The World Darts Championship is back and bigger than ever, broadcast live on Sky Sports, with the rapid rise of Luke Littler helping the sport reach unprecedented levels of interest and excitement.
Littler was less than a year old when darts’ marquee event first moved to Alexandra Palace, but the teenager is now back as defending champion and looking to add another achievement to his already remarkable darts career.
Littler had high expectations from an early age. He first played the sport on a magnetic board as a toddler while still in diapers, and talks about hearing walk-ons from Phil Taylor and Raymond van Barneveld among his early darts memories.
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From celebratory kebabs to winning his first World Darts Championship title, take a look at Luke Littler’s top 5 moments at Ally Pally!
Littler continued his charge through the junior ranks and made a name for himself in the sport with a dramatic world championship debut at the age of 16, crushing expectations with a thrilling run to the final.
That first appearance put Littler, and darts in general, back in the public eye, putting him on the back pages and generating huge interest on social media, helping the sport attract previously untapped audiences.
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Watch both Luke Littler’s World Matchplay and his impressive Premier League nine-darter with Michael van Gerwen, Luke Humphries and Josh Lock.
While Littler’s performances in Oche have gone from strength to strength, winning nearly every major show on television in the first two years of his professional career, his influence on Oche continues to inspire a new wave of potential future stars.
The 18-year-old has already cemented himself as one of the sport’s all-time greats, able to emulate Van Barneveld and ‘his idol’ Taylor by becoming a multiple world champion, and his path to world number one is a huge factor in his continued growth in the game.
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On the Love The Darts podcast, Abigail Davis and Chris Murphy discuss Ritter’s rise to world No. 1 and who could challenge him for the world championship.
“It’s just amazing. He’s appealing to five-year-olds and 75-year-olds!” said Sky Sports’ Wayne Mardle, a former World Championship semi-finalist who also participated in this year’s coverage.
How the “Littler Effect” drives record interest
The 2025/26 World Darts Championship will see a record 128 players take part, aiming to win a £1 million first prize, double the asking price of last year’s competition, and its growth extends far beyond the Alexandra Palace stage.
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Let’s take a look back at the best moments of Littler’s career as he looks to retain his World Darts Championship.
While television audiences continue to grow as events head to new venues in Saudi Arabia and around the world, Littler himself continues to be one of the most searched sports stars on Google.
Since its launch, hundreds of thousands of children have been given Littler Brand magnetic dartboards, along with his signature darts and iconic purple and yellow play shirts, taking merchandise to an unprecedented level.
The biggest impact has been the increase in playing opportunities for junior players, with Junior Darts Corporation (JDC) events for players aged 10 to 18 having tripled in four years, with entry numbers continuing to reach record levels.
With Jaden Walker making headlines with his performance at the age of 12 and Mitchell Rowley reaching the WDF World Finals at the age of 15, a new generation is entering the sport and more darts academies are looking to discover young talent.
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12-year-old darts prodigy Jaden Walker, labeled by fans as ‘the next Luke Littler’, speaks to Sky Sports News after his 2024 exhibition win over Luke Humphries
JDC chairman Steve Brown told Sky Sports: “We’re glad Luke wouldn’t have come along 15 years ago because we wouldn’t have had the infrastructure that we have now to meet the demand.”
“Since Luke came onto the world stage, academies have exploded. What he has done for the sport and children in general…the impact has been incredible and most academies now have waiting lists.
“We’ve always had Luke Littler in our system, but he’s raising the bar now. All of these kids who grew up watching him or started playing the sport primarily because of him, we expect them to be as good as him.”
“Here’s Luke, and right behind him are 10 to 12 kids. Parents used to drag their kids to the academy, but now, definitely after Luke Littler, kids are dragging their parents!”
Littler has been instrumental in bringing darts back into the sporting spotlight. While he may remain the man to follow at the World Championships in the coming months and years, others will continue to push to match his extraordinary achievements.
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Love The Darts team predicts the World Darts Championship
“I wouldn’t be surprised if in five years there are two teenagers fighting in the (world championship) final,” Mardle added. “The social media world is going to be completely furious with them because that’s the way things are right now.”
Watch ‘The Luke Littler Effect’ on Sky Sports. The new documentary will be available to watch on Thursday 11th December at 6pm and will be shown throughout the World Darts Championship on Sky Sports Darts.
Who will win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship? Watch every match live and exclusively on Sky Sports’ dedicated darts channel (Sky Channel 407) from 11th December. Stream darts and other top sports now.
