“I’ve got seven years, I could just slouch about for six and win it when I’m 24!" - Luke Littler with plenty of time to break Van Gerwen's youngest world champion record

Earlier this week, the draw for the 2025 World Darts Championship took place. Luke Littler starts his world title tilt on Saturday, Dec. 21, taking on the winner of the duel between Fallon Sherrock and Ryan Meikle in his opening match.

Littler didn't even have a Tour Card last year when he burst onto the scene at the Alexandra Palace by making the final as a 16-year-old. In that final, he eventually lost 7-4 to Luke Humphries, but a year later, Littler wants to go one step further and grab the world title. 'The Nuke' particularly impressed in his debut year on the PDC Pro Tour, winning no fewer than 10 tournaments, including, of course, such notable ones as the Premier League Darts and the Grand Slam of Darts.

"This year has been incredible for myself and this is what it all leads up to. The big one," he previews in quotes collected by Oche180. "I can't wait to get going. Starting in the second round, so I've just got the one match before Christmas, then hopefully I'll be coming back after. It's hard to predict having come runner-up on my debut, but yeah, I want to win it."

Given Littler is still only 17, he could become the youngest world champion ever if he were to lift the title this coming January. Currently, that place in darts history is still held by Michael van Gerwen, who first became world champion in 2014 at the age of 24. “I’ve got seven years, I could just slouch about for six years and win it when I’m 24!" Littler laughs. "But no, I'd obviously like to win it before Michael."

"Probably based on recent performances, I am favourite. But us players have just got to look ahead. We don't care about who is favourite, we've just got to play our darts," Littler concludes.