 128 and 100. The 18-year-old Littler didn’t give the “Polish Eagle” a chance and the first set was spot on.
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Luke Littler scores a 170 checkout in the quarter-finals against Krzysztof Ratajski at the World Darts Championship
Ratajski managed to stop the rot after Littler picked up seven legs in a row, but even an average of over 113 wasn’t enough to win a set, and Littler pinned his favored D10 in a tense deciding leg, moving him one set away from reaching the semifinals.
Despite not playing his best darts in the fifth set, Littler still managed to score high enough to end the game with a break in throws, setting up a semi-final showdown with ‘Heavy Metal’ Ryan Searle in bed again in D10.
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Luke Littler reacts to his comfortable win over Krzysztof Ratajski at the World Darts Championship
“Obviously, a win is a win,” Littler told Sky Sports.
“When we were leading 2-0, I asked the players behind me what my average was and they said ‘101’ and I thought, ‘What are you talking about?’
“Maybe it’s because I took two days off, but I didn’t feel well.
“I was holding the dart differently and spinning it around. I’m playing every day now, but hopefully I can play better tomorrow.”
“The crowd tonight was very good. It’s a new year so there must be some new fans. The fans were great and so was I. Moving on to tomorrow.”
“I’ve been watching darts throughout the tournament. I’m the next guy behind Ryan. I hope we have a good match tomorrow night.”
What’s next?
The World Darts Championship continues on Friday 2nd January when Luke Littler takes on Ryan Searle and Gary Anderson takes on Jan Van Veen for a spot in the final.
Both semi-finals can be watched on Sky Sports Darts from 7pm.
Who will win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship? Watch every match live and exclusively on Sky Sports’ dedicated darts channel (Sky channel 407) until January 3rd. Stream darts and other top sports now.
