"When you apply that pressure, he just raises that level"– Is there anyone who can stop Luke Littler from winning his first World Masters title?
PDC
The darts world has barely had time to catch its breath after the World Championship before the next major event is already upon us. On the PDC’s The Dart Show, host Will Simpson reflected on a historic Worlds with analysts Chris Mason and Dan Dawson, looked ahead to the Winmau World Masters and, above all, debated whether anyone can halt Luke Littler’s remarkable surge.
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A World Championship that had everything – almost
As ever, the PDC World Darts Championship was quickly labelled “the best ever”, but this time there was a clear reason. For the first time, the field was expanded to 128 players – a move that initially raised concerns.
“I was a little bit worried it was going to be diluted,” Mason admitted. “But all it created was drama and great stories and, yeah, some incredible darts.”
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The expanded format delivered upsets, intensity and narrative throughout the tournament, even if the final itself did not quite live up to the drama that preceded it.
“It was all rounded off by a slightly disappointing final,” Mason said, “but that was more to do with Luke Littler, who was just outstanding from start to finish.”
Littler’s dominance left little room for doubt about the outcome. “He was a worthy champion,” Mason added, “and someone who’s done something that only three other players have done.”
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The scale of Littler’s achievement only adds to the intrigue around his future. “He’s on for the three-peat, isn’t he?” Mason said. “He would join the likes of Phil Taylor and Eric Bristow, who did it in 1984, 1985 and 1986. He would be in some special company, and who’s to say that he can’t do that?”
What makes it all the more extraordinary is his age. “He could win it three times on the spin and still be a teenager,” Mason said. “It is remarkable – the temperament of the young man and the way he goes about his business is inspirational, genuinely inspirational.”
That darts never stands still was underlined by Dawson’s recent trip to Q School in Milton Keynes.
“Exciting, emotional, surprising – all that sort of stuff,” Dawson said. “Cristo Reyes making his way back onto the tour after half a decade away, so yeah, all brilliant.”
World Masters: heritage format, brutal reality
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Attention quickly turned to the Winmau World Masters, which begins on Thursday, January 29. Revived by the PDC last year, the tournament is built around the classic World Masters format first introduced in 1973.
“When the original World Masters, which started all the way back in ’73, was dropped by the WDF, it was ideal for us to reincarnate it,” Mason explained. “We did that last year and it went down a storm.”
The format is unforgiving: best of three legs, best of five sets. According to Mason, comfort is an illusion.
“You never feel like you’re in front,” he said. “You’re one break away from levelling things up. Whether it’s you in front or you behind, you’re always under pressure.”
Speaking from experience, he added: “I lost in the semi-finals of it in 1999 or 2000 and was miles in front, but you never feel like you’re in front.”
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Following the draw, several standout ties immediately caught the eye, not least Michael van Gerwen against Damon Heta. Van Gerwen has made a strong start to the year on the World Series, but Mason stressed how significant the season ahead could be.
“I think he’s got over 70% of his prize money to defend in 2026,” Mason said. “Or he’s going to find himself down the rankings with the likes of Peter Wright.”
Heta, meanwhile, arrives after a difficult period. “He’s probably having his toughest period in PDC darts over the last few months,” Dawson said. “But if he comes back refreshed and rejuvenated and the player that he has been for all the rest of his time in PDC darts, a guy who wins more games than pretty much anybody… I really want to see a big year from Damon Heta.”
Dave Chisnall’s opening match against Luke Humphries was also highlighted.
“He could have done with a slightly easier opening game,” Mason said. “Luke Humphries will be looking to prove a point in 2026 – I can assure you of that.”
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Early shocks and dark horses
When it came to potential first-round casualties, Dawson did not hesitate to flag one danger tie.
“Dobey’s the one,” he said. “I think Wattimena is the nightmare draw for anybody who’s a seed.”
Stephen Bunting was another name discussed, with Dawson keen to underline how strong his overall year had been.
“People overlook this,” he said. “He won six titles, number one on the World Series, number two in Europe, up there on the ProTour. The TV stuff didn’t go as well as he wanted.”
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Mason, however, warned of the psychological pressure.
“You can tell with the reaction to some of the things he’s done and said in interviews,” he said. “He takes it quite personally. If he goes out there wanting to prove a point, sometimes that can be counterproductive and backfire on him.”
Among the outsiders, Rob Cross was singled out as a genuine wildcard.
“His form’s a worry,” Mason said. “But we know that Rob Cross, when he’s playing well, can win anything," added Dawson.
Cross faces a demanding year ahead, including Euro Tour qualifiers, and Mason believes a lack of match play has hurt him.
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“I think his problem is he’s not playing enough,” he said. “I think he has too much downtime.”
James Wade, Gary Anderson and Nathan Aspinall were also cited as players capable of going deep in such an unforgiving format.
Can anyone stop Luke Littler?
Inevitably, the conversation returned to Littler. The World Masters remains one of the few major titles missing from his collection.
“I know that there are people throwing their hands up going, darts is broken and nobody’s ever going to win anything ever again because Luke Littler’s going to win everything,” Dawson said. “I don’t believe it.”
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He pointed to history for perspective. “Even in the height of Van Gerwen’s pomp and Taylor’s pomp, there were still some titles that were not won by them.”
What sets Littler apart, Mason explained, is how he responds when challenged.
“When you apply that pressure on Littler, rather than you sort of meet in the middle somewhere, he just raises that level,” he said. “It all comes down to the temperament, which he shouldn’t have. He’s a teenager. But some people are just made to do this.”
Dawson referenced the World Championship final against Gian van Veen as a clear example.
“Gian had a chance to go 2–0 up in that,” Dawson said. “If he does that, is that game different? Against Littler, you’ve got to take those chances, and you’ve got to keep on doing it right to the end.”
In a format as brutal as the World Masters, opportunities may arise – but as both analysts made clear, missing them against Littler is rarely forgiven.
Samuel GillChief Content Officer
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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- And why should he listen to you?Deduce635807-11-2026
- Ultimately it is a bye for whoever draws Barney. It will be another stroppy and sulky performance once he goes behind. Barney was excellent but really must completely call it a day now.richieburnettrocks07-11-2026
- I'm disappointed he was not able to secure a spot at the Grand Slam. With Carl Sneyd taking care of Daryl Gurney, he would have had to beat Andy Boulton before facing the winner of Sneyd vs Mensur Suljović for a Grand Slam spot. Unfortunately, after beating Filip Bereza comfortably, he succumbed to Boulton, and the board would ultimately be won by the highly inconsistent Carl Sneyd. Since he could instead have been drawn against the likes of Cristo Reyes, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Stephen Bunting, I think once Gurney was out of the picture he would have been favourite to win his board, and it seems like a massive missed opportunity to put 5 grand on his ranking and seal another major TV appearance ahead of the Worlds. The highs and lows of following Raymond van Barneveld!Deduce635806-11-2026
- Probably i will receive a lot of backlash and hate for this reaction, but well, so be it. I am more than sick and tired of those lies of you Barry Hearn. How dare you defend yourself over the back of Fallon’s son! He has a disability and not an illness, so let me correct that for you! I know because I have the exact same disability. I have tried to reach out to Fallon in the past, and offered her to help her and her son, because I was struggling with the same problems, and I understood the boy. I wanted him to have finally someone who understood him. However she told me that she did not want my help, and I have respected Fallon’s choice. I have never asked Fallon for money. They don’t need money in that case. I only ever wanted the best for Fallon and Rory, but I have to be honest about the situation. Fallon should tell the true story and not be forced to tell lies. I don’t hate Fallon, and I don’t begrudge or envy a single penny that she gets, but this situation/case is just not fair. I hate the lies and the dishonesty and injustice. I don’t want Fallon to be hated because there is an unfair disadvantage created. Don’t proclaim your false lies over the back of Rory! I only stand for integrity and justice. I am precisely the one who always sticks up for Fallon. And you don't, you don't give a damn about them. You were never there for them, and now you only want to save your own position! You are just trying to talk your way out of your own bad behavior at the expense of someone with a disability. And to Fallon, I don’t know if this may ever reach you, and you read it, but I want you to know I love you and I love your son Rory very much, I am sorry how things developed and went. I hope you and Harriet are still friends. I am sorry if I were too persistent to you, or you experienced it that way, but it was never my intention. Please understand I have autism as well. As Barry Hearn would say, I am only just a human being too, and I also make mistakes and misjudge things sometimes. I promise you I did everything out of the deepest love and care for you and Rory. If I were you, I should just keep all the money, only please never be dishonest or tell lies anymore for Barry Hearn, or anyone else. I hope you have the best life, and I wish nothing more than the best for you. I have always loved the two of you. Farewell.Hiddo05-11-2026
- 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