Michael van Gerwen once treated Dublin like his personal trophy cabinet, claiming four consecutive nightly wins between 2016 and 2019, but 2025 presents a different landscape. Rising forces Luke Littler and Luke Humphries arrive with higher season averages and fresher legs, while MVG’s doubling has shown rare glitches under pressure.
Van Gerwen’s quarter‑final pits him against Rob Cross, the man who ended his world title defence back in 2023. Cross’s deliberate pace has historically frustrated the Dutchman, and practice board whispers suggest MVG spent extra hours rehearsing resets and breathing tempo to avoid visible agitation.
Littler, meanwhile, opens versus local hero Keane Barry. The teenager’s global popularity may earn cheers, yet Barry’s outsider status always whips Irish fans into frenzy. Littler shrugged off the prospect, noting that he won the World Youth Championship in a similarly partisan Wolverhampton atmosphere.
Humphries faces Gerwyn Price in a potential classic. Humphries’ ability to string together four‑visit legs counters Price’s bull‑seeking bravado. The Welshman also owns the league’s lone nine‑dart finish this year—a perfect leg he crafted in Manchester and would love to repeat on Irish soil.
With Van Gerwen clinging to third place and only five nights remaining, Dublin could mark either a resurgence or the moment the once‑invincible Dutch powerhouse officially ceded control to the sport’s new order.
