How will world number one Luke Littler react to the boos in Berlin on the eighth night of the Premier League? “You can’t be everyone’s favorite,” says Sky Sports’ Mark Webster.
The 19-year-old has faced jeers from the crowd at a number of recent tournaments and has threatened not to compete in Germany.
He returned to the country for last June’s World Cup of Darts, competing alongside rival Luke Humphries, but England’s Dream Team lost in the last 16 to Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietrezko.
Littler also played at the European Championships in Dortmund, where he lost to James Wade.
The Warrington prodigy first threatened to boycott a domestic event when he lost to Jan van Veen in the semi-finals of the German Darts Grand Prix in April last year.
“There were moments where I lost my head a little bit, as some of our players do,” he said later. “I just don’t understand it and I can’t explain it. Of course I’m a walk-on, but as soon as I got on stage I started getting booed.”
He added: “Last year in Hildesheim I was booed when I played against Peter Wright on the European Tour. I was flying and they started booing me and I lost.”
“Obviously the Germans must not like us British people.”
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
After his 26-man appearance in last year’s Premier League, Littler gestured to the Berlin crowd amid jeers.
Speaking on the Love The Darts podcast, former Lakeside world champion Webster spoke about Littler’s return to Germany.
“He made it known publicly that he didn’t want to play in Germany,” Webster said. “This is obviously a mandatory thing that he has to go along with the European Championship.
“It will be interesting to see if he plays in the World Cup too – I think he will!
“He knows how to use the crowd to motivate himself, but I think he would love to perform in front of a crowd that would normally get a little bit of jeering and get that third win every night.
“That’s part of the sport, right? You can’t be everyone’s favorite and he’s definitely not a popular player in Germany.”
What’s happening on the 8th night of the Premier League in Berlin?
Night eight of the BetMGM Premier League will take place in Berlin on Thursday, March 26th, when Littler begins his bid for a third win of 2026 against Stephen Bunting at the Uber Arena.
League leader Jonny Clayton faces Josh Lock in the opening game of the night, while Luke Humphries and Michael van Gerwen also face each other, while Gerwyn Price faces Van Veen for a place in the semi-finals.
14 of the 16 league games in the quarterfinals will be played in tie order, with games on nights 8 and 16 determined by league standings starting each night.
Who will win this year’s Premier League Darts? Luke Humphries will defend his title and the fight can be seen on Sky Sports every Thursday until May. Stream darts and other top sports now.
