"We hold him to such high standards... He is a child" - Luke Littler defended after emotional reaction to England’s World Cup exit

England’s early departure from the 2025 World Cup of Darts has reignited debate around Luke Littler, as the teenage star once again finds himself at the centre of intense public scrutiny.

Paired with reigning world number one Luke Humphries, the highly anticipated duo were widely tipped to deliver England’s first World Cup title since 2016. But their campaign came to an abrupt end in the second round with a disappointing 8-4 defeat to Germany’s Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko.

Roared on by a partisan home crowd inside a lively Eissporthalle in Frankfurt, the German pair dominated from the outset. Littler and Humphries struggled to find any rhythm, and their frustrations became increasingly visible. Littler left the stage immediately after the final dart was thrown, while Humphries stayed behind to shake hands and congratulate the victors.

The reaction to the loss – and to Littler’s body language – has sparked fierce discussion across social media and within the darts community. Sky Sports analyst Abigail Davies believes the criticism aimed at Littler is symptomatic of an unrealistic standard being applied to the 18-year-old.

"Luke Littler is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't," Davies tells Sky Sports' Love the Darts podcast. "He storms off stage, had he stayed on stage it would have been 'he doesn't care enough, he is doing this, he is doing that'. He storms off and it is 'he cares too much'. He just cannot win."

Davies was quick to defend the teenager, highlighting that despite his incredible success, he is still only just out of school. "Also, he is 18 years of age and we just hold him to such high standards and on such a pedestal with things like this," she says. "Of course he is going to show these bursts of emotion, of course he is - like everybody throughout their career does."

While commending Humphries’ maturity in defeat, Davies also pointed to the difference in experience: "Yes, Luke Humphries showed immense class by staying on stage. He reacted as someone would if they are 12 years older because that is what Humphries is. I think sometimes we are quick to go 'oh he is 18, look at everything he is doing as an 18-year-old' and then when he behaves like an 18-year-old he is not allowed to do that. You are allowed to behave like an 18-year-old for all the good reasons we mention, but anything bad we mention 'oh no we can't have that'. He is a child."

Former pro Matt Edgar also weighed in on England’s premature exit, drawing a surprising comparison with football. "I think he [Littler] will do the World Cup because if he plays it 52 times he will probably win it 50 and he will want to go prove that," Edgar said. "There are some things that have happened off the back of that and we have asked questions now. Beforehand, we were looking for reasons to not pick England, now we have got a reason, and it needs to be answered."

"I have seen all of those memes like the Gerrard and Lampard one. But how true. Two of the greatest midfielders we have had could not work together. Then it makes you think about other things like if you put Ronaldo and Messi up front together, does that work? Probably not," Edgar concludes. "Does this work as a partnership? I think it does but with there being a question mark there I think it makes the World Cup next year so exciting."