Luke Littler Makes History with Second Consecutive PDC World Darts Title

In a thrilling showdown at the Alexandra Palace, 18-year-old Luke Littler secured his second consecutive PDC World Darts Championship title, defeating Gian van Veen in a best-of-13-set match. The event was marked by an electrifying atmosphere as the young prodigy demonstrated his dominance on the dartboard.

Littler faced an early challenge, dropping the first set of the match. However, he quickly regained control, showcasing his exceptional scoring ability and relentless focus. Van Veen struggled to match Littler’s intensity, and the latter’s performance was nothing short of spectacular. He hit multiple 180s and high checkouts, ultimately sealing the victory with a 147 checkout.

The win not only earned Littler the £1 million prize but also made him the first player since Gary Anderson in 2016 to claim back-to-back titles. His performance throughout the tournament was a testament to his skill and composure under pressure.

A Brief Interruption During the Match

Despite the overall dominance of Littler, the match experienced a brief interruption when Van Veen cut his hand, leaving a small blob of blood on the dartboard. This led to the board being replaced, temporarily halting the momentum of the contest. However, Van Veen managed to win a leg in the eighth set, showing some resilience. Nevertheless, Littler’s laser-like focus remained unshaken, and he turned the final stages of the match into a procession.

Tournament Schedule and Results

The World Darts Championship featured a rigorous schedule, with matches held over several weeks leading up to the final. Below is a summary of key results from the tournament:

Key Matches

• Thursday, December 11
• Kim Huybrechts 1-3 Arno Merk
• Michael Smith 3-0 Lisa Ashton
• Luke Littler 3-0 Darius Labanauskas

• Madars Razma 3-1 Jamai van den Herik

• Friday, December 12

• Niels Zonneveld 3-0 Haupai Puha
• Ian White 3-2 Mervyn King
• Ryan Searle 3-0 Chris Landman

• Rob Cross 3-0 Cor Dekker

• Saturday, December 13

• Mario Vandenbogaerde 0-3 David Davies
• Andrew Gilding 3-1 Cam Crabtree
• Luke Woodhouse 3-1 Boris Krcmar

• Gary Anderson 3-2 Adam Hunt

• Sunday, December 14

• Ritchie Edhouse 0-3 Jonny Tata
• Dom Taylor 3-0 Oskar Lukasiak
• Richard Veenstra 2-3 Nitin Kumar

• Joe Cullen 3-0 Bradley Brooks

• Monday, December 15

• Brendan Dolan 3-1 Tavis Dudeney
• Cameron Menzies 2-3 Charlie Manby
• Mensur Suljovic 3-1 David Cameron

• Peter Wright 3-0 Noa-Lynn van Leuven

• Tuesday, December 16

• Alan Soutar 3-2 Teemu Harju
• Nick Kenny 0-3 Justin Hood
• Scott Williams 3-0 Paolo Nebrida

• Chris Dobey 3-1 Xiaochen Zong

• Wednesday, December 17

• Matt Campbell 1-3 Adam Sevada
• Raymond van Barneveld 0-3 Stefan Bellmont
• James Wade 3-0 Ryusei Azemoto

• Martin Schindler 3-1 Stephen Burton

• Thursday, December 18

• Callan Rydz 3-0 Patrik Kovacs
• Thibault Tricole 0-3 Motomu Sakai
• Ryan Joyce 3-0 Owen Bates

• Mike De Decker 2-3 David Munyua

• Friday, December 19

• Kevin Doets 3-1 Matthew Dennant
• Ryan Meikle 3-0 Jesus Salate
• Mickey Mansell 2-3 Leonard Gates

• Josh Rock 3-1 Gemma Hayter

• Saturday, December 20

• Ryan Searle 3-0 Brendan Dolan
• Andreas Harrysson 3-0 Motomu Sakai
• Dirk van Duijvenbode 2-3 James Hurrell

• Dave Chisnall 2-3 Ricardo Pietreczko

• Sunday, December 21

• Luke Littler 3-0 David Davies
• Joe Cullen 1-3 Mensur Suljovic
• Damon Heta 3-2 Stefan Bellmont

• Rob Cross 3-1 Ian White

• Monday, December 22

• Darren Beveridge 1-3 Madars Razma
• Wessel Nijman 0-3 Gabriel Clemens
• David Munyua 0-3 Kevin Doets

• James Wade 2-3 Ricky Evans

• Tuesday, December 23

• Jonny Tata 2-3 Ryan Meikle
• Daryl Gurney 2-3 Callan Rydz
• Jermaine Wattimena 3-2 Scott Williams

• Peter Wright 0-3 Arno Merk

• Saturday, December 27

• Wesley Plaisier 3-4 Kryzsztof Ratajski
• Andrew Gilding 1-4 Luke Woodhouse

• Jonny Clayton 4-3 Niels Zonneveld

• Sunday, December 28

• Martin Schindler 0-4 Ryan Searle
• Damon Heta 0-4 Rob Cross

• Gary Anderson 4-3 Jermaine Wattimena

• Monday, December 29

• Justin Hood 4-1 Ryan Meikle
• Ricky Evans 2-4 Charlie Manby

• Nathan Aspinall 3-4 Kevin Doets

• Tuesday, December 30

• Luke Woodhouse 2-4 Krzysztof Ratajski
• Jonny Clayton 4-2 Andreas Harrysson

• Justin Hood 4-0 Josh Rock

• Thursday, January 1

• Ryan Searle 5-2 Jonny Clayton

• Gary Anderson 5-2 Justin Hood

• Friday, January 2

• Luke Littler 6-1 Ryan Searle
• Gian van Veen 6-3 Gary Anderson

How to Watch the World Darts Championship

For those interested in following the tournament, the event is broadcast on Sky Sports. Every session is available to watch live on Sky Sports Darts, with some sessions also shown on Sky Sports Main Event. Subscribers can also stream the action online through the Sky Go app.