World number one and former champion Luke Littler will be the marquee name among the Tour Card Holders and International Qualifiers slated to take part in the upcoming Winmau World Youth Championship on Monday. The tournament’s full 128‑player roster will be locked in after the Development Tour season wraps up this weekend, with the final four Development Tour events (Events 21‑24) scheduled to run in Wigan on October 3‑4. The 2026 edition of the World Youth Championship will feature a round‑robin stage followed by a knockout phase that begins with the last 64 and culminates in the semi‑finals, all of which will be held on Monday, October 5, at the Robin Park Leisure Centre.
Spectators are advised to use the Chrome browser for optimal video playback. Littler’s recent schedule saw him withdraw from Players Championship 29 and 30 after a defeat at the World Series Finals in Amsterdam, effectively ending his bid to qualify for the Minehead finals in November.
Nevertheless, he remains eligible to compete at the venue for the youth event. The championship final is slated for Sunday, November 29, at Butlin’s Minehead Resort, running alongside the Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals. The prize fund has been increased, with the winner now taking home a top prize of £15,000. The 128‑player field will be composed of all age‑eligible PDC Tour Card Holders who accept the invitation, 26 international representatives, and the remaining slots will be filled by the top performers in the final Development Tour Rankings.
During the group stage, competitors will be divided into 32 groups of four, each group containing a single seeded player. Seedings are determined first by the PDC Werner Rankings Ladder and then by the Development Tour Rankings.
The two best players from each group will move on to the knockout rounds, which commence at the last‑64 stage. Again, Chrome is recommended for the most accessible video streaming experience. As the reigning World Youth Champion from 2023, Littler will enter the tournament as the top seed, reflecting his status as world number one.
He will be joined at the top of the seedings by Poland’s Sebastian Bialecki and Ireland’s Keane Barry. Former runner‑up Jurjen van der Velde, who finished second in 2024, will also return, alongside notable names such as Cam Crabtree, Charlie Manby, Owen Bates, and the Czech competitor Adam Gawlas. Among the younger talent, 16‑year‑old Lewis Cook from the Junior Darts Corporation (JDC) circuit will be making his debut, while other rising stars like Kaya Baysal, Archie Self, and Ben Townley have already stepped up to the Development Tour this season. From the PDC Women’s Series rankings, Eleanor Cairns and Kyana Frauenfelder will also be represented.
Two‑time champion Gian van Veen will not be defending his title, and former runner‑up Beau Greaves, who lost to van Veen a year ago, along with Yorick Hofkens, have opted out of the Monday competition. The Winmau World Youth Championship will kick off at 11:30 a.m. on Monday at Robin Park Leisure Centre.
Group matches will be contested over the best of nine legs, while the knockout phase from the last 64 onward will be played over the best of eleven legs. The official lineup for the 2026 Winmau World Youth Championship includes age‑qualified Tour Card Holders such as Luke Littler, Sebastian Bialecki, Keane Barry, Cam Crabtree, Dominik Gruellich, Charlie Manby, Leon Weber, Tavis Dudeney, Adam Gawlas, Owen Bates, Jurjen van der Velde, and Tyler Thorpe. International qualifiers span a wide geographic range: Liam Maendl‑Lawrance (Germany), Mika Donnevert (Germany), Mio Varila (Finland), Alexander Thorvaldsson (Iceland), Daniel Kortbek (Denmark), Ky Smith (Australia), Bailey Marsh (Australia), Jayden Wedemeyer (Australia), Mitchel Beswick (Australia), Jack Sheppard (New Zealand), Hunter Eyles (New Zealand), Zacarno King (New Zealand), Zachary Meeks (USA), Conner Olson (USA), Liam McNeil (Canada), Benjamin Goddard (Canada), Craig Galliano (Gibraltar), Hayden Moodley (South Africa), Jason Britz (South Africa), Eleanor Cairns (England), Kyana Frauenfelder (Netherlands), Lewis Cook (England), Jaichen Song (China), Hiroyuki Tanaka (Japan), Zhijun Cui (China), and Duyana Decena (Philippines). Darts fans can also look forward to a packed schedule on Sky Sports, which continues to be the primary broadcaster for the sport.
Upcoming live events include the World Grand Prix (running until October 4), the Grand Slam of Darts (November 14‑22), and the World Darts Championship (December 10‑January 3). For those who prefer streaming, the NOW platform offers live darts coverage without a contractual commitment.