Luke Littler has declared himself the “best in the world” after taking the world No. 1 title from Luke Humphries, but Humphries has “declared war” on his 18-year-old rival.
Less than two years after competing in his first professional PDC event, Littler rose to the top of the world rankings on Sunday, cementing his accomplishment by defeating Humphries in the grand slam final of darts.
Their rivalry will reach a new level at the World Darts Championship, which begins on Thursday, December 11th and could culminate in the final between the top two players on Saturday, January 3rd.
“I’m the best in the world,” Littler said after winning for the second year in a row at Wolverhampton.
“I can finally say, number one in the world. You’re the best in the world, and obviously on top of that, winning back-to-back here makes it even more special.”
Humphries won his first world title in January 2024 by defeating the then 16-year-old Littler, but has now fallen to No. 2 in the world after 23 months at the top of the rankings.
He has lost in the finals of the last three PDC tournaments, losing at the World Grand Prix and the European Championship before Sunday night’s disappointment, and admitted he struggled in the Grand Slam finals after an exhausting semi-final against Gerwyn Price earlier in the day.
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Highlights of the Grand Slam of Darts final between Luke Littler and Luke Humphries
But he has vowed to return to the top of the standings with a £1 million first prize at Alexandra Palace in the coming weeks.
After losing 16-11, Humphries declared, “I’m ready for the world championship. I’m going to win the world championship.”
“I’m making this (declaration of war) because obviously I’m disappointed after losing the last three finals, but I’ve been playing well and fatigue is creeping in towards the end.
“One match a day suits me. We are going to war. At the World Championship, me and him will be in the final. We will see who will be number one there.”
Littler vows to stay on top
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Luke Littler shows off his dance moves as he holds up the Eric Bristow Trophy
Littler, who received a warm congratulations from Humphries on stage after his recent victory, was clearly relishing the challenge posed by his friend and arch-rival.
The duo has competed in six major PDC finals to date, with both men winning three times.
“This is definitely a war, because when someone obviously takes it away from you, you want it back. You don’t want to be second,” Littler said.
“It took me 19-20 months to get to world number one, so now I want to stay there for a few years.
“Luke was an unbelievable world number one. He won a lot of titles along the way and kept his lead on me.
“But I won more wins and closed the gap, and now I’ve finally closed the gap. I passed him and now he wants it back. If we ever meet in the final again, I have to make sure I’m on my game.”
Are Luke and Luke in a league of their own?
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Littler screams with joy after throwing the winning dart at Wolverhampton
Sky Sports pundit Wayne Mardle suggested on Sunday night that the duo are ushering in a golden age of darts, claiming they are now “elevated” above the rest of the sport.
“I think so,” Littler agreed.
“The finals show it, the statistics show it. If people are tired of me and him, someone has to stop us. Otherwise we’re going to keep winning.”
“If we can overcome our opponents, we will definitely be able to face them in the finals, and I want to keep doing that.
“Now I have the number one spot, obviously he wants it back, but now we will fight even more.
“He wants to get it back and of course I don’t want to give it up either, so I think we’ll continue to play well.
“We’re going to see a lot of great games in the future.”
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Humphries jokingly attacked Littler on stage after his big 160-point finish
Humphries agreed that he and Littler are in a different class of players in 2025.
“Honestly, I think so,” he told Sky Sports. “It’s not arrogant to say that.
“I feel like a lot of people are getting a little complacent and saying it’s another Luke vs. Luke final, it’s rubbish, etc. But what can we do?
“We’re on opposite sides of the draw and we keep seeing each other. So people can stop us, it’s up to them.
“It’s up to everyone else to stop us, and if they do, good luck. But at the moment, me and Luke are playing at a level as good as anyone else in this sport.”
“We’re going to continue to play finals. Regardless of what happens with the number one player in the world, I want to go to the world finals with him.
“I’d love to go back and see what you got, toe-to-toe, baby.”
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