Michael van Gerwen announced his intent for Premier League Darts 2026 by winning Night One in Newcastle, beating fellow Dutchman Gian van Veen 6-4 in the final.
Van Gerwen looked comfortable throughout the night and denied Van Veen a perfect debut. Van Veen, who had moved up to world No 3 at the World Darts Championship and claimed the Dutch No 1 tag from Van Gerwen, pushed hard but could not find enough to stop the seven-time Premier League winner.
After a fast start in the final, Van Gerwen took the first two legs. Van Veen recovered to level at 2-2, but MVG pulled clear to lead 4-2. He squandered three match darts from 5-3 before finally sealing the win on D14. Earlier, Van Gerwen had beaten defending champion Luke Humphries 6-2 in the semi-final, finishing with a 104 checkout and a 114 on the tops, and had come from 0-2 down to run six legs in a row past Stephen Bunting in the quarters.
Van Gerwen on the night: “It’s definitely a good performance. Without playing my A-game, I still won it. I was steady and had some fantastic finishing at the right moments. I know I can do better but this gives you confidence. Winning games is the best medicine. I want to qualify for the play-offs but that is not my main priority. My main priority is the ranking tournaments. The Premier League is the second-biggest tournament for us but for me personally the ranking events are more important. But that doesn’t take away from this tournament and winning is never boring. I want consistency, which has been missing in my game. I want to enjoy myself and results will come.”
Van Veen impressed on his Premier League debut. He earned revenge on Luke Littler for the World Championship final defeat, averaging in the mid-90s and hitting D16 to break in the deciding leg. Van Veen then beat Jonny Clayton 6-4 in the semi-finals after trading breaks and closing with an 11-darter, again hitting D16 to finish.
Other night highlights:
– Jonny Clayton opened with a strong 6-2 quarter-final win over Josh Rock, averaging 110 and registering a high doubles conversion.
– Luke Humphries edged Gerwyn Price 6-5 in a last-leg decider, averaging 105 and surviving match darts to book his semi spot.
– Stephen Bunting started 2-0 against Van Gerwen but lost six legs in a row to go out 6-2.
Standings after Night One:
– Michael van Gerwen — 5 points
– Gian van Veen — 3 points
– Jonny Clayton — 2 points
– Luke Humphries — 2 points
– Gerwyn Price — 0 points
– Luke Littler — 0 points
– Stephen Bunting — 0 points
– Josh Rock — 0 points
Night One results:
Quarter-finals
– Josh Rock 2-6 Jonny Clayton
– Luke Littler 4-6 Gian van Veen
– Luke Humphries 6-5 Gerwyn Price
– Stephen Bunting 2-6 Michael van Gerwen
Semi-finals
– Jonny Clayton 4-6 Gian van Veen
– Luke Humphries 2-6 Michael van Gerwen
Final
– Gian van Veen 4-6 Michael van Gerwen
Luke Humphries will defend his Premier League title across the season, with action airing on Sky Sports every Thursday from February to May.