Luke Humphries has crashed out of the 2026 World Darts Championship following a crushing 5-1 defeat to Gian van Veen in the quarter-finals at Alexandra Palace.
The loss comes just weeks after the 2024 champion boldly declared he would claim the Sid Waddell trophy for a second time.
Speaking in November after falling to Luke Littler in the Grand Slam of Darts final, Humphries had stated: “I am going to win the Worlds. I am declaring war on him [Littler]. We’re going to go to war at the World Championships, we’ll see who is the one there.”
The 30-year-old from Newbury was instead eliminated on Thursday evening by the tenth seed.
Luke Humphries has crashed out of the World Championship after a stunning performance from Gian van Veen
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Van Veen delivered a masterclass against the world number two, posting an impressive average of 105.41 throughout the match.
The 23-year-old Dutchman seized control early, winning the opening set against the throw before building a commanding 3-1 advantage.
Humphries struggled at crucial moments, with fans pinpointing a disastrous visit in the fifth set where he needed 95 to win but missed the board entirely with two of his three darts.
The European Championship winner capitalised ruthlessly on such errors, eventually wrapping up victory in the sixth set.
Van Veen’s triumph sees him rise to provisional world number three, overtaking Michael van Gerwen as Dutch number one.
Gian van Veen has had a stunning 12 months and has been catapulted to No. 3 in the world
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REUTERS
Van Veen was elated following what he described as the biggest victory of his career.
“This smile won’t go for 24 hours, I’m so over the moon. I felt really, really good today, incredible,” he said on stage after the match.
The rising star acknowledged the quality of his opponent while explaining how the contest unfolded.
“He’s a fantastic player. Whenever I play Luke, I know I have to perform at my best to even have a chance against him,” Van Veen added.
“The first couple of sets I felt comfortable, but he was better scoring-wise, but he missed doubles and I took my chances and as soon as I took the third set, I started to feel comfortable.”
Defending champion Littler enjoyed a far more comfortable evening, dismantling Krzysztof Ratajski 5-0 in emphatic fashion.
Luke Humphries had been fancied as a potential champion this year
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The reigning world champion averaged over 100 and converted more than 55 per cent of his doubles, including a spectacular 170 checkout in the opening set.
Littler dropped just five legs across the entire match against the Polish player.
Friday’s semi-finals will see Van Veen face Gary Anderson, while Littler takes on Ryan Searle, who earlier defeated Jonny Clayton 5-2.
Both matches begin at 7:30pm, with Littler seeking to reach his third consecutive World Championship final.
