World number one and former title‑holder Luke Littler will be the marquee name among the Tour Card Holders and International Qualifiers who will take part in the upcoming Winmau World Youth Championship on Monday. The competition’s full roster of 128 competitors will be confirmed once the Development Tour season wraps up this weekend, after Events 21‑24 are completed in Wigan on 3‑4 October.
The 2026 edition of the World Youth Championship will unfold at the Robin Park Leisure Centre, with the round‑robin stage and the subsequent knockout rounds – from the last 64 right through to the semi‑finals – all scheduled for Monday, 5 October. Spectators are advised to use the Chrome browser for the most reliable video‑player experience. Littler’s recent schedule saw him pull out of Players Championship 29 and 30 after a loss at the World Series Finals in Amsterdam, effectively ending his bid to qualify for the Minehead finals in November. Nevertheless, his presence at the venue remains assured, and he will be a central attraction for fans.
The championship final will be staged on Sunday, 29 November at Butlin’s Minehead Resort, as part of the Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals. The prize pool has been increased, with the champion now set to receive a top prize of £15,000. The 128‑player field will be composed of every age‑eligible PDC Tour Card Holder who accepts an invitation, alongside 26 international representatives.
The remaining slots will be allocated based on the final Development Tour Rankings, ensuring a blend of seasoned professionals and emerging talent. During the group stage, the competitors will be divided into 32 groups of four players each. Every group will contain one seeded player, with seedings determined first by the PDC Werner Rankings Ladder and then by the Development Tour Rankings. Each group will contest a round‑robin format, playing best‑of‑nine‑leg matches.
The two highest‑placed players from each group will advance to the knockout phase, which begins at the last‑64 stage and proceeds in a best‑of‑eleven‑leg format. Littler, who captured the World Youth Championship title in 2023, will enter the tournament as the top seed thanks to his world‑number‑one ranking.
He will be followed in the seeding order by Poland’s Sebastian Bialecki and Ireland’s Keane Barry. Former runner‑up Jurjen van der Velde, who finished second in 2024, will also be back, together with notable names such as Cam Crabtree, Charlie Manby, Owen Bates and Czech Republic’s Adam Gawlas.
Among the younger prospects, 16‑year‑old Lewis Cook from the Junior Darts Corporation (JDC) circuit will be making his debut, alongside rising stars Kaya Baysal, Archie Self and Ben Townley, all of whom have stepped up to the Development Tour this season. The women’s side will be represented by Eleanor Cairns and Kyana Frauenfelder, who earned their spots via the PDC Women’s Series rankings.
Two‑time reigning champion Gian van Veen will not be defending his title, and former runner‑up Beau Greaves – who lost to Van Veen twelve months earlier – and Yorick Hofkens have also opted out of the Monday event. The tournament will kick off at 11:30 am on Monday at the Robin Park Leisure Centre. Group matches will be contested over the best of nine legs, with the top two from each group moving on to the last‑64 knockout round, which 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, among others.
International qualifiers will add further colour to the event, featuring players like 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 continue to follow the sport’s biggest moments on Sky Sports, which remains the primary broadcaster for events such as the World Grand Prix (running until 4 October), the Grand Slam of Darts (14‑22 November) and the World Darts Championship (10 December‑3 January).
For those who prefer streaming, the NOW platform offers live coverage without a long‑term contract, ensuring that viewers can stay up‑to‑date with all the action throughout the season.