PREVIEW: Players Championship Finals conclusion including Littler and Humphries with World Youth Championship final

The last night of darts before we start the World Darts Championship in December has arrived. We wrap up Sunday night with the semifinals and finals of the Players Championship Finals.

In between is traditionally the final of the PDC World Youth Championship. For the first time in the history of this tournament, the World Youth title will be won by a Dutchman. Read our preview here.

Luke Littler v Ross Smith

First, we get the answer to the question of who will qualify for the final of the Players Championship Finals. The dream final between Luke Littler and Luke Humphries is still a possibility, but there are two players who are all too eager to put a stop to it.

For now, there is no measure of Littler this tournament. His latest average in four matches was 103.73, and his highest 112.73. The English teenage sensation swept Rob Cross (6-0) off the stage in his opening match, before also toppling Ritchie Edhouse (6-2), Danny Noppert (10-3) and Mike de Decker (10-3).

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In the last four, Ross Smith will be his opponent. 'Smudger' showed in his first and fourth games the level he will need to have some chance against Littler. The 35-year-old Englishman opened with a 6-1 win over Dimitri van den Bergh with an average of 104.73. In his quarterfinal against Scott Williams (10-3), Smith reached an average of 105.26. In between, he won over Wesley Plaisier (6-1) and Andrew Gilding (10-1) with averages around 90.

The two will meet for the fourth time this season. Smith surprisingly won the first meeting 6-5 in early April, but the same month Littler took revenge by beating Smith 7-2 in the semifinals of a Euro Tour tournament. On Dutch soil, the two players faced each other in September at the World Series Finals in Amsterdam. Then the win went 6-5 to Littler.

Luke Littler is now 11 matches unbeaten on television, having already won the Grand Slam of Darts earlier this month

Dirk van Duijvenbode v Luke Humphries

At the right time, Dirk van Duijvenbode seems to be returning to form, with the start of the World Darts Championship next month in mind. After his quarterfinal at the European Darts Championship in October, 'Aubergenius' is now in the last four at a major for the first time in two years.

Van Duijvenbode defeated consecutively Callan Rydz (6-1), Florian Hempel (6-3), Jermaine Wattimena (10-5) and Connor Scutt (10-9). With the exception of the match against Hempel, Van Duijvenbode showed a good level each time with averages close to 100.

But with Luke Humphries as an opponent, Van Duijvenbode now meets an absolute world-class player for the first time this tournament. Humphries makes this tournament mainly a changeable impression. At times brilliant, but also very sloppy at times. Nevertheless, the defending champion in Minehead against Gabriel Clemens (6-2), Raymond van Barneveld (6-3), Damon Heta (10-6) and Ryan Joyce (10-5) did not get into trouble.

The head-to-head is well in the Englishman's favor. Indeed, Humphries won nine of the 12 previous confrontations. Meanwhile, the current world champion is already five matches in a row unbeaten against the Dutchman. At the majors, Humphries leads 4-0 against Van Duijvenbode, of which their encounter at this year's UK Open was the most recent. Then the victory went 10-7 to 'Cool Hand Luke'.

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Gian van Veen v Jurjen van der Velde

As in past years, the final of the PDC World Youth Championship will be played between the semifinals and finals of the Players Championship Finals. In October, the biggest talents at the PDC in the under 24 category competed for a spot in the final. In the end it was Gian van Veen and Jurjen van der Velde who secured a spot in the final.

As a result, it is already certain that the fourteenth edition of the PDC World Youth Championship will be the first time a Dutchman will stand with the cup in his hands. Michael van Gerwen (2011 and 2012), Berry van Peer (2016) and Gian van Veen (2023) reached the final in the past, but did not win the youth world title. Van Veen lost in last year's final to Luke Littler, who decided not to defend his title.

The stakes are lower for Van Veen than for his compatriot Van der Velde. The finalists are both qualified for the Grand Slam of Darts 2025, while only the winner receives an invitation to the World Darts Championship. Van Veen, however, has already qualified for the tournament at Alexandra Palace. If he becomes the new World Youth Champion, an additional World Championship spot will be up for grabs at the qualifying tournament for Tour Card holders on Monday. Van der Velde will therefore qualify for the World Darts Championship if he wins the youth world title.

In advance, Van Veen is by far the big favorite to win the tournament. The 22-year-old Dutchman is the current number 28 in the world and has already beaten several world top players on the television stage. Van der Velde has hardly any experience on the big stage and currently occupies the 84th spot on the PDC Order of Merit. The mutual balance is also well in favor of Van Veen, who managed to win seven of the previous nine matches between them.

The final of the PDC World Youth Championship goes between Gian van Veen and Jurjen van der Velde

TV Guide

The Players Championship Finals will be broadcast on ITV4 in full. A second stage will be used during the first two days of play. The matches on this stage can be seen on PDC TV. The afternoon sessions will start at 1:50 p.m., while the evening sessions over the weekend will begin at 8 p.m.

Distribution of prize money

During the Players Championship Finals, 600,000 pounds of prize money will be distributed. This event is taking place for the sixteenth time. The first edition was in 2009, when a total of 200,000 pounds was made available. Then the winner went home with the top prize of 50,000.

Meanwhile, the winner of the Players Championship Finals gets more than double. All 64 participants in the Players Championship Finals are guaranteed a starting premium of 3,000 pounds. This amount eventually rises to a £120,000 reward for the winner of the tournament.

Format

First round: Best of 11 legs

Second round: Best of 11 legs

Third round: Best of 19 legs

Quarterfinals: Best of 19 legs

Semifinals: Best of 21 legs

Final: Best of 21 legs

Schedule Players Championship Finals 2024

Sunday, Nov. 24

Afternoon session (from 12:45 p.m.)

Quarterfinals

Mike De Decker (97.40) 3-10 (103.73) Luke Littler

Scott Williams (96.99) 3-10 (105.26) Ross Smith

Connor Scutt (98.75) 9-10 (96.69) Dirk van Duijvenbode

Luke Humphries (95.50) 10-5 (91.10) Ryan Joyce

Evening session (from 7 p.m.)

Semi-final

Luke Littler v Ross Smith

Dirk van Duijvenbode v Luke Humphries

Final PDC World Youth Championship

Gian van Veen v Jurjen van der Velde

Players Championship Finals

Littler/Smith v Van Duijvenbode/Humphries