World Series of Darts Finals Outright Tips
The World Series of Darts Finals returns for its 11th edition and its seventh staging at AFAS Live in Amsterdam.
Michael van Gerwen is the defending champion, having claimed the title for a record-extending sixth time in 2025. That triumph remains his only PDC premier event success since he lifted the same trophy at the same venue in 2023.
However, it is Luke Littler who heads the betting as the clear odds-on favourite. The Nuke has won every major staged in 2026 so far and boasts an excellent record in this event, triumphing on debut in 2024 before finishing runner-up to Mighty Mike last year.
The 32-player field was originally due to feature the top 24 from the World Series rankings, the four highest-ranked non-qualified players on the PDC Order of Merit, and four Tour Card holder qualifiers.
However, Man Lok Leung’s withdrawal through illness, along with visa issues for Alexis Toylo and Lourence Ilagan, created three additional places for Tour Card holders. Those spots have been taken by Dirk van Duijvenbode, Daryl Gurney and Maik Kuivenhoven.
The first round is contested over the best of 11 legs, before the format increases to the best of 19 for the second round and quarter-finals, and the best of 21 for the semi-finals and final.
Tipster Ben Smith has four outright selections using odds from
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Gian Van Veen to Win the World Series of Darts Finals (22/1)
Having become a World Championship finalist at the turn of the year, Gian van Veen has not kicked on in 2026 as he might have hoped.
The Dutchman underwent surgery for kidney stones in March, which perhaps explained his initial dip in form. However, his level remained below expectations long after his return, and Van Veen himself refused to blame his struggles on health issues.
There were some green shoots in July, though. Van Veen reached his first Pro Tour semi-final of the season, made the last four at the World Matchplay and then followed that with another Pro Tour semi-final.
A two-week break after the latter appearance appears to have served him well. Since returning at August’s New Zealand Darts Masters, Van Veen has produced his most consistent numbers of the year, averaging 96.43 overall without dipping below 90 in a single match.
The European champion boasts an excellent recent record on television, and I do not think the market has fully adjusted to his upturn in form. He reached the semi-finals at the Winter Gardens without scoring particularly heavily, so with that part of his game now returning, he looks capable of mounting another deep run here.
Ross Smith to Win the World Series of Darts Finals (25/1)
Van Veen is the main selection from the top half of the draw, but with Littler housed in the bottom section, it makes sense to add a second player from the more appealing half.
The Nuke has been handed a difficult route, too. He opens against Danny Noppert and could then have to overcome Nathan Aspinall and Jonny Clayton before a potential semi-final against Gerwyn Price, Wessel Nijman or James Wade.
Ross Smith was a quarter-finalist here a year ago, averaging 106 in a 10-8 defeat to Littler. He would be unlucky to run into a similarly inspired opponent this time around, and his current form suggests he is capable of reaching the final.
Smudger’s only major triumph came on the continent when he won the European Championship in Germany, and he has continued to thrive outside the UK this year, reaching four European Tour finals and winning two of them.
His immediate form is promising, too, with the latest of those appearances coming just a few days ago at the Flanders Darts Trophy.
Gerwyn Price to Win Quarter 3 (15/8)
Nijman is the favourite to win the third quarter, but he looks opposable at the price. You could take your pick between Price and Wade, but I prefer the former given his kinder route to the quarter-finals.
That is not to say Price’s first-round opponent is a pushover. Brody Klinge beat Smith, Van Veen and Clayton at the Australian Darts Masters and looks a serious talent. However, back on European soil, Price should still have enough to come through before facing either Adam Leek or Jim Long, while Wade and Nijman potentially battle it out on the other side of the quarter.
Since suffering a first-round exit at last year’s European Championship, The Iceman has reached at least the semi-finals of every major apart from the World Championship. Nijman has serious scoring power, but he has yet to show that he belongs at anything like Price’s level on the biggest stages.
Jonny Clayton to Win Quarter 4 (7/1)
Littler looks borderline unbeatable in majors these days, but tournaments featuring a best-of-11-legs opening round do at least introduce some jeopardy, particularly against a capable opponent such as Noppert.
A best-of-19 second-round meeting with Aspinall would be no formality either, with the Asp boasting the second-highest average in the PDC over the past three months.
Should the Nuke suffer an early exit, the 7/1 about Clayton would suddenly look enormous. The Ferret does not face anyone inside the world’s top 32 in the opening two rounds, and even if the expected Littler-Clayton quarter-final materialises, there are far worse tickets to be holding than a 7/1 chance on the Ferret.
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