Luke Littler believes he is on the verge of matching the performances of the sport’s all-time greats and insists he can perform even better in Saturday’s World Darts Championship final.
Littler continued his title defense with a 6-1 win over Ryan Searle at Alexandra Palace, joining Phil the Power Taylor as the only players to reach the PDC World Championship final in each of his first three appearances.
The teenager’s meteoric rise to world No. 1 and a string of TV titles over the past two years has drawn comparisons to the past dominance of Taylor and Michael van Gerwen, and the 18-year-old admits he is getting closer and closer to being considered one of the sport’s greats.
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Littler shares his thoughts on reaching his third World Darts Championship final with another overwhelming performance
“In their prime, they (Taylor and Michael van Gerwen) were absolutely incredible. I’ve been watching them since I was a kid and considering what they’ve done, I can say they play the same way,” Littler said in Friday night’s post-match press conference.
“Obviously, considering the title, the average, the number of nine-darters on TV. Maybe if we get to tomorrow (and win) we could be on the same level.”
Will Littler become a two-time world champion?
‘The Nuke’ becomes the fourth player to reach three consecutive finals, following Taylor, Dennis Priestley and Gary Anderson, and Littler is one win away from becoming the first player since Anderson to win back-to-back world titles.
“I’ve joined another short list of names, and obviously the only goal is to join the list of people who become consecutive world champions,” Littler added. “It’s very special to keep adding to my unknown list, but my main goal now is to get back on the list in a row.
“Of course, I have every right to think we can (win back-to-back titles). But I never say we can win. I never say we can win this or that.”
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Littler is ready to join darts greats Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen after winning the World Darts Championship final
Littler’s “More in the Tank”?
Littler bounced back from dropping the first set against Searle to score an impressive 105.35 average and a high of 10, reaching the final after dropping only three sets throughout the tournament.
“I think we did a little bit better tonight,” Littler said. “Obviously I missed some doubles, but I was very happy with my lead tonight.
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After Littler misses a nine-darter with a nice leg, Searle reels in a big fish.
“I think there’s a little bit more in the tank[against Jan van Veen]. Obviously tonight we were very good with 105, which was close enough. I think tomorrow we can put it up a little bit more and be a little bit better.”
“I’ve played 19 games here and I think I’ll average over 15 tons, so that’s not a bad number at all. That’s obviously why I’m winning games here. Hopefully tomorrow I can average another 15 tons or more and win.”
The numbers behind Littler’s semifinal victory
Littler won six of PDC Rank’s eight televised tournaments in 2025 (World Championship, British Open, World Match Play, World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts, and Players Championship Final) and maintains his commanding dominance at the top of the world rankings.
Winning a second world title would increase his lead over 2024 champion Luke Humphries, the only player to have beaten him on stage at Alexandra Palace, and would also give the winner a first-ever £1 million prize.
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Before the World Darts Championship semi-final match against Searle, Littler received mixed reactions from the Ally Pally crowd.
“Of course, it’s a huge prize money, but it’s the trophy on stage that matters, not the money,” Littler insisted.
“Ever since the World Grand Prix and the Darts Grand Slam, I have said I want to keep going. Hopefully I can lift another trophy, but of course I think about the money afterwards.”
Mardle: Littler wants to write his own history.
Wayne Mardle of Sky Sports Darts:
“What he (Littler) did was a little typical! The scoreline was what a lot of people felt. I didn’t expect Ryan Searle to play that badly. He just wasn’t on top of it. I know he won the first set, but he’s still a long way from Luke Littler’s level.”
“I know it’s stupid, but Littler didn’t try to win a leg, he went for a nine-darter! In that format, that was a good performance. It’s hard to beat. Not just Sarr, but whoever he plays will have his work cut out in the final.”
“You’re going to expect him to play like that tomorrow, or even better. He’s not folding and he wants to win back-to-back championships. He wants to make his own history and this is part of that.”
Who will win the World Darts Championship? Watch the final live on Sky Sports Darts from 7.30pm on Saturday. Stream darts and other top sports now.
