"People in his team are denying that but I think he will" - Sky Sports pundit predicts Luke Littler u-turn if he wins World Matchplay
PDC
Luke Littler stands on the brink of a pivotal phase of the darts season. The 19-year-old Englishman begins his title defense at the World Matchplay in Blackpool on Saturday, and according to experts he is doing so with a strategy that strongly recalls the approach of the greatest player of all time: Phil Taylor.
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Littler is enjoying another exceptional season. The current world number one has already captured the World Darts Championship, the Masters, the UK Open, the Premier League Darts, and the World Cup of Darts this year. That puts even a historic clean sweep of all major PDC titles within reach.
To complete that unique feat, Littler must successfully defend his titles at the World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts, and Players Championship Finals over the coming months. In addition, only the European Championship is still missing from his impressive honors list.
Strikingly, Littler has not played a single Players Championship event this season. He skipped all 24 ProTour tournaments that have been scheduled so far. That leaves just ten Players Championship events to qualify for the Players Championship Finals in Minehead.
“Clear parallels with Phil Taylor”
According to former professional Paul Nicholson, that is no coincidence. He sees clear similarities with how Phil Taylor structured his calendar in the final years of his career. “I think he has mastered this Phil Taylor-style season where he doesn’t play a lot but peaks for the majors,” Nicholson said on the Love the Darts Podcast.
The former major winner also expects Littler to further extend his lead in the world rankings in the coming months. “If you think about how much he is defending at the [World Matchplay] tournament, it is sickening because it is first-round money from two years ago. With Humphries defending the winner’s cheque and Littler not defending anything, it’s just going to widen. Unless Littler goes out early, which nobody expects to happen.”
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Littler’s rare appearances on the ProTour do not mean he is less active. In recent weeks the Englishman has been in the United States for the World Series of Darts and has also fulfilled various promotional commitments.
Luke Littler won the 2025 World Matchplay and completed the Triple Crown
Darts analyst Michael Bridge believes Littler may yet adjust his schedule if he wins the World Matchplay again. “There is still question marks whether he will do any ProTours at all. I think he might change his mind if he wins the Matchplay because he will want to win everything,” said Bridge. “I know people in his team are denying that but I think he will go for it if he wins the Matchplay."
“Motivation not to be underestimated”
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In Bridge's view, Littler’s motivation should not be underestimated. “We know Luke and where there is a goal he is so incredibly driven. He has not been playing in the ProTours. There is a suggestion to me that it is too late to get to Minehead. But there is definitely time."
Bridge does add a caveat. The Players Championship events are known as perhaps the most unpredictable tournaments on the PDC Tour. “As incredible as he is the ProTour is so nasty you can literally go out in the first round the two or three you do in the week. But if he wins this then I think it will propel him to want to go to Minehead.”
For now, all attention turns to Blackpool, where Littler opens his bid for a second consecutive World Matchplay title against Germany’s Niko Springer on Saturday. A successful title defense would not only secure another major prize, but also further open the door to a season that could go down in history.
Should Littler indeed strike again at the Winter Gardens, the temptation to add a few Players Championship events to his schedule may become strong. Not out of necessity, but to defend the Players Championship Finals and keep his pursuit of a fully historic trophy haul alive.
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For the time being, however, the focus is entirely on the World Matchplay. If Littler showcases his class there once more, the comparison with Phil Taylor will only grow stronger.
Kieran WoodDarts Journalist
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He contributes to DartsNews.com, where he covers professional darts through news, match reports, analysis, and live coverage across the PDC calendar and major tournaments.
A key part of his work is on-site reporting from leading events. Kieran has covered the PDC World Darts Championship in person, reporting daily from the venue and providing first-hand insight from the tournament. During his coverage, he has conducted interviews with leading players including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Gerwyn Price.
He is also one of the leading voices of the English-language Dartsnews Podcast, contributing regular analysis and discussion on developments across the professional darts circuit.
In his reporting, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles when new, verified information becomes available.
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- 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
- Littler lost to crabtree in the youth/junior/whatever you call it. He had no point in being there. He's unfortunately now got to the stage,he feels all he has to do is get on the stage to win. Well,I hope he realises part of his fear factor has gone. Happened to Taylor,then van gerwen,and it's causing him to realise pretty sharp,he isn't unstoppable. It's good for the sport,not 1 single player in my 60 years has ever,or will ever be, unbeatable.rick6725-10-2026
- I think it's great to see Mark Webster looking good,good ladrick6725-10-2026
- I agree,I can't believe the lack of coverage of this sad loss. Always enjoyed watching him,but I guess now it's all about littler,well it seems that way. Darts has sadly lost a good manrick6717-10-2026
- In the absence of a report regarding the death of Stefan Lord, I'll assist. An excellent player in the late 70s and early 80s, he actually won the now defunct 3rd place match at two World Championships and a couple of the News of the World Championships. A fabulous player and easily the best Swedish player ever. Rest peacefully Stefan.richieburnettrocks16-10-2026
- Joking aside, it is the second most watched sport on sky (more than golf, F1 etc) behind football only, and in participation is second to only football and swimming. It doesn't get the attention or sponsorship of "bigger" sports because it's not as sexy, but it's right up there.BandB13-10-2026