Gian van Veen heads into Thursday’s European Championship in Dortmund brimming with confidence. The Dutchman will defend his European title at the Westfalenhalle and hopes to take home the trophy for a second consecutive year.

After an inconsistent start to the season, Van Veen has rediscovered his best form in recent months. His historic performance on the European Tour in Maastricht gave him an extra boost.

Van Veen made history last year by winning his first major individual PDC title. He beat Luke Humphries 11-10 in the European Championship final, firmly establishing himself among the world’s elite.

A year later, the Dutchman returns to Dortmund as defending champion. Expectations are high, but Van Veen feels he is finding form at just the right time. “The last couple of weeks and months have been going a lot better than at the start of the year,” Van Veen told pdc.tv ahead of the tournament.

Gian van Veen won the European Championship in 2025

Historic average boosts confidence

The Dutchman ended the European Tour season strongly. He reached the semi-finals in each of his last three appearances and produced an exceptional performance at last weekend’s Dutch Darts Championship in Maastricht.

In his match against Sebastian Bialecki, Van Veen recorded an average of 120.24 over three darts. It set a new European Tour record.

Van Veen says the performance has given him plenty of confidence ahead of the European Championship. “Especially with the 120 average last weekend - even though it’s only six legs, that also gives me a massive confidence boost to know that the work I’ve been putting in is showing on stage.”

Van Veen eventually reached the semi-finals in Maastricht, where he lost 7-5 to Danny Noppert. Even so, he looks back positively on his final appearance before the European Championship.

“Dortmund is a special tournament for me”

The Westfalenhalle holds special memories for Van Veen. He not only won his first major PDC title there last year, but also experienced a significant career moment at the venue three years ago.

Back then, he reached the semi-finals of a major tournament for the first time at the European Championship. “I think it will be very special to be back in Dortmund after last year,” Van Veen said. “Of course it was where I reached my first major semi-final three years ago, so it’s a nice tournament for me.”

The Dutchman begins his title defence on Thursday evening against Andrew Gilding, the 2023 UK Open champion. A win would set up a second-round meeting with either Luke Woodhouse or Dirk van Duijvenbode.

“That trophy has a special place in our home”

Van Veen has made no secret of how much he wants to retain his European title. The trophy he won last year has had a prominent place in his home ever since.

With the European Championship approaching, however, the trophy must now be returned. That gives Van Veen extra motivation to win the title again.

“It would mean absolutely everything to retain the title,” the Dutchman said. “That trophy has had a special place in our house and it’s about to leave our house again, so I would like to have it back, otherwise it will feel empty!”