DE GRAAF OPEN TO DOETS SWEDEN SWITCH
08/06/2026 By Aaron Nijjar
JEFFREY DE GRAAF says he would have no issue playing alongside Kevin Doets for Sweden.
The world No50 insists results on the oche would quickly silence any debate over nationality in darts.
The 35-year-old was born in Den Helder in the Netherlands but he switched allegiance after building his life and career in the Scandinavian country.
De Graaf is relaxed about the idea of another Dutch-born player joining the Swedish setup and fully understands the move.
He told the Darts Draait Door Podcast: “It would certainly be nice. On the other hand, I don’t know how the Swedish public would react if there were two Dutch-born players representing Sweden.
“People understand my situation now. If there were two of us, I’m not completely sure how that would go down.
“But if we’re getting results, I don’t think it would matter too much.
“He lives here, his child is Swedish, and he’s not going anywhere.
“At some point it becomes a case of: I live in Sweden, my life is here, everything I do is in Sweden.
“For me, the Swedish route is what got me back onto the Tour, so it was a natural decision.”
De Graaf has fully embraced life in Sweden, including learning the language and appearing on Swedish media.
He said: “Yeah, I can speak Swedish. I just can’t write in Swedish. I don’t sound Swedish, that’s for sure, but I can speak it fluently. I understand everyone.
“I’ve even appeared on a few Swedish podcasts, so that all goes pretty well.”
De Graaf has already played for Sweden at two World Cups, reaching the quarter-finals in 2024 before losing to Scotland, and arrives in strong form after winning Players Championship 19.
This year he partners Oskar Lukasiak in Frankfurt, with the pair having a well-established understanding on and off the oche.
He added: “We get along really well. We’re a fairly close team and we play doubles together throughout the year. We know each other well and we know what to expect from one another.
“At the same time, form is always a factor. I think we’re in a slightly better position this year than we were last year.
“Last year neither of us was really in top form. My own game is definitely in better shape now than it was a year ago, so I have more confidence going into it.”
Image by Taylor Lanning.
