World Series of Darts Finals Draw: Van Gerwen and Littler Learn Their Amsterdam Opponents
Mark Strijbosch
Amsterdam and darts go together like beer and bitterballen near a Dutch canal, and if you haven't tried bitterballen in the capital... what are you waiting for? Enough about food, bring on the darts! The serious stuff: Michael van Gerwen will begin the defence of his World Series of Darts Finals title against Lourence Ilagan, while Luke Littler has been handed an all-Dutch test against Danny Noppert in Amsterdam.
The 32-player tournament takes place at AFAS Live from September 17-20, with Van Gerwen returning as the top seed after winning the event for a sixth time last year.
Van Gerwen ended a two-year wait for a major PDC title when he won in Amsterdam in 2025 and will start this year's campaign against two-time PDC Asian Champion Ilagan.
The Dutchman is the most successful player in the tournament's history and again carries home hopes into an event packed with major winners.
Littler, meanwhile, has been drawn against former UK Open champion Noppert.
The world No.1 won the World Series Finals in 2024 and arrives in Amsterdam still chasing another major title in a season that has already seen him win the Saudi Arabia Darts Masters.
We’re in for a spicy opening round
World No.2 Luke Humphries faces Jermaine Wattimena, while two-time champion Gerwyn Price meets Brody Klinge, who reached the Australian Darts Masters final earlier this year.
Dutch No.1 Gian van Veen takes on Chris Dobey, Stephen Bunting faces Josh Rock and James Wade has been paired with Australian No.1 Damon Heta.
Elsewhere, 2021 champion Jonny Clayton will meet Alexis Toylo, while Rob Cross faces Ryan Searle.
The opening round is split across Thursday and Friday evening.
Van Gerwen, Humphries and Van Veen headline the Thursday, September 17 session, before Littler, Price and Clayton enter the tournament on Friday, September 18.
The last 16 will then be played across two sessions on Saturday.
Finals day comes on Sunday, September 20, beginning with the quarter-finals in the afternoon before the semi-finals and final are staged during the evening session.
For Van Gerwen, Amsterdam offers another opportunity to underline his return to the top end of the sport. For Littler, it is a chance to take back a trophy he won two years ago.
With Humphries, Price, Clayton, Wade, Bunting and Van Veen all seeded, neither will have anything approaching a straightforward route through the weekend. Looking forward to this one, and that brilliant Dutch crowd! Who will they turn on this year?
