“He’s basically saying the ProTours have zero priority” - Luke Littler’s World Matchplay plan creates awkward headache for PDC

Luke Littler has not played a single Players Championship event in 2026. If his own plan holds, that may only change if he wins the World Matchplay later this month.

The reigning world champion recently suggested that he would return to the ProTour only if he lifts the title in Blackpool, with the Players Championship Finals then becoming part of a wider bid to win every major televised PDC title in the same year. For former world number 24 Vincent van der Voort, that says plenty about Littler’s confidence, but also leaves the PDC with an awkward issue around its floor circuit.

Speaking on the Darts Draait Door podcast, Van der Voort said: “Well, he says: if I win the Matchplay, then I’ll play the ProTour. Because then he wants to win all the TV tournaments in one year.”

It is an extraordinary position for any player to be in. Littler is effectively treating the ProTour as something he can dip into only if it becomes necessary for a bigger target, rather than as a priority in its own right. With no Players Championship appearances so far this season, he would also have very little room for error if he did decide to chase qualification for the Players Championship Finals late in the year.

“I do like that he thinks that way,” Van der Voort said. “But he really is playing with it. There aren’t that many ProTours left. There’s every chance he would have to win two of them to qualify.”

That is where Van der Voort sees the wider problem. Littler is the biggest draw in darts, but his comments make clear that the bread-and-butter floor events are not currently central to his season.

Presenter Damian Vlottes noted that Littler barely seems to view the Players Championship Finals as a major priority. Van der Voort agreed. “He’s basically saying the ProTours have zero priority,” he said. “That will probably be the case again next year. So the PDC has a small problem again.”

Van der Voort’s point was not framed as criticism of Littler. If anything, the Dutchman seemed fascinated by the level of self-belief behind the idea. Littler is not talking about returning to the floor simply to collect ranking money or stay sharp. He is talking about doing it only if the Players Championship Finals becomes another piece of a historic television sweep.

“Then it becomes interesting whether he can manage that,” Van der Voort said. “But it would obviously be something if he wins all the TV tournaments in one year.”

That possibility is what makes the situation so compelling. The ProTour may not be a priority for Littler, but if he wins the World Matchplay, the floor circuit suddenly becomes the route into another title he would need for an almost unthinkable clean sweep.

“You almost start hoping he wins the Matchplay,” Van der Voort added. “Then you can see whether he can pull that off as well.”

Van der Voort believes Littler’s thinking shows just how far his confidence has grown. The 19-year-old is no longer simply trying to prove he belongs among the elite. He is mapping out the calendar around records, trophies and targets that would have sounded absurd for most players.

“That this is already your thinking in June... That’s great, isn’t it?” Van der Voort said. “If he wins the Matchplay, then I’ll just play a few of those floor tournaments and qualify again. That shows how far his confidence goes and how he is approaching everything.”

That confidence is not exactly misplaced. Littler has been almost untouchable on major ranking stages for months, and Van der Voort pointed to the rarity of anyone beating him in that environment. “I know Niels Zonneveld beat him on the Euro Tour,” he said, when asked who had last beaten Littler on a ranking stage.

When it was noted that this was already months ago, Van der Voort underlined the scale of Littler’s run. “Yes, then Niels Zonneveld is the last player to beat him on a ranking stage. That was in February or something. Before that, I think it was James Wade at the European Championship in October. No, there is no stopping that man at the moment.”

For the rest of the field, the next few months now carry a familiar challenge. Littler is already the player everyone wants to stop, but the World Matchplay could add another layer to his season. If he wins in Blackpool, his ProTour absence may suddenly turn into one of the biggest storylines of the year. “For everyone, it is a great challenge to see whether they can get close to him or beat him,” Van der Voort said.

The PDC’s problem is not that Littler lacks ambition. It is that his ambition has become so big that the ProTour currently sits below the televised titles on his list. If Blackpool goes his way, the floor circuit may still get him back, but only as the next step in a much bigger chase.