Michael van Gerwen wins all-Dutch final to secure opening night on Tyneside – Premier League Darts Night One
Michael van Gerwen began the new Premier League Darts season with a bang – claiming the opening night on Tyneside.
The Green Machine didn’t pick up a single nightly win last year, but beat Stephen Bunting, Luke Humphries and Gian van Veen to lead the way after week one.
The 2026 campaign got under way with debutant Josh Rock falling to a 6-2 defeat at the hands of 2021 winner Jonny Clayton.
The Ferret averaged 109.81 and had a 66.67 checkout percentage, hitting six out of nine darts at double. Rock only managed five darts at double but was only able to pin two legs on debut.
In the second quarter-final, van Veen took on Luke Littler in a repeat of the 2026 World Darts Championship final.
The Dutch number one followed suit of Premier League history, where the runner-up avenges the winner on night one.
Littler missed eight darts at double and despite leading 4-3, van Veen went on to take the next three legs and book his spot in the semi-final.
VAN VEEN DEFEATS LITTLER 🔥
What a result for debutant Gian van Veen 🙌
The Dutch number one avenges his World Championship final loss to Luke Littler and defeats the world number one 6-4!
📺 https://t.co/LnNAPX0oQz #PLDarts | QF2 pic.twitter.com/jQAejiJHyK
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) February 5, 2026
Humphries and Gerwyn Price went head-to-head in the third quarter-final of the evening.
Cool Hand averaged 104.55 to the Iceman’s 94.92. Despite the averages, the pair both kept winning their own throw, and with the scores level at 5-5, Price spurned two darts at tops and Humphries punished to pick up his first points of the campaign.
In the final quarter-final, van Gerwen came from behind to defeat Bunting.
The Bullet took a 2-0 lead, but failed to pick up a single leg after that, with the Dutch number two running riot – picking up the next six legs to take on Humphries for a place in the final.
Clayton took on van Veen in the first semi-final.
Gian van Veen is through to his first nightly final on debut here in Newcastle! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/vhf9J3EWE6
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) February 5, 2026
Despite the pair hitting eight maximums between them, they were both bombing doubles. The Welsh number one missed seven to van Veen’s 12, but the Giant eventually got over the line with a 6-4 win.
In the second semi-final, the world number two took on the world number four for a spot in the final.
Again, van Gerwen ran riot; with the scores at 2-2, the Dutchman rocked off the next four legs to secure an all-Dutch final. MVG only missed one dart at double with Humphries spurning nine opportunities. The Green Machine also checked out a 114-finish in the eighth leg to win the match.
And – van Gerwen capped off a fantastic night on Tyneside with a 6-4 victory over van Veen.
The seven-time Premier League champion averaged 97.81 to van Veen’s 90.57 and took out double-14 to seal the nightly win.
The Premier League Darts returns next Thursday in Antwerp, as the competition heads to Belgium for the first time.
