MARDLE TIPS LETHAL LUKES FOR ULTIMATE WORLD CUP RIVALRY WITH MVG AND VAN VEEN
16/06/2026 By Aaron Nijjar
WAYNE MARDLE believes the lethal Lukes could develop the “ultimate rivalry” with Michael van Gerwen and Gian van Veen in the World Cup.
Luke Littler and Luke Humphries powered England to a record-extending sixth title with a 10-5 victory over the Netherlands in Sunday’s final.
World No1 Littler and former world champ Humphries averaged a superb 104.77 compared to Hollands’ 98.30 in a high-class showdown between the tournament’s top two seeds.
The Dutch were clinical on their doubles, landing five of their ten attempts, but the scoring power of the English pair proved too much.
Despite defeat, Sky Sports pundit Mardle was full of praise for Van Veen and believes the European champ has a huge future ahead of him.
He said: “Gian played the ultimate back-up man and I hope he doesn’t mind me saying that because Michael was the star of Team Netherlands.
“But Gian van Veen, I just believe he’s going to get better and better, I really do.
“There’s a lot to love about his game. There was a spell in the semi-finals where he was finding it so regularly.
“He’s another one for me that, once he starts winning title after title, it will be: ‘Why did he take so long to get there?'”
The former World Championship semi-finalist believes Van Veen is being judged against the extraordinary standards set by Littler and Humphries, who have enjoyed rapid rises to the top of the game.
Mardle reckons MVG’s experience could prove invaluable to Van Veen’s development, with the pair potentially forming a long-term partnership for the Netherlands on the World Cup stage.
He added: “We live in a world of Luke Littler and Luke Humphries where they hit the ground running and keep winning, so we think everyone else should do it. It doesn’t really work that way.
“But if he has got Michael van Gerwen in his corner and they do play the next year and the year after that, then these two teams – Luke Humphries and Luke Littler, and Gian van Veen and Michael van Gerwen – could set up the ultimate rivalry in the World Cup.
“A bit like Adrian Lewis and Phil Taylor vs Michael van Gerwen and Raymond van Barneveld. It could be so similar to that.”
