World number one and former title‑holder Luke Littler will lead the roster of Tour Card Holders and International Qualifiers slated to compete in the upcoming Winmau World Youth Championship on Monday. The tournament will feature a full complement of 128 players, a line‑up that will be confirmed once the Development Tour season wraps up this weekend with Events 21‑24 scheduled for October 3‑4 in Wigan. The 2026 edition of the World Youth Championship will unfold in two distinct phases. The opening round‑robin stage and the subsequent knockout rounds, starting from the last 64 and progressing to the semi‑finals, are set for Monday, 5 October, at the Robin Park Leisure Centre.
Organisers advise spectators to use the Chrome browser for optimal video playback. Littler’s recent schedule has been eventful.
He withdrew from 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, he remains eligible to appear at the venue for the youth event.
The championship final will take place on Sunday, 29 November, at Butlin's Minehead Resort as part of the Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals, with a heightened top prize of £15,000 on offer. The 128‑player field will be composed of all age‑eligible PDC Tour Card Holders who accept the invitation, alongside 26 international representatives.
The remaining spots will be filled by the highest‑ranked players on 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 will be determined first by the PDC Werner Rankings Ladder and then by the Development Tour Rankings. The top two finishers in each group will move on to the knockout stage, beginning at the last‑64 round.
World Champion Littler, who captured the World Youth title in 2023, will be the top seed thanks to his world‑number‑one status, followed 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, joining the likes of Cam Crabtree, Charlie Manby, Owen Bates and Czech competitor Adam Gawlas. Among the younger talent, 16‑year‑old Lewis Cook from the Junior Darts Corporation (JDC) circuit will make his debut, while rising stars such as Kaya Baysal, Archie Self and Ben Townley have stepped up to the Development Tour this season. Female representatives Eleanor Cairns and Kyana Frauenfelder will join the field via the PDC Women’s Series rankings.
Notably, two‑time reigning 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. Matches will kick off at 11:30 am on Monday at the Robin Park Leisure Centre. Group‑stage encounters will be contested over the best of nine legs, with the two best players from each group advancing to the last‑64 knockout round, which will be played over the best of eleven legs.
The tournament’s roster also lists a diverse set of international qualifiers, including representatives from Germany, Finland, Iceland, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, Gibraltar, South Africa, England, the Netherlands, China, Japan, the Philippines and more. Names such as Liam Maendl‑Lawrance, Mika Donnevert, Mio Varila, Alexander Thorvaldsson, Daniel Kortbek, Ky Smith, Bailey Marsh, Jayden Wedemeyer, Mitchel Beswick, Jack Sheppard, Hunter Eyles, Zacarno King, Zachary Meeks, Conner Olson, Liam McNeil, Benjamin Goddard, Craig Galliano, Hayden Moodley, Jason Britz, Jaichen Song, Hiroyuki Tanaka, Zhijun Cui and Duyana Decena illustrate the global reach of the sport. Beyond the youth championship, Sky Sports continues to be the primary broadcaster for darts, covering marquee 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).
Fans can also stream live darts action and additional content through the NOW platform, which offers a contract‑free viewing experience. Overall, the 2026 Winmau World Youth Championship promises a blend of established young stars and fresh faces from around the world, all vying for the prestigious title and a share of the increased prize fund.
With the round‑robin format guaranteeing each participant multiple matches and the knockout stage delivering high‑stakes drama, the event is set to be a showcase of the next generation of darts talent.