Michael van Gerwen Bounces Back and Into World Darts Picture

by Roy Brindley, 17 September 2025

Michael van Gerwen is back in the big time. Bookmakers, supposing the Dutch darting master will show continued progress in the Grand Prix, have slashed his World Championship odds.

Will World Series of Darts Finals success see Michael van Gerwen turn a corner? ©Kelly Deckers/PDC

Key Facts:

• Michael van Gerwen has ended a two-year PDC Premier title drought.
• Personal issues had seen the former World Champion’s form nosedive.
• Betting suggests Josh Rock could be the ‘next big thing’.
• October’s form-pointing World Grand Prix is Darts’ next televised major.

With a record-extending sixth World Series of Darts Finals victory in Amsterdam at the weekend, three-time World Champion Michael van Gerwen has ended a two-year PDC Premier title drought.

Now, fans and online bookmakers believe the 36-year-old could return to the form that saw him dominate the sport in the mid-2010s. Between 2015 and 2017, the Dutch player won 24 of the 33 premier events he played.

Van Gerwen’s form took a nosedive in the second half of 2004 and, in May 2025, days after failing to reach the play-off stages of the Premier League, the star released a statement announcing he and his wife Daphne had separated.

The Future Is Bright and Bookmakers Agree

“I have goosebumps, it’s amazing to hold a trophy again,” said an emotional Van Gerwen, when celebrating Sunday’s victory on stage with his daughter Zoe. “Everyone knows I’ve had a difficult time in the last few months, but to win in front of my home crowd means a lot to me”.

VAN GERWEN IS A CHAMPION AGAIN! 🏆

Michael van Gerwen ends his two-year wait for a Premier title! 👏

The Dutchman beats Luke Littler for a memorable victory on home soil! 🇳🇱

📺 https://t.co/vLQQQ7uwqw#WSODFinals | Final pic.twitter.com/8wV74zx3Xs

— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) September 14, 2025

“I was playing some fantastic darts, and that gives you energy, that gives you joy, and I’m really glad I could perform like this. It means the world to me,” said the world-ranked number three.

“I had to dig really deep to do this. I still love what I do, and hopefully this is the beginning of a bright future for me”. Bookmakers have taken heed. Van Gerwen is now priced 9/1 to land the 2026 World Championship. He was 16/1 before the World Series of Darts Finals got underway.

Littler and Humphries Complete the ‘Big Three’

Van Gerwen’s World Series of Darts Finals success came at the expense of Luke Littler. The teenage sensation tasted an 11-7 defeat, but he had previously beaten van Gerwen in January’s World Championship final and enjoyed additional success in the UK Open and World Matchplay.

Littler has yet to claim the mantle of world number one. That distinction belongs to the 2024 World Champion, Luke Humphries. The Cheshire-based 30-year-old has landed the World Masters and Premier League titles this campaign.

Littler is currently top-priced 6/4 to retain his World Championship title. Humpries is 5/1 to regain his crown. Remarkably, a player who has never reached the final of a televised ranking major, Josh Rock, is trading as the third favourite in the World Championship betting.

Rock Flies While Wright Sinks

Like Humpries (in 2019) and Littler (2023), Rock is a World Youth Championship. He took that title in 2022 and has recently risen to number 11 in the world rankings courtesy of semi-final appearances in the UK Open and World Matchplay.

The Northern Irishman claimed his first significant silverware on the PDC’s main tour when landing the 2025 World Cup of Darts alongside Daryl Gurney in June. Boasting several outrageous three-dart winning averages, many believe Rock could be the “next big thing”.

Form-wise, Peter Wright is headed in the opposite direction. The top five prizemoney earner has reached just one televised ranking final since taking his second world title, and a string of disappointing efforts has seen him drop to 16th in the rankings.

Former world number one and 2023 World Champion, Michael Smith, is another spiralling downwards. Failing to qualify for the last three televised ranking tournaments has cost him dearly, and he now languishes in 21st spot on the PDC World Rankings.

Will Grand Prix Point to the World Winner Again?

Darts’ next PDC Premier event is a televised ranking event. The BoyleSports sponsored World Grand Prix will be staged at Leicester’s Mattioli Arena between October 6 and 12. The only competition requiring players to ‘double in’ and ‘double out’ has been a good World Championship form pointer.

Players who have won the PDC World Grand Prix in the autumn and then went on to win the PDC World Darts Championship just a few months later include Michael van Gerwen in 2018/2019. Gerwyn Price took the 2020 Grand Prix and followed up in the 2021 World Championship. Luke Humpries completed the same double in 2023/2024.