"I won’t be the greatest ever, even if I do win more than what Phil won": No-one will beat Phil Taylor admits Luke Littler

Luke Littler has once again shown why, at nineteen, he is already regarded as one of the greatest phenomena the darts world has ever produced. In an exhausting and electrifying Winmau World Masters final, the Englishman edged his great rival Luke Humphries 6–5. The match was one of high quality, mental resilience and sheer will to survive — and Littler ultimately emerged on top, despite admitting he had “nothing left”.

Immediately after the final of the Winmau World Masters 2026, the release was palpable. Littler looked physically drained but mentally unbreakable. “Yeah, very exhausted, but we’ve come out on top,” he said. “I’m very happy with it. Obviously it was a close final and 5–4, I had nothing left. I just said to myself, just go on stage, don’t show any emotion. I didn’t show any emotion, I was focused and yeah, got the job done.”

The conditions made this final even tougher. Not only did Littler face Humphries — with whom he now shares one of modern darts’ most intense rivalries — the length of the playing day also took its toll. “I think the circumstances,” Littler explained. “Obviously against Luke, every stage is hot. It’s been a long day, it feels like a Euro Tour. Obviously on Sundays we play quite a few games, but other than that I’m very happy with the win.”

How deep the match went was clear during the presentation. Cameras caught tears in Littler’s eyes, something that doesn’t happen often. He tried to brush it off, but admitted the emotion behind the moment. “Obviously it means a lot,” he said. “Just to pull myself from 5–4 down to win it 6–5, it means everything. Another one ticked off now.”

Asked if he felt extra pressure because the World Masters was still missing from his impressive résumé, Littler stayed grounded. “I wouldn’t say there was any pressure there,” he said. “Whenever I do get to a final I’m just always relaxed. You’ve done the hard work, you’re there, and just try and do what I do best — and that’s what I’ve done tonight.”

That relaxed approach contrasts sharply with the numbers. Against Humphries, Littler now leads 4–3 in major finals, and he has won the last three big finals between them. Yet he refuses to frame it as a power shift. “You can say that, but every day is a new day,” he said. “You’ve always got to dig deep, and that’s what I’ve done tonight. I don’t know where it came from, but I found it once again when I needed it.”

The tournament itself was not without scares for Littler. In earlier rounds he survived match darts against Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price, and in the final the momentum turned when Humphries moved 5–4 ahead. According to Littler, fine margins — and missed chances — proved decisive. “Obviously Michael and Gerwyn only got one shot and they didn’t take it,” he said. “Same as the World Series in 2024 against Ross Smith in the first round — he missed a four or a six and then I went on to win the trophy. Michael missed, Gezzy missed, and I’ve gone on to lift another.”

It is a pattern that has become familiar: wobble, survive, then strike when the door is left open.

Despite another defeat to Littler, Humphries could still take positives from the final. “I wouldn’t say it’s tough,” Littler said of the challenge ahead for his rival. “Luke should go off stage happy with his own performance. I just got the better of him in that last set there. But yeah, Luke will bounce back, and the Premier League is coming up and you’re going to see performances week in, week out from all of us.”

That Premier League is just one of many targets still on Littler’s radar. With this victory he secured his eleventh individual PDC major title, moving past James Wade on the all-time list. Only Michael van Gerwen and Phil Taylor have won more.

“Obviously it means a lot,” Littler said. “The practice pays off. The support from the managers, the sponsors and of course the family — it means a lot. That’s why we’re here today and yeah, very happy to come away with a win.”

Only one individual major remains missing from Littler’s collection: the European Championship in Dortmund. “That’s obviously the main goal for this year,” he said. “But another goal is to go and get the Premier League trophy back. I’m looking forward to the European Tours as well — obviously the one in Belgium which I’ve won back-to-back. I want to go and do the hat-trick there.”

Still, Littler is careful not to look too far ahead. “We can’t look too far ahead,” he added. “We can only look at next week for the Premier League.”

Comparisons with Phil Taylor, Littler’s idol, are inevitable. Asked whether he shares the same ruthless desire to win everything, he was honest. “Obviously you always want to win everything,” he said. “You always want to go to tournaments and win, but it’s down to anyone. Anyone can win on their day — if it’s your day, it’s your day. If it’s not, it’s not.”

Humphries’ post-match praise also made headlines, with the world number one reportedly calling Littler the greatest ever. Littler himself was unaware of the comment. “I didn’t hear him say that,” he said. “I heard the crowd cheer a few times when he was talking, but I couldn’t hear him. But no — no one will ever beat Phil. I won’t be the greatest ever, even if I do win more than what Phil won.”