“If me and Luke can do it, I’m sure the boys can do it” - Luke Littler challenges England to follow World Cup of Darts glory

Luke Littler has already helped bring one World Cup home for England this summer. After a week in New York that took him from Madison Square Garden to MetLife Stadium, he believes Thomas Tuchel’s footballers can do the same.

Littler and Luke Humphries lifted the World Cup of Darts in Frankfurt earlier this month, beating the Netherlands pair of Michael van Gerwen and Gian van Veen 10-5 in the final. It was England’s sixth title in the tournament, and the first for the Littler-Humphries partnership after last year’s disappointment against Germany.

Speaking on the Men in Blazers podcast after his US Darts Masters final defeat to Humphries in New York, Littler put the challenge back onto England’s footballers.

“Me and Luke, we’ve done our job by winning the Darts World Cup for our country, and now it’s down to the boys on the pitch,” said Littler. “I think we’ve got a very, very strong chance. If me and Luke can do it, I’m sure the boys can do it as well.”

Littler’s United States trip became a rare darts-football crossover. At Madison Square Garden, he reached another US Darts Masters final, only to lose 8-7 to Humphries in a deciding-leg thriller. Away from the oche, he joined England fans at MetLife Stadium as Tuchel’s side beat Panama 2-0 to top their World Cup group.

The 19-year-old has now played three times at Madison Square Garden without lifting the trophy, but this year’s visit had a different feel. England supporters were in New York for the World Cup, and the darts crowd had a heavy football flavour across the weekend. “This is my third year here, and obviously the atmosphere has been incredible year after year,” Littler said. “But I think it was just that bit special with the England fans. It felt a bit like home.”

That feeling carried over to the football. Littler was among the supporters as England finished the job against Panama, with Chase the Sun adding an obvious darts link when Tuchel’s side scored.

“It was good just to be in the mix as well with all the fans, all the supporters,” Littler said. “Then obviously when we score a goal, Chase the Sun comes on and all the fans are looking at me and we’re all singing along. Yeah, a very good day out.”

The scene was familiar enough for Littler to compare it with a night at Alexandra Palace, especially after seeing England, Scotland, Netherlands and Norway fans take over parts of the United States during the tournament. “I think us English, we do it best,” he added.

Littler is backing England to go deep, but he does not see Tuchel’s side as flawless. Asked about his expectations, the world No.1 pointed first to the strength of the squad before raising the right-back issue.

“Obviously we’ve got a very, very strong squad,” he said. “But if you look at the right-back position now, we’ve got no right-back. Reece James is injured, Livramento’s had to go, and then obviously Tuchel goes and calls up Chalobah from Chelsea, who’s a centre-back. As fans, you’re kind of questioning, where’s Trent? Or even I said it: where’s Kyle Walker? Obviously he’s been at Burnley this season, but we all know Kyle is rapid. He can get a cross in, he can get a pass in.”

Even with that concern, Littler’s target for England remains ambitious. “We’ve definitely got the squad,” he said. “I’d say semi-final, final, or even go on and win it.”

Tuchel’s management has drawn plenty of debate, but Littler was broadly positive about what he has seen so far. He pointed to England’s shape in possession, while also noting the danger of being left open when Panama countered. “It’s good what he’s doing,” Littler said. “We can all see what he’s trying to do, and it’s worked out so far.”

Next up is DR Congo in the Round of 32, and Littler had a detailed view of the task ahead. He expects England to face another compact defensive set-up.

“It’s a hard one to pick,” he said. “Same as Panama, they play a five-back. They’ve got a very, very solid back line. Wan-Bissaka’s right-back. Tuanzebe played for us. Masuaku, who was at Sunderland, he was also at West Ham. I think it was Mbemba who played in France as well. I know everyone at the back. So yeah, it’s going to be hard to break them down.”

Littler still backed England to get through. “I’d say 2-0 or maybe 3-0,” he predicted.

The comparison with England’s footballers comes from fresh experience. Littler and Humphries arrived at the World Cup of Darts as the headline pairing and left Frankfurt with the trophy, a year after falling short against Germany.

“I think last year was difficult,” Littler said. “Obviously, me and Luke planned to win it. But obviously we went to Germany and lost to the Germans which wasn’t the best. This year we turned it around and picked up the trophy. It is hard to get into a rhythm because you have to wait three throws before you throw again.”

Pairs darts brings a different rhythm to the individual PDC circuit. Littler said he and Humphries spoke away from the stage about preferred doubles and which finishes they wanted to leave for one another, before eventually finding the answers under pressure. “But me and Luke got the job done,” he said.

Littler left New York without the US Darts Masters title, but his England summer has already included a World Cup trophy, a Madison Square Garden final and a place among the travelling support at MetLife Stadium. Now his attention turns back to Tuchel’s side, with DR Congo next and Mexico waiting for the winners.