When can Luke Littler become World Number One in PDC Order of Merit for the first time?

The conclusion of the darts season has begun. Starting in the month of October, the television tournaments follow in rapid succession and major shifts can occur on the world rankings. Another interesting question is how long Luke Humphries will hold the first spot on the PDC Order of Merit.

Humphries has led the PDC Order of Merit for nearly two years. But a good portion of the prize money "Cool Hand Luke" earned during the period October 2023 through January 2024. After all, during this time frame, Humphries won the World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts, Players Championship Finals and the World Darts Championship.

This successful period put him comfortably at the top of the PDC Order of Merit for a long time, but in the coming weeks Humphries will have to defend the prize money he won. The 30-year-old Englishman now leads the rankings with 1,804,750 pounds, but if you subtract the money Humphries has to defend over the next three months, that leaves 910,500 pounds.

The biggest contender to succeed Humphries as world number one is Luke Littler. After all, 'The Nuke' has the advantage of having nothing to defend until the World Darts Championship. The difference now is still 259,250 pounds in Humphries' favor, but this lead could quickly evaporate.

After all, Humphries already has to defend 120,000 pounds at the World Grand Prix. In theory, Littler could take over the number-one position in darts from his great rival as early as this month, although everything would have to go right.

If Littler wins the World Grand Prix and Humphries loses his first match, Humphries falls to 1,684,750 pounds and Littler brings his total to 1,665,500 pounds. That would leave the difference between the two Englishmen after the World Grand Prix at only 19,250 pounds. Then, in theory, Littler could take over first place from Humphries at the next two Pro Tour tournaments in Wigan on Oct. 14-15, with the German Darts Championship in Hildesheim later that week (Oct. 17-19). But this is only a realistic scenario if Humphries loses all his matches.

More likely, Littler will become the new world number one if he manages to win both the World Grand Prix and the European Championship. That would give 'The Nuke' a total of £240,000 in prize money. That would bring his total to £1,785,500, plus his earnings at the two Pro Tours and the Euro Tour in Hildesheim.

Humphries has to defend a total of 158,750 pounds of prize money this month. So if you subtract that from his current total, he comes out to £1,646,000. Should Littler take the title at both the World Grand Prix and the European Championship, Humphries will need to grab at least 139,500 pounds this month to maintain his number-one position.

Should Littler not succeed in taking over first place on the PDC Order of Merit this month, new opportunities await in November. Then, with the Grand Slam of Darts and the Players Championship Finals, there are two more major tournaments on the schedule where Humphries has a title to defend.

After the PDC World Darts Championship, the cards will undoubtedly be shuffled again. After all, the winner of the world title will receive the top prize of one million pounds. So there is a good chance that the new world champion will also become the world number one whether Littler or not.