Luke Littler, currently ranked as the world’s number one darts competitor, has already captured every major tournament on the calendar for 2026. His impressive haul includes the World Championship, World Masters, UK Open and World Matchplay, alongside the Premier League and World Cup titles that have already filled his 2026 trophy cabinet.
With these victories, Littler is on the brink of becoming only the third player ever to claim a flawless sweep of both ranking and non‑ranking events within a single season. To cement this historic achievement, he still needs to add five further championships to his résumé. Sky Sports has broken down the exact sequence of events that will determine whether Littler can pull off this unprecedented clean sweep. The first obstacle on his path arrives this Friday at the World Series of Darts Finals.
The defending champion, Michael van Gerwen, will be looking to retain his title after defeating Littler 11‑7 in front of a fervent Dutch crowd in Amsterdam earlier this year. Despite that loss, the Englishman already possesses a World Series title of his own, having overcome Michael Smith 11‑4 in the 2024 edition. A week later, the spotlight shifts to the World Grand Prix, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports from 28 September to 4 October.
Littler’s opening match pits him against Luke Woodhouse, a seasoned opponent who could make the first round a stern test. The Grand Prix is notorious for its double‑in, double‑out format, a structure Littler has previously admitted he finds frustrating.
He once described the tournament as "one of the toughest events to win, alongside the Worlds, the Matchplay and the Premier League." Nevertheless, that format did not hinder him in 2025, when he dispatched world number two Luke Humphries with a decisive 6‑1 victory in the final. Following the Grand Prix, Littler’s itinerary takes him to Dortmund for the European Championship – the sole major title that has so far escaped his collection.
In the most recent edition in 2025, he suffered a 10‑7 defeat to James Wade in the second round. A triumph in Dortmund would give him a complete set of major titles, a feat no player has ever accomplished. Michael van Gerwen came close in 2016 and 2017, but fell short of the World Cup of Darts, leaving Littler the only contender to achieve the full sweep. If he secures the European Championship, the next challenge will be the Grand Slam in Wolverhampton, where he aims to claim a third consecutive title.
After that, the schedule leads to Minehead for the Players Championship. Littler previously won this event in 2025, beating Nathan Aspinall 11‑8 in the final, and he will be eager to defend that crown. Should the teenager manage to capture all of these remaining events, he will become the first darts player ever to win every major tournament in a single calendar year.
However, the road to the Players Championship is far from straightforward. The Pro Tour rankings currently place Littler at 125th on the Players Championship Order of Merit, with only £10,500 in prize money earned so far. Only the top 64 competitors qualify for the finals weekend in Minehead, meaning he must climb at least 61 places.
By contrast, Shane McGuirk sits in 64th place with £27,500, having competed in just six Players Championship events this year. To overtake McGuirk, Littler would need to generate an additional £17,000 in earnings. Each remaining Players Championship event awards £15,000 to the winner, so a single victory, combined with modest earnings in the other tournaments, could be enough to secure his spot in the Minehead finals.
Littler’s recent form on the Pro Tour offers both hope and concern. In August, after missing the first 26 Players Championship events, he returned to the floor events in Leicester. There, he reached a quarter‑final in one tournament and a semi‑final in another, but fell short of the titles needed to close the prize‑money gap. With six events left – three in Den Bosch and three in Leicester – the clock is ticking for the world number one to amass the necessary earnings.
In summary, Littler’s quest for a clean sweep hinges on a demanding schedule: the World Series Finals, the World Grand Prix, the European Championship, the Grand Slam, and finally the Players Championship. Each tournament presents its own set of challenges, from facing seasoned veterans like van Gerwen and Woodhouse to navigating the unique double‑in, double‑out format of the Grand Prix. Moreover, his position on the Pro Tour Order of Merit adds a financial hurdle that he must overcome to qualify for the final Players Championship event.
If he can surmount these obstacles, Luke Littler will not only solidify his status as the dominant force of 2026 but also rewrite the record books as the first player to claim every major darts title within a single year. Fans can follow his progress live on Sky Sports, with streaming options available through NOW for those who prefer to watch without a long‑term contract.
The coming months promise high‑stakes drama, and the darts world will be watching closely to see whether Littler can complete the ultimate clean sweep.