Gian van Veen insists he, Luke Littler and darts' young stars are ready to take over the sport, despite falling short in his bid for a maiden World Darts Championship title.
The world youth champion's impressive run to the Alexandra Palace final was ended by a dominant display by Littler, who became just the fourth player to successfully defend the title by cruising to a 7-1 victory.
Van Veen's runner-up finish follows his European Championship success in October, lifting him to a career-high of world No 3 and seeing him overtake Michael van Gerwen as the highest-ranked player from the Netherlands.
The final was a repeat of the 2023 World Youth Championship final and was the latest instalment in a growing rivalry between the two young stars, with Van Veen confident the new wave of players can continue to enjoy success.
"With us two [Van Veen and Littler], Josh Rock and Wessel Nijman, the young boys are here," Van Veen told Your Site. "We are trying to take over the [old] guard.
"He [Littler] has done it so far. Even Luke Humphries is a young guy. This game is for the young players and we are here to show how it's done."
Littler's victory over Van Veen sees him move 4-3 ahead of the Dutchman in their head-to-head match-up at PDC events, while Van Veen's rise into the world's top four guarantees him a Premier League debut and more showdowns with the teenager.
"We are always going to have battles on the Pro Tour, Euro Tour, majors - everything!" Littler added.
"Obviously now he's number three in the world and if he stays there, and I stay number one, we might come back here in the final again in 2027 - you never know!
"We will play so many times and he knows he's in the Premier League, so we will battle week in, week out."
Littler - who posted a 106.02 average and fired 16 maximums in the final - recovered from losing the opening set to take the next in a final-leg decider, before winning 15 of the next 17 legs to race to an emphatic victory.
"The scoring tonight wasn't my greatest game of the tournament," Van Veen admitted, despite averaging just under 100 and producing four ton-plus finishes. "In the past couple of games I took out all my chances, but today I didn't.
"Luke wasn't in the mood to give me any more chances. He played phenomenal. He put me under pressure in every leg, every set and I missed too many chances to make it even a game.
"He [Littler] is a fantastic player - that's why he's the world number one by a margin now and that's why he said back-to-back world champion.
"I would have liked to have lifted up the title, but I would have liked to have given Luke a game. That's what I didn't do. I lost too many legs where I was involved and I missed too many chances.
"But back at this tournament, I'm very proud to be getting even to the final. I'm number three in the world now and Dutch No 1, so I'm very proud of myself, but obviously I'm disappointed with the result today."
Van Veen described the past 12 months as the best of his darting career, just a few years after dartitus - a condition that affects the release of the dart - left him previously questioning his future in the sport.
"This is just the start for Gian," former world champion Mark Webster told Your Site. "He will be disappointed [to finish runner-up] but he's played some good stuff.
"He hadn't won a game at Alexandra Palace in his previous two attempts here and now got to the final - he's achieving so much.
"He will be playing a lot more darts this year so there are different challenges for him. He will have to manage the schedule because he's a hungry player and will relish it."
Van Veen and Littler join Humphries and Michael van Gerwen as the four automatic qualifiers for the 2026 Premier League season, with the remaining four names set to be revealed on Monday afternoon.
That announcement will be made live on Your Site News at 3.30pm, with the format of the eight-player competition remaining unchanged this season. The opening night is in Newcastle on February 5, with every week live on Your Site. .
