Teenager Luke Littler is favourite to win the PDC World Darts Championship: “He’s the Tiger Woods of darts”
The 17-year-old English player has his eyes set on the PDC prize with the tournament running in London from 15 December to 3 January.
Any conversation relating to darts this year would have included the name of Englishman Luke Littler. The 17-year-old has already become one of the sports star attractions with his easy going public profile and legion of followers on social media.
Littler, the 2022 and 2023 junior world champion, was the big revelation during the 2024 World Darts Championship. As the, then 16-year-old devoured opponents on his path to the final rounds at Alexandra Palace in London, he celebrated his wins by devouring kebabs outside the venue to celebrate his wins, as he promised fans he would.
Littler even came close to winning the world title after losing in the final to Luke Humphries. Despite the defeat, ‘The Nuke’ was applauded for an incredible tournament and his showing earned praise from leading names within the sport, including the great Phil Taylor. Littler’s breakthrough saw the young Englishman chosen to compete in the Premier Darts League, where he the title in his debut in 2024.
Darts going global
Littler’s emergence has also meant a breath of fresh air for the world of darts, stuck in the stereotype of an “old school bar sport” with veterans of the game playing whilst smoking and drinking. The emergence of the Warrington native has resonated with a younger generation of fans who want to follow in Littler’s footsteps on the oche with new sponsors getting on board aware that there is a new audience as the sport starts slowly to make a name for itself globally.
Garry Plummer, head of Target Darts, the company that sponsors and supplies Littler with darts for competition, told the BBC about the popularity of the young player in England after his great year. “The magnetic dartboard we launched is selling out and we are talking about around 100,000 units. It costs 20 pounds and is ideal for the little ones to try out. All the toy shops want Littler related products. He is a 17-year-old boy, clean-cut, who doesn’t drink and is a great ambassador.
Barry Hearn, chairman of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), the world’s biggest darts circuit, analysed what Luke Littler’s arrival has meant to his sport and how it has put the world of darts on the map. “Littler is the next Tiger Woods of darts so they have to get used to it: the only way to compete is to keep improving. He never brags about how good he’s been but he’s keen to break records and surpass Phil Taylor’s 16 world titles and 16 World Matchplay titles. And he’s young enough to do that.”
Littler’s popularity, having already earned more than £1m for his tournament results this year, has also led to him being nominated by the BBC for the Young Sportsperson of the Year award, alongside two other promising British sporters such as swimmer William Ellard and skater Sky Brown.
Littler has a serious chance of winning the award (set to be presented on 17 December) before beginning his assault on the 2025 World Darts Championship at ‘Ally Pally’ where the young man from Warrington will be one of the main attractions of the tournament.
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