"If I play my game, I can beat everyone in this tournament": Justin Hood bullish about being 'hard to beat' after dream Ally Pally debut
PDC
Justin Hood marked his debut on the Alexandra Palace stage in style as he delivered a composed, high-quality performance to book his place in the next round of the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship.
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Playing under the bright lights of Ally Pally for the very first time, Hood showed no signs of stage fright, producing a display he described as both enjoyable and deceptively tough. “I enjoyed it up there,” Hood said post match. “It was tougher than it looked. I played well. I punished him when he was struggling and out of it and yeah, I'm happy with the performance.”
A three-figure average on debut underlined just how comfortable Hood looked on the sport’s biggest stage, although he was quick to downplay the significance of the numbers. “Yeah, it's standard,” he said. “I have another 10 points on that next game, or 10 points less.”
Hood set for Noppert test
One of the standout aspects of the performance was Hood’s ability to shut the door on his opponent, limiting opportunities and maintaining constant scoreboard pressure. “My scoring's always been good and doubles let me down a bit,” he explained. “But if you don't give them a chance, it doesn't matter, does it? Just score every in. I have three or four darts at double instead of one.”
Victory sent Hood through to a second-round clash against either Danny Noppert or Jurjen van der Velde, with Noppert ultimately progressing to set up the meeting. While respectful of both players, Hood made it clear that his focus is firmly on his own game.
“I'm very happy, very happy,” he said. “But I'll be even happier when I beat Danny or Jurjen next game. Really tough match next, possibly.
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“I've played Danny three times, I've beaten him twice. And if it's Danny, it's Danny. If it's Jurjen, it doesn't bother me. If I play well, I can win.”
Justin Hood seals dream debut win.
Despite insisting that winning is always the priority, Hood admitted that averages still matter to players behind the scenes — particularly when there are rivals to outdo. "We all want to win, but I don't care what anyone says,” he said. “We all look at the averages backstage. We all want to be the best and Luke had 101. I wanted to beat that and I didn't tonight, but I'll beat his next game.”
Hood also appeared to soak up every moment of his Ally Pally experience, cutting a relaxed figure during his walk-on, though he remained coy when asked whether fans could expect anything extra next time.“We'll wait and see,” he smiled.
Preparation, he insisted, was no different to any other event on the calendar, with routine and self-belief key to handling the occasion. "It's just what I do all year,” Hood said. “It's the same with the ProTours. I'll get here three or four hours earlier than it starts and just chuck darts.
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“I know how good I am and how good I can be. If I play well, I win. If I don't, I'll still get chances. You've got to take them. I played well today. I'm happy.”
Reflecting on his debut at the venue, Hood felt there was only one thing missing. “If the nine went in, yeah,” he laughed. “But no, I won the game. The average is a bonus and it gives you confidence for the next game, but I'm over the moon with the way I played to get the win. Nick's a class player.”
Hood’s dominance was reflected in the limited chances afforded to his opponent, who had just four darts at a double throughout the match — a statistic Hood viewed as a by-product of his own performance rather than his opponent’s struggles. “I don't care what they do at the end of the day,” he said. “Nick's a good friend. If he plays well, I've got to play better. I wouldn't say he struggled. I played really well and, like you say, I restricted him. I'm happy with what I've done today.”
Looking ahead, Hood is brimming with confidence after a strong maiden year on tour in 2025, which saw him impress on the floor and secure Euro Tour qualification. “Win the Worlds this year and be in the Premier League,” he said when asked about his goals for 2026.
With a showdown against Noppert now confirmed, Hood knows the challenge only increases from here — but he would not have it any other way. “I treat every player the same,” he said. “We wouldn't be here if we weren't good. Every player is capable of beating everyone.
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“If I play my game, I can beat everyone in this tournament. If I don't, they can beat me. If I play like that, I'm going to be hard to beat.”
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Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
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- She is a professional. If darts is her income, she is a professional. Same as Adrian Lewis, Martin Adams. A tour card just means someone can play on the PDC tour. You could even make a case that Clayton wasn't a professional (until recently I believe) because he had employment elsewhere.BandB04-11-2026
- She's technically not a professional though as she doesn't hold a pro tour card.mr-pablo04-11-2026
- Such a shame that lakeside has been reduced to this. Fantastic venue,and previously a great tournament. Not any morerick6703-11-2026
- Seems to me that the top 16 players pick and choose whatever they want to play. Good,all the money will get spread out more. They get more money from exhibitions than tournaments so let them all withdrawrick6703-11-2026
- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026
- Fair play to Fallon. But...shows the mockery when a professional players wins what was meant to be an amateur v Pro event, Littlers performance was poor, and what about the players who didn't get a game? Would have been better if the pot was split amoungst all the winners and they all got a leg.BandB31-10-2026
- Not even slightly interestedrick6730-10-2026
- And yet the PDC has decided to aggravate this problem by doubling the Players Championship Finals field from 2027. I can't imagine there will be fewer withdrawals next year with even less reason to turn up. I can only hope that a whole slew of Challenge Tour top-up players receive enough prize money in the absence of much of the elite, that some of the more complacent among them struggle to scrape into even a heavily diluted field! More semi-pro players will get to test their mettle, but the standard of competition will be much inferior. It could hardly be said that the Players Championship series will provide an opportunity for darts' second string to test their Tour Card credentials anymore, but at least it will underscore the achievements of those Challenge Tour players of current and previous years, who were able to prove themselves as more than capable of competing with, and beating, the elite of the sport on a consistent basis, and reaping the due rewards.Deduce635828-10-2026
- No point in being there? Champions want to win.Deduce635828-10-2026