"I wouldn't like to play Beau Greaves in the first round" – Luke Littler already eyeing Ally Pally draw after adding yet another major title in Minehead

Luke Littler barely had time to savour his latest triumph before shifting focus to the next target on his rapidly shrinking to-do list. Moments after sealing an 11–8 victory over Nathan Aspinall to win the Players Championship Finals 2025, the 18-year-old world number one admitted his attention had already turned to the upcoming draw for the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship.

With a new format putting every seed into action from round one, talk quickly turned to the possibility of a blockbuster opening clash against Beau Greaves. Littler didn’t dodge the question – but he was honest enough to admit it’s not top of his wish list.

“Yeah, obviously I’m up tomorrow, half seven in the morning, travelling to London on the Monday for the draw,” he said in his post-match press conference. “I’ll just see whoever I draw – there are loads of huge names and the seeds are in the first round now, so it’s two games before Christmas. I’ve just got to focus on the 11th and get my job done. But I don’t think I’d like to play Beau Greaves in that first round because I don’t think many people want me to win.”

It was a typically matter-of-fact answer from a player whose entire year has been defined by embracing big occasions – but also a reminder that even the sport’s dominant force knows how much noise a Littler–Greaves showdown would generate.

If the chat in the media room quickly gravitated towards Ally Pally, the performance on stage in Minehead underlined why Littler will arrive there as an overwhelming favourite. An average of 103.33, six 180s, 22 scores of 100+, and a 36.7% checkout rate powered him past Aspinall, who averaged 93.64 and produced his own moments of brilliance with 127 and 86 checkouts.

For Littler, the night was the culmination of another breathless burst of form. “Yeah, it’s been amazing from start to finish,” he reflected. “The averages, the 180s – everything was good this weekend, and it’s come out with a win.”

He admitted the schedule has been intense, but his level has barely dipped. “Yeah, obviously I’ve won the last three majors and now there’s only one more to get until the new calendar starts and it’s all eyes on the Worlds now,” he said. “It’s been crazy the past few weeks – Grand Prix, Grand Slam, exhibitions in between and now this – so I just can’t wait to have a few days off.”

The trophy cabinet back home is already creaking, even if the storage solution remains typically down to earth. “Well, just like the Worlds one, it’ll probably go on the floor – it’s not the smallest,” he joked. “But I just want to keep on adding them and keep on collecting them.”

That hunger is nothing new. Asked to reflect on the journey from winning the World Youth Championship to becoming the undisputed main man of the sport, he admitted even he didn’t foresee this pace of progression. “I didn’t plan on this,” he said. “Even at my first World Championships, I just wanted to win one game and take it game by game, and then I got to the final and got the Premier League call-up and that’s when I started my first year on the tour. I knew I had the ability but not to be doing all this.”

And the ambitions remain sky high. “Definitely, because everyone knows I want to win one of every major,” Littler explained. “I want to win them double, triple, even four or five times. This one’s ticked off and there’s only two more to go.”

Given the rate of title collection, it’s inevitable that comparisons are being drawn with the peak years of Michael van Gerwen. Littler, who has always been an avid watcher of the sport, was measured on the subject. “Yeah, I’m always watching the darts, whatever it is,” he said. “But I don’t know what Michael done in that space of four years. If people compare it, they can compare it, but I’m just very happy with my darts at the minute.”

What about weaknesses? Since losing the Premier League final to Luke Humphries earlier in the year, Littler has swept through event after event, leaving opponents searching for cracks that never seem to appear. “Yeah, just try and catch me on a bad day, but I’ve not had many bad days this year,” he smiled. “I’ve just got to continue going. I’m still number one and winning this has put me even further in front of Luke now, so I’m very happy.”

There were also questions about swagger and aura, with comparisons drawn to figures such as van Gerwen, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic – all athletes who carry a certain edge to their presence at the top.

Littler, though, insisted that’s not how he sees himself. “I wouldn’t say so,” he replied. “The people you name there – that’s what they do, they show a bit of swagger and stuff like that. For myself it’s just about coming out of my shell a bit more and showing a bit more emotion, and I think I’ve shown many emotions in the past few weeks.”

One of the standout moments of the weekend came after his semi-final win over Gerwyn Price, who later posted on social media that Littler has a level nobody else in darts can currently touch. That praise meant a lot.

“Yeah, it’s nice,” Littler said. “Gezzy played his part tonight and on stage I’m starting to come out of my shell a bit more, I’m starting to show the emotions even more now. Gezzy said after the game, ‘That’s why you’re number one, you’re the best in the world,’ and he said good luck. Not many times Gezzy does that and congratulates his opponent like that – it’s usually just a handshake and off the stage – but those words do stick with me.”

For all the trophies banked already in 2025, one question cut straight to the core of what drives him. Would he hand them all back for a successful title defence at Alexandra Palace?

The answer was instant. “One hundred per cent. Definitely. Easy as that. No thought about it,” Littler said. “I’m coming back to retain that title. Definitely. I’m going to try.”

Given how he has just marched through Minehead, few will doubt that.