Darts
German Grand Prix Darts: Anderson to Fly past Van Gerwen and Price
William Hill News analyse the return of the German Darts Grand Prix with two notable absentees: Luke Littler and Luke Humphries.
Without the two Lukes, the title race feels wide open, and the draw sets up a fascinating clash of in‑form Premier League stars, evergreen legends and hungry outsiders.
The Flying Scotsman
If this was a golf event, Gary Anderson would be the course horse. He’s unbeaten in Sindelfingen over his last ten matches, having lifted the German Darts Grand Prix trophy in both 2024 and 2025 with wins over Ross Smith and Andrew Gilding in the finals.
Two of his three European Tour titles have come at this event, and he arrives with the explicit goal of banking another trophy early to ease his schedule later in the year.
Even as the calendar turns, Anderson’s scoring remains comfortably in the elite bracket and his doubling percentages on the European Tour have been as good as anything he’s produced since his world‑title years.
With Littler and Humphries missing, the Scotsman arguably becomes the most reliable proven winner in the field and looks a prime pick to reach at least the last four.
Anderson is the most logical outright pick, especially if he lands in a soft half of the draw.
The Premier League headliners
The 48‑player European Tour format hands the 16 seeds a bye into round two, where they meet winners from Saturday’s opening matches. That gives the big Premier League names a little breathing room, but it also means they often run straight into dangerous qualifiers who are already bedded into the stage and the conditions.
Gerwyn Price and Michael van Gerwen both arrive from intense Premier League campaigns and have already lifted silverware in 2026, but their German record this season has been mixed.
Price was runner‑up at the European Darts Trophy in Göttingen, while Van Gerwen fell earlier than expected there and is still searching for his first European Tour title of the year. Given the travel and the Premier League grind, they’re clear contenders but not untouchable.
Expect at least one of Price or Van Gerwen to feature deep on Monday, but their busy schedule makes them slightly more vulnerable than Anderson over three days.
Rising Dutch Star
One of the big themes of this European Tour season has been the rise of players just below the very top tier. Gian van Veen has already banked major‑stage experience and a televised title, and he pushed Gerwyn Price hard in Germany at the European Darts Trophy before losing to eventual champion Wessel Nijman. His scoring power and improved doubling mean that if he catches fire early, he can slice through seeds who are still finding their range.
Elsewhere, names like Danny Noppert and Stephen Bunting carry enough stage experience and top‑tier averages to punish any off‑night from the favourites. The format – best of 11 legs in the early knockout rounds, building to longer sessions on the final day – is perfectly designed for in‑form outsiders to ride a hot streak into the quarter‑finals or beyond.
Van Veen is the standout each‑way or outright flyer, with Noppert and Bunting worth a second look if the draw opens up.
