"The World Cup is one I really want" - Luke Littler names success for England one of his biggest targets in 2026

Luke Littler has etched his name permanently into darts history. The 18-year-old Englishman was crowned world champion at Alexandra Palace for the second year running and joined a highly exclusive club. With a commanding 7-1 victory over Gian van Veen, Littler lifted the iconic Sid Waddell Trophy again and became only the fourth player ever to successfully defend his PDC world title.

After Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis, and Gary Anderson, Luke Littler can now also call himself a back-to-back world champion. And as if that were not impressive enough, the teenage sensation made even more history: Littler is the very first player to receive the prize money of a staggering one million pounds for winning the World Darts Championship, following the recent increases to PDC prize funds.

Littler beamed from ear to ear afterwards. “It feels amazing, dreams have come true once again at Ally Pally” he said in comments collected by the PDC. “It’s special to join those greats on that list of players to go back-to-back, it’s amazing.”

The road to the title was anything but easy. The Worlds featured a longer format this year, which took its toll both physically and mentally. Yet Littler remained virtually untouchable. Across seven matches he dropped just four sets — a feat surpassed only by Phil Taylor.

“We’ve put so much hard work in, and in a longer tournament this year we’ve definitely felt it - it’s been a long tournament but we’ve come out on top."

Beyond sporting glory, Littler also cashed in significantly. As the first player ever, he collected a check for one million pounds. “The first winner of the £1m prize, that’s pretty special. I can treat myself to a few things now - I’m still not sure what!”

With that win, Littler continues to deliver on the sport’s biggest stage. At Alexandra Palace he has so far lost only one of his twenty matches — a statistic that underscores his status as a true crowd favorite and tournament specialist.

The final against Gian van Veen also entered the record books for another reason. With an 18-year-old and a 23-year-old finalist, it was the youngest World Championship final in PDC history. The clash symbolized the rise of a new generation of players.

Van Veen himself is enjoying a lightning-fast breakthrough. The Dutchman is now European champion, the new world number three, and the Dutch number one. Littler sees him as a long-term rival.

“It’s definitely a rivalry that will come for a long time. We’ve still got Luke Humphries and Michael van Gerwen, of course. In the Premier League, Gian and I are going to be battling it out week-in week-out. We’re only going to get better with each other. To see so many youngsters getting involved with the game, it means a lot. As long as I win titles, they’ll hopefully keep supporting.”

The parallels with darts legend Phil Taylor keep piling up. Like Littler, Taylor lost his first World Championship final before winning the title twice in a row. Taylor then added six more consecutive world crowns — but Littler refuses to look too far ahead. “You can always improve,” admitted Littler. “I was looking at statistics last night from across my three tournaments at the World Championship - 2026 is going to be another busy year."

“It’s one of those things you see scrolling on social media, people putting your stats on. I wouldn’t go and search what’s there and what’s to be broken, but people will post it and I’ll see it. We can see what happens. The build-up to the World Championship begins in November for me, but once it comes to the next one, I will be ready again."

For Littler the focus is clear: keep performing and strengthen his position as world number one. “I definitely want to extend that lead at world number one. Phil was up there for several thousands of days; I just want to stay on top for as long as I can.”

Despite his impressive résumé, three major titles still elude Littler: the World Masters, the World Cup of Darts, and the European Championship. His hunger for success is far from satisfied. “This is always what I wanted to do. I’m going to get better and keep practicing, and hopefully more titles will come in 2026," Littler warns his rivals. “The World Masters, the European Championship and the World Cup are the ones I really want. Luke Humphries will want that World Cup as well."

Finally, Littler signed off with a message that perfectly sums up his mentality: “As a player, you’re on your own fighting for these trophies. We will see what unfolds this year."