Luke Littler: Is the World No1 on the brink of invincibility after winning the 2026 World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace? | Darts News

Luke Littler is likely to win the Sid Waddell Trophy again ahead of the 2026 World Darts Championship, giving a sense of inevitability to his second world title.

The 18-year-old was rarely at a disadvantage, dropping only four sets in the entire tournament, the lowest total by a world champion since Phil Taylor in 2010.

It’s rare in any sport to create that feeling of, “I can give him a trophy now,” but has Littler already reached that point? Remember that you are only 18 years old.

“Luke is under exactly this level of pressure,” said Sky Sports Darts’ Wayne Mardle.

“There’s nothing he can’t do on the dart board. And there’s no safe situation you, his opponent, are in. You’re never safe. Littler is getting to a point where you couldn’t get him.”

Is Littler too good?

Littler had a great 2025, winning six of the eight majors from last year’s World Championship to November’s Players Championship final.

The teenager has won 37 of his last 38 matches in major televised ranking tournaments and is currently on a 20-match unbeaten run, with his most recent loss coming against James Wade in the second round of the European Championship in October.

These levels and numbers haven’t been seen since Michael van Gerwen in 2017. At the time, the incredible Dutch player was hailed by some as the greatest darts player of all time, along with Phil Taylor.

Of course, he has to prove himself again, stressed two-time points world champion Gary Anderson, and Littler himself knows that.

“I want to be remembered for the titles I won and the nine darters I hit, and I want to leave a legacy here (Alexandra Palace),” he said after retaining his world title.

“I want to win a lot of trophies. I still have many years left.”

Littler doesn’t seem to be taking his foot off the gas anytime soon, and if his accomplishments are measured purely by world titles, the longer format will only help him gain an edge.

He has only lost one match in his career that lasted more than 20 legs, and that was against Luke Humphries in the 2024 World Championship final. In longer formats, he’s almost guaranteed to have an incredible purple patch where he locks in, splashes treble 20 beds, and rarely misses doubles.

“I think that’s what Luke Littler does. The standards he produces are all similar. He typically averages 103, 104, 105 in events,” Mardle said.

“Obviously, the odd game creeps in at 97 or 98, but the odd 110 offsets that. This is his standard and people need to improve. I don’t think he’s regressing.”

World Championship runner-up Jan van Veen suffered a 7-1 defeat to Littler and admitted he would “not be able to play” in Saturday’s final.

“He puts pressure on every leg, every set. You can’t miss too many darts with a double. Once you let go of a double after 12, he’s so good you can’t even come back,” said new Dutch No. 1 van Veen.

“I kept doubles after 12 darts, but I didn’t get another chance and left the finish after nine darts. If I messed up, that’s it. My legs were gone. I coped well with the pressure with the other players, but I couldn’t match him.”

How Littler cuts out the drama

On paper, winning a second world title was an easy road for Littler. But his ability to flip the switch when needed probably kept him out of trouble.

In his first round match against Lithuania’s Darius Rabanauskas, he was forced into a decider due to his opponent’s throw in the first set, and then won 3-0. Similarly, in the second round, Wales’ David Davis missed three set darts to take the first set, but Littler broke and kept it slow to go up 3-0.

Sky Sports Darts’ John Peart said: “He’s had a little test in almost every match and he’s passed it pretty well. He’s had to stand up for himself to keep things from getting worse.”

“The best way to avoid getting caught is to solve problems before they occur.”

This was particularly evident in Littler’s most dramatic match at this year’s World Championships, when he defeated former world champion Rob Cross 4-2 in the fourth round.

The crowd wanted a cross counterattack, but Littler changed his style to avoid a deciding set. Leading 2-1 and taking the match into the seventh and final set, Cross hit a set dart but missed, and Littler pounced with an incredible 10-darter before holding a throw over the line. Then he said some perhaps inadvisable words to the crowd.

In that sixth set, Kross averaged 110 while Littler averaged 116, and as Mardle pointed out on commentary, spectators and opponents going against the teenager were simply “poking the bear.”

“Being a world champion and number one in the world, playing under pressure without buckling or bending, that’s what makes you the best,” he said.

In the final, Van Veen also missed a chance to take a 2-0 lead in the set. That could have changed the course of what would have been one of the most one-sided finals at Alexandra Palace. It’s not like Littler wasn’t tested in this tournament, he was tested. He just blocked mass testing.

The world champion said: “It’s not about effort. You always have to put in the effort. It may not look like it on TV, but it’s always the effort.”

“As the tournament progresses, my sets get higher, and that’s when I can gear up a little bit and hit 180s.”

“I’ll be around for a long time.”

Perhaps for the first time, we can say that this is the era of Luke Littler. It’s just a matter of how long it lasts. Van Gerwen played four seasons between 2014 and 2017, but won “only” two world titles in that period.

Littler is set to turn Alexandra Palace into his home ground, and with it holding a “special place” in his heart, inevitable questions have been thrown at him about winning Phil Taylor’s record 16 world titles.

“Obviously, it’s very far away. I still have 14 years to go. I think I have another 15 or 16!” he was only half-joking.

“If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen. I’ve been here for a very long time. I’m here to win. I’m very young and I’ve already got two of these, but obviously I have 14 left. But it’s a long way. Who knows if I’ll get to it. If I can get five or six, I’ll be happy.”

To put Taylor’s incredible world championship record into perspective, he reached the finals 14 years in a row from 1994 to 2007 and lost just three times.

Littler will have to play virtually at his current dizzying heights for the next decade or more if he has any chance of matching the legendary Taylor.

Mardle said: “When Phil Taylor played well, he won. When Michael van Gerwen played well, he won. At the moment it’s Luke Littler.”

“Format doesn’t matter. He’s just the best.”

What’s next after darts?

Littler joins Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen and Jan van Veen in the four automatic qualifiers for the 2026 Premier League season, with the names of the remaining four expected to be announced on Monday afternoon.

The announcement will be broadcast live on Sky Sports News at 3.30pm, with the eight-a-side competition format remaining unchanged this season. The opening game will take place in Newcastle on February 5th and will be broadcast live weekly on Sky Sports. Stream darts and other top sports now.