DartsNews Podcast | “It’s the Phil Taylor effect... people are fed up with him winning all the time” - Luke Littler crowd theory raises World Cup concern for Humphries and England

Luke Littler and Luke Humphries return to Frankfurt as the obvious favourites for the 2026 World Cup of Darts, but England do not need reminding that the strongest team on paper can still unravel fast in this format.

Speaking on the latest episode of the DartsNews Podcast, cohosts Kieran Wood and Nicolas Gayer were joined by special guest Finlay Williams to preview the tournament, with all three backing England as the team to beat. The warning, however, came from the scars of last year’s defeat to Germany, Littler’s complicated relationship with German crowds and the growing pressure that now follows darts’ biggest young star.

For Williams, the crowd dynamic around Littler has started to resemble one of the sport’s most familiar patterns from the Phil Taylor era, where dominance eventually turns sections of the audience towards the underdog.

England’s favourite status was clear across the DartsNews Podcast panel. Littler and Humphries return as the top two players in the world, while several rival nations arrive with questions around form, selection or availability. Wales are without Gerwyn Price, whilst Scotland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany all carry their own pre-tournament doubts.

Wood had England top of his power ranking, ahead of the Netherlands, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Poland. Williams was equally clear. “I've gone for England number one,” said Williams. “Unless they draw Germany again, they should win the tournament as far as I'm concerned.”

England were favourites last year too. In Frankfurt, Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko beat Littler and Humphries 8-4 in the last 16, turning a heavyweight pairing into an early exit and giving this year’s return to Germany a sharper edge.

The World Cup is not singles darts with national shirts. The rhythm is different, the doubles pressure is different, and the crowd can pull a match into uncomfortable territory quickly. Littler and Humphries found that out twelve months ago, when Germany’s home support became one of the defining features of the tie.

Williams noted that the German crowd question still follows Littler, even after the teenager’s continued growth as the dominant player in world darts. “I think it is worth noting that obviously a lot of the scepticism around Littler has been he doesn't like the German crowd,” he said. “He doesn't like German fans.”

He also pointed to Littler’s Premier League night win in Berlin this year as evidence that the picture is not one-dimensional. The world number one has already shown he can win in Germany, even with the atmosphere turning against him.

“So despite him kind of being, I don't want to say hated by the German fans, because hate is obviously a really strong word, but they don't like him,” Williams added. “I do think that Littler is maturing a lot more in the last year or so. And I think that will go really well for them. So I do see England winning the tournament, barring a major shock.”

Gayer, speaking from his own experience inside the German darts scene, pushed back against the idea that Littler is simply unpopular in the country. “Luke Littler has so many fans in this country, especially, of course, the younger people,” said Gayer. “You see so many Luke Littler shirts in all the competitions I attend and play in the leagues. So he really has a huge fan base.”

The arena reaction can still tell a different story. Littler has been booed and whistled in Germany before, with those moments often becoming part of the wider narrative around him whenever the PDC returns to German soil. “Of course, you wouldn't guess or wouldn't expect that to be the case when you look at the events and him getting booed and whistles whenever, just like his picture shows up on a monitor or anything,” Gayer added.

Williams linked that reaction to Taylor, whose long spell of dominance eventually left many crowds leaning towards whoever was trying to stop him. “I think it's kind of like that Taylor effect of just being fed up with him winning all the time more than anything,” said Williams. “I don't think there's any prejudice to him naturally. I think it's just getting a lot more darts fans. You want more different winners, but Littler keeps winning everything. And we can't blame him for being the best player in the world.”

Wood added: “It's like a pantomime thing, isn't it? Everyone loves the underdog.”

Taylor spent years as the man the rest of the field had to chase. Littler has reached a very different version of that status at extraordinary speed. He is still only at the beginning of his career, but the shift from teenage sensation to weekly favourite has already changed the way some crowds respond to him.

Gayer saw the same pattern as part of a wider sporting cycle. “You have an underdog or an upcoming star and everyone loves him, and then he starts winning everything and everybody turns against him,” he said. “And then he starts losing again and other people liking him again. I think that's just how sports and dynamics work in general.”

If Littler carries the loudest crowd reaction, Humphries gives England the other side of the pairing. Calm, consistent and still searching for small improvements, he enters the World Cup as far more than a supporting act.

Gayer selected Humphries as his tournament MVP pick, even with both English players obvious candidates if England go deep. “I'll just start off with this and I'll say, even though, of course, it's between the two Lukes if we all pick England as the winner, probably,” he said. “But I've gone with Luke Humphries because he's just impressed me immensely this year.”

Gayer pointed to Humphries’ constant search for improvement as one of the reasons England look so strong. “He's one of those people, I think he's never happy, even when he's world number one and world champion,” he said. “He just always wants to improve.”

Wood acknowledged the obviousness of picking England, but his MVP choice also underlined how heavy the expectation has become around the two Lukes. “For me, I think we all agreed that England are heavy favourites to win, but I didn't really want to go for one of the two Lukes because it is so obvious,” he said.

England arrive in Frankfurt with the strongest pairing, the top seeding and the backing of the full DartsNews Podcast panel. They also arrive at the scene of last year’s exit, with Littler now facing the kind of crowd dynamic that once followed Taylor through the biggest stages in the sport.

Littler and Humphries are expected to win. Last year showed why expectation is not always enough.

You can listen to the latest episode of the DartsNews Podcast in full here.