Littler Aims for Maiden Title at 2026 World Masters

The 2026 PDC season is set to kick off with the World Masters in Milton Keynes, where Luke Littler will be seeking his first major title. The tournament, scheduled to take place from January 29 to February 1, is one of the two major televised events that Littler needs to win in order to complete a clean sweep of darts honors. However, he will face stiff competition from defending champion Luke Humphries and World Darts Championship runner-up Gian van Veen, who will be making his tournament debut. Other top players, including Jonny Clayton, Stephen Bunting, Josh Rock, and Gerwyn Price, will also be vying for the top prize. The tournament will feature 32 players, including 24 pre-qualified players and eight additional players who will qualify from the Preliminary Rounds on January 28. The competition will take place at Arena MK, with a total prize pot of £500,000. The format of the tournament will consist of the best-of-three-legs set format, with no tiebreaks used in any set. The schedule for the tournament is as follows: Preliminary Rounds on January 28, Round One on January 29 and 30, Round Two on January 30 and 31, Quarter-Finals on January 31, Semi-Finals on February 1, and the Final on February 1.