Luke Littler set for surprise return to action at Monday's PDC World Youth Championship as Gian van Veen and Beau Greaves decide against Wigan trip
PDC
The line-up has been confirmed for the World Youth Championship provisionally, with the full 128 to be set after the conclusion of the Development Tour season this weekend. Luke Littler is the big highlight; he will play this Monday.
ADVERTISEMENT
The 2026 World Youth Championship will see the round-robin phase and the knockout phase from the last 64 down to the semi-finals staged on Monday, October 5, at the Robin Park Tennis Centre.
The final is then held at Butlin's Minehead at the Players Championship Finals with a top prize of £15,000 on offer. The 128-player line-up includes all age-qualified PDC Tour Card holder representatives, with the remaining places set to be filled from the final rankings.
The group stage sees the 32 split into groups of four, with one seed per group. The top two move into the Last 64. The surprise news is that Littler will be involved ahead of Sebastian Bialecki, who at times this season has dominated the Development Tour, as well as Keane Barry.
Read also
Jurjen van der Velde will return alongside Cam Crabtree, Charlie Manby, Owen Bates and Adam Gawlas. The field also includes Kaya Baysal, Archie Self and Ben Townley, who have impressed on the Development Tour. While Eleanor Cairns and Kyana Frauenfelder qualify through the PDC Women's Series.
Gian van Veen will not defend the title, while Beau Greaves, who was runner-up to Van Veen 12 months ago, and Yorick Hofkens have also opted out. Play begins at 11:30am on Monday.
2026 World Youth Championship Line-Up
ADVERTISEMENT
Age-qualified tour card holders
| Player |
| Luke Littler |
| Sebastian Bialecki |
| Keane Barry |
| Cam Crabtree |
| Dominik Gruellich |
| Charlie Manby |
| Leon Weber |
| Tavis Dudeney |
| Adam Gawlas |
| Owen Bates |
| Jurjen van der Velde |
| Tyler Thorpe |
International Qualifiers
| Player | Country |
| Liam Maendl-Lawrance | Germany |
| Mika Donnevert | Germany |
| Mio Varila | Finland |
| Alexander Thorvaldsson | Iceland |
| Daniel Kortbek | Denmark |
| Ky Smith | Australia |
| Bailey Marsh | Australia |
| Jayden Wedemeyer | Australia |
| Mitchel Beswick | Australia |
| Jack Sheppard | New Zealand |
| Hunter Eyles | New Zealand |
| Zacarno King | New Zealand |
| Zachary Meeks | USA |
| Conner Olson | USA |
| Liam McNeil | Canada |
| Benjamin Goddard | Canada |
| Craig Galliano | Gibraltar |
| Hayden Moodley | South Africa |
| Jason Britz | South Africa |
| Eleanor Cairns | England |
| Kyana Frauenfelder | Netherlands |
| Lewis Cook | England |
| Jaichen Song | China |
| Hiroyuki Tanaka | Japan |
| Zhijun Cui | China |
| Duyana Decena | Philippines |

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.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Well,I suppose if you don't play the tournaments ,then why should any player qualify? There are players who enter every tournament,and if they don't win it,they carry on, spending money they haven't won,yet certain players seem to think they should qualify. Winners only I thinkrick6714-11-2026
- Everyone knows what a fantastic champion Taylor was,but his performances in the seniors were poor. He wouldn't throw littler off stage,as he'd miss these days!!rick6712-11-2026
- He produced some impressive numbers in that qualifying campaign. I'm excited to see him compete at the World Championship once again, even if it will be difficult to replicate last year's success even with an improved performance, with the draw playing a huge role in determining his fortunes.Deduce635811-11-2026
- I often think about this very question. I think they should revive the format. They could even invite representatives from MODUS Super Series, with four series winners from the past year, and the ADC, with finalists from the Global Championship and perhaps other events. Why not throw in eligible representatives from the JDC and even the soft-tip game too?Deduce635811-11-2026
- So what if littler missed out, he doesnt have to enter everythingant10-11-2026
- Good, absolutely no loss if we never see this dancing goof ever again......no that is not fair. He absolutely cannot and has never been remotely able to dance!richieburnettrocks10-11-2026
- Yes Phil,now the money in the game is bigger than ever,you'd play littler. Well so would I! Retire on your memory Phil,and your successful careerrick6709-11-2026
- 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






