Luke Littler, the two‑time world champion, still has a chance to qualify for next month’s Players Championship Finals in Minehead, but the question now is what other trophies might still be within his reach. After an extraordinary 12‑month run that saw him dominate the early part of the season, his momentum was halted by a 10‑4 loss to Jonny Clayton in the quarter‑finals of the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam, followed by an unexpected first‑round exit at the World Grand Prix. Despite these setbacks, Littler remains in contention for the Minehead showdown. The teenage phenom entered the year on a tear, having captured the World Championship at Alexandra Palace in January.
That triumph was just the beginning; he went on to win the World Masters, the UK Open, the Premier League, the World Cup of Darts and the World Matchplay – six premier titles in a row, an achievement no player has ever matched in a single calendar year. His ambition was to add the World Series of Darts Finals, the World Grand Prix, the European Championship, the Grand Slam of Darts and finally the Players Championship Finals to complete an unprecedented clean sweep of the season’s biggest events. Clayton’s decisive victory, in which he claimed seven of the last eight legs, ended Littler’s bid for the clean sweep.
The loss was compounded a few weeks later when Littler fell 2‑1 to Luke Woodhouse in the double‑in, double‑out format of the Leicester event, a tournament that also counted toward his qualification hopes. Adding to the disappointment, the 19‑year‑old was beaten by Cam Crabtree in the semi‑finals of the World Youth Championship, a match that would have made him the first player ever to hold both the senior World Championship and the World Youth title simultaneously.
The World Youth final is scheduled for Sunday, 29 November, in Minehead as part of the Players Championship Finals programme. Littler won the senior Players Championship Finals a year earlier, but he has not yet secured a place in this year’s field. With only two ProTour floor events remaining before the Minehead tournament, he must accumulate enough prize money to break into the top 64 of the ProTour Order of Merit. The current cutoff is projected to be around £30,000 after all 34 events have been completed.
Littler sits at 126th place with £10,500, while the 64th spot – occupied by Mike De Decker – holds £29,250. In practical terms, Littler would need to reach at least one final, and possibly both finals, in the remaining events to amass the required earnings. Littler’s 2025 Players Championship Finals victory, where he edged Nathan Aspinall 11‑8, remains a highlight of his young career. Yet his future participation in the final two ProTour tournaments is uncertain.
On the "Love The Darts" podcast, commentator Matt Edgar suggested that Littler is unlikely to compete in those events, noting that the teenager’s focus may have shifted after his unexpected run to the World Youth final. Edgar remarked, "There is an opportunity here to be undisputed champion of the world – to own both of those world championships in the PDC. Playing in the World Youth Championship was an interesting decision. I didn’t think he would make it, but I’m kind of glad he did." Edgar also addressed the controversy surrounding Littler’s presence in the youth tournament, emphasizing that it was a legitimate world championship and not a Development Tour final.
He added, "I’m glad he went to the World Youth Championship, but I think if he had got to the final, then maybe we would have seen him at the ProTours. There’s no point going all the way down to Minehead if you’re not going to play the Players Championship Finals as well. I think he would have played the final two ProTour events had he got into the World Youth final, but now it’s off the cards." Financially, a quarter‑final appearance in a ProTour event yields £4,000, a sum that could bring Littler closer to the qualifying threshold.
However, even that amount would leave him short of the projected £30,000 mark, meaning he would need a deep run – likely a final or a win – in at least one of the remaining tournaments. Beyond qualification, Littler’s broader ambitions remain lofty.
He boasts a flawless record at the Grand Slam of Darts in Wolverhampton, having defended his 2024 title with another victory last year. If he can add another Grand Slam win and then head back to Alexandra Palace for the World Championship, he would be on the verge of becoming the first player since Phil Taylor in 2006 to win three consecutive world titles. Taylor’s own record includes eight straight world championships from 1995 to 2002, a benchmark that still looms over any modern contender. Fans can follow the upcoming Grand Slam of Darts (14‑22 November) and the World Darts Championship (11 December‑3 January) live on Sky Sports, with streaming options available via NOW without a contract.
Whether Littler can overcome the odds, secure enough prize money, and add more silverware to his rapidly growing collection remains to be seen, but his talent and determination suggest that the story is far from over.