Wessel Nijman celebrated a landmark first big stage title with a stunning European Tour victory on Sunday, and former player Matt Edgar has already issued a challenge to the Dutchman.
Nijman’s incredible surge to the European Tour trophy in Goettingen saw him dispatch a trio of Premier League stars, including an 8-3 victory against Gerwyn Price in the final, to scoop the £35,000 top prize.
The 25-year-old came of age on a memorable weekend by reaching world-class levels, most notably five consecutive ton-plus averages and 42.39% on the checkouts.
NIJMAN CLAIMS MAIDEN EURO TOUR TITLE 🥇
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) March 15, 2026
It's Wesselmania in Goettingen 🤩
Wessel Nijman takes out a majestic 150 checkout to seal an 8-3 win over Gerwyn Price and scoop the Elten Safety Shoes European Darts Trophy with remarkable aplomb 🏆#ET2 pic.twitter.com/yR5TROxpv1
An unstoppable force on the stage in Germany, Nijman produced arguably the best darts of his career to beat some of the PDC’s biggest stars and catapult himself into the world’s top 20.
The challenge for him now is to maintain that standard, and Matt Edgar believes he has all of the tools to become a new major champion.
Matt Edgar raves about Wessel Nijman
“Now that he has a European Tour title, the big question is whether this becomes the turning point,” Edgar said on his YouTube channel.
“Everything points in one direction… Wessel Nijman has all the tools to become the next new major champion.”
Consistency will be key to his chances of achieving that goal, and perhaps self-belief, as he’s yet to produce results on the big televised stages.
Nijman’s best performances have been limited to last-16 finishes, including at the World Series Finals and the Grand Slam of Darts. At other major events such as the World Championship and the UK Open, deep runs have yet to materialise.
To become one of the sport’s most feared operators, though, the Dutchman must bring his sensational standard to the major tournaments, and the statistics suggest he’s more than capable of rocketing even further up the rankings.
Nijman’s impressive stats
Victory in the European Tour followed a triumph in the Players Championship 2 over Price in February. In total, Nijman has already reached three finals in 2026, winning two.
A huge reason for his success has been his incredible 180-hitting and steady finishing. Indeed, only five players have averaged more than Nijman’s 97.74, and he’s also eighth in the world on the checkouts (44.35%).
Most impressively, only Price, Luke Humphries and Littler have averaged 100+ more times than Nijman, with the Dutchman doing so in 15 of his 36 matches.
There is no doubt that, if he continues combining relentless scoring with razor-sharp finishing, the world No. 20 will become one of the men to beat in the big tournaments.
