Ahead of the PDC World Darts Championship 2026, we asked the experts at Sky Sports Darts who they believe can stop Luke Littler’s streak at Alexandra Palace…
emma payton prophecy
Who can stop Littler?
I don’t know if anyone can do it! The defending champion has looked unstoppable at times this year, but it’s hard to get past him on a streak.
Gerwyn Price is the only real danger in his quarter – he clearly has a presence on the big stage and has shown some good levels this year – but can he do it for a long enough period? I’m not sure.
Luke Humphries is the big favorite at the bottom, but I like the look of Jan van Veen this year. He wants to win his first major title at the European Championships and prove a point on the biggest stage.
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Emma Payton gives us a little insight into what you can expect to see at this year’s World Darts Championship.
Josh Lock is also in that bottom half and has had a habit of finishing business for multiple majors this year, so I’m looking forward to seeing what he can produce at Palace.
Looking elsewhere, I would love to see Bogreaves run! The three-time Women’s World Champion suffered a tough first-round draw with Darryl Gurney, but she has been very impressive this year in terms of earning a tour card for next season, so she will be fearless in her return to Ally Pally.
And I can’t help but think there’s a real chance in the second quarter of the draw. Stephen Bunting is the top seed in that section, but Barrett isn’t in the shape he was in early 2025. Who can seize that chance? I’m keeping an eye on Ross Smith and Ryan Searle because they might ruin the party!
Mark Webster’s predictions
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Check out our favorite on-the-mic moments from the Darts World Championships on Ally Pally.
Who can stop Littler?
Luke Littler himself said so. He has to have off days to not win that tournament, but he doesn’t have many off days at the moment. He is full of confidence. He checks it off by winning the tournament. The World Championship is another tournament for him to win.
Despite all the glamor surrounding the £1 million prize, he just wants to win another tournament.
Wayne Mardle’s Prophecies
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New world number one Luke Littler insists it is up to other players to prevent him and Luke Humphries from meeting in a major final, saying his aim is to win a second World Championship at Alexandra Palace.
Who can stop Littler?
I think it will be a Luka vs. Luku final. I’ve already predicted it. I think he (Littler) will keep it. I think Luke and Luke are head and shoulders above the rest. Pressured on set pieces, Littler has already shown what he can do in the World Grand Prix Final – with every big leg he won!
John Peart’s Prophecies
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Love The Darts team predicts the World Darts Championship
Who can stop Littler?
Josh Locke has a game and a set that could help him keep chasing Littler in a potential finals match. I still think Luke will win.
Ross Smith has a manageable draw and a sharp mindset, and I feel like he’s working on this as well.
Dan Dawson’s prophecy
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Check out some of the best fancy dress costumes seen at the World Darts Championship over the years.
Who can stop Littler?
You can stop him, of course you can. His first-round opponent, Darius Labanauskas, is a former quarterfinalist who has hit nine darts at that stage before. However, the defending champions are fortunate that many of the seeds in the draw section are currently out of form – Cross, Heta and Cullen have all struggled recently.
His big threat in the quarters is Gerwyn Price, but that will wait until the quarter-final itself. Not only is there no guarantee that Price will get there, ‘The Iceman’ has thrown away strong positions against Littler many times this year in big televised matches… Will he finally be able to get it right in the biggest event? But by that stage the format has increased to nine set wins and even more in favor of ‘The Nuke’. You may need to catch him early to defeat him. Otherwise, you may not be able to defeat him at all.
Personally, I think Willie O’Connor could cause problems for Michael van Gerwen and influence him at Ally Pally. Debutant Dom Taylor could take a big scalp as well. But the surprise package I chose is Jermaine Wattimena. The Dutchman won his first PDC title this year and recently reached a big TV semi-final in Minehead, playing in what looks like an open section for a draw.
At No. 19 in the world, some might argue it’s not such a surprising selection, but by January 4th he could be ranked much higher than that.
Laura Turner’s Prophecies
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Michael Bridge and Colin Lloyd on Love The Darts look ahead to the first round match between Darryl Gurney and Beau Greaves at the World Championship
Who can stop Littler?
Littler will be difficult to stop. I think the only ones who can stop him this year are Gaethje Price in the quarter-finals or Luke Humphries in the final.
I can’t wait to see what happens with Charlie Manby. He is a very exciting young prospect and of course Beau Greaves!
Rod Stud Prediction
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Jan van Veen beats Luke Humphries 11-10 in dramatic European Championship final to win first major trophy of his career
Who can stop Littler?
I’m going with Jan van Veen. He has never won at Ally Pally, but he might pick up a few for the explosive young Dutchman.
Dirk van Duijvenbode is also my surprise package.
stuart pike’s prophecy
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Watch Luke Littler’s immediate reaction to the World Darts Championship draw results ahead of his clash with Darius Labanauskas.
Who can stop Littler?
One answer: No one! There’s no way Littler could have bagged an eye-popping £1m check for back-to-back appearances in Ally Pally.
But there are hurdles to jump and a big quarter-final against Gerwyn Price (if seeding goes to plan) will be a big test for the teenager. And let’s not forget that he’s only 18 years old!
He will certainly be under pressure, but he will also be ice cold on that stage and have fun. Sorry to the rest of you… Little all the way!
Gary Anderson – It might be strange to tip a two-time world champion as a surprise package. Many believe the Scotsman’s best days are behind him, but he comes back to life on stage at Ally Pally.
He still has the hunger and desire to succeed, especially here. There is a possibility that he will face Peter Wright and Michael van Gerwen in the future, which he is open to…don’t get me wrong!
Glen Durant’s prophecy
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See some of the many reasons we love the World Championships, featuring dancing dart players, hornets on stage and some funny mishaps.
Who can stop Littler?
I think Gerwyn Price might be the one to stop him in the quarter-finals. I think Martin Schindler could also bring a surprise package to the tournament.
polly james prophecy
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Gerwyn Price gets a double roar with a 95 finish that comes close to clinching his match against Martin Schindler
Who can stop Littler?
That’s a burning question! His first assignment at Ally Pally will be against Lithuanian Dariusz Labanauskas, who is ranked 95th in the world.
It would be a shock if he was able to stop The Nuke at this stage, but I don’t see that happening and then he will most likely face either 52-year-old Belgian Mario Vandenbogarde, who is ranked 66th in the world, or 40-year-old Welshman David Davies, who has qualified.
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Watch the hottest moments from the World Darts Championship!
If any of these players can stop Littler’s move early before Christmas, they will go down in darting legend.
Although Humphries has declared war on Littler and claimed the world title as his own, I believe his toughest opponent is Gerwyn Price, a chip shop owner.
Gaethje has fallen short of his highly televised final moments in recent months, but he looks better than ever and if the two clash at QF, the winner is likely to be seen as the favorite to move on.
Raz Mirza’s prophecy
Who can stop Littler?
I mean, Littler literally has to have a really, really bad day at the office to even come close to losing on the Ally Pally stage, right?
There are only a few names who could knock him out, including Luke Humphries and young Dutchman Jan van Veen in another Luke vs. Luke final, but also Chris Dobbie and Gerwyn Price in the quarter-final, which is sure to be a blockbuster.
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See some of the many reasons we love the World Championships, featuring dancing dart players, hornets on stage and some funny mishaps.
The shorter the format, the more likely you are to knock out “The Nuke.” But he’s head and shoulders above anyone else in the world right now. And he knows it too.
I’ve been keeping an eye on Charlie Manby’s recent conversations with him. He’s really talented and coming into the tournament having won the MODUS Super Series. This is truly a work worth paying attention to!
meg wellens prophecy
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Let’s take a look back at when Gary Anderson hit an incredible nine darter against Jere Claassen in the 2016 World Darts Championship semi-final.
Who can stop Littler?
I’m pretty prepared here, but I’m not going to back Luke Littler to win everything. We see that there are many people who are particularly passionate about trying to stop him from getting his way. And who is the leader among them? Gary Anderson.
Anderson will face Adam Hunt and, if he gets through that, he will face either Connor Scutt or Simon Whitlock, who return after Christmas.
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Check out the most unforgettable moments from the World Darts Championship.
Anderson won back-to-back titles 10 years ago in 2016, but Littler has that goal in mind, and you can tell Anderson is motivated to prove that old-school players still have it.
It’s dangerous to underestimate the Flying Scotsman!
Next, looking at the other players to watch, I’m very intrigued to see how Cam Crabtree does in this tournament. He had a brilliant 2025 and after talking to him at the Grand Slam it was clear that he is a mature head with absolute talent on his young shoulders.
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 December 10) from 11 December to 3 January. Stream darts and other top sports now.
