Matchday Correspondent Aaron Davoren looks into Luke Littler’s successful defence of his PDC World Championship title during a record-breaking tournament at Alexandra Palace.
The festive period, to many, is a time for celebration. Many spend time with friends and family, and stuff their face with as much food and drink as physically possible. An ever-increasing number of people have also added the PDC World Darts Championship into their yearly festive traditions.
This year, the teenage sensation Luke Littler retained his PDC World Championship in what was a record-breaking edition of the tournament in more ways than one. The 2026 tournament saw 128 players step up to the Alexandra Palace oche. This resulted in a more diverse playing field than ever, with 48 international spots. More players created more drama and more upsets, giving birth to iconic characters on centre stage in world darts.
Another record smashed was the prize money total. The prize pool doubled to £5m, with the winner receiving a record £1m. This signifies the sensational upward trajectory the sport of darts is on.
A big factor of the dramatic rise of popularity in the sport is the 18-year-old world number one. Having burst onto the scene two years ago, Littler dramatically made it to the final as a 16-year-old, falling just short in a 7-4 loss to current world number two Luke Humphries. The incredible story hooked many viewers to the sport ever since, with a reported 3.7 million people tuning in to watch the 2024 final.
Littler showed his otherworldly class and defeated the Dutchman 7–1, becoming only the fourth player in history to win back-to-back PDC World Championship titles.
Since then, Littler has taken leaps and bounds, becoming the indisputable world number one. This tournament cemented this statement, having eased past the first three rounds without losing a single set. Round four saw Littler defeat Rob Cross 4-2, averaging an astonishing 107 per three darts.
The tight game was not the main talking point the next morning though, as the teenager's explosive post-match interview went viral on social media, creating much debate among the darts fanbase. A significant section of the Alexandra Palace arena booed Littler throughout the match. Having previously been the crowd's shining prince, with his incredible success, the crowd no longer saw him as the underdog, which caused certain sections to back his opponent.
Littler, clearly not used to the backlash, bit back at the crowd, repeating the now famous line, “I’m not bothered.” Laughing, Littler stated an even more punchy line: “You guys pay for tickets that pay for my prize money, so thank you. Thank you for my money, thanks for booing me!" This dramatic moment split the darts world into two. Some defended the teenager, blaming the crowd for bringing down yet another young, sporting icon of their country. Others saw the comments as arrogant and rude, showing a lack of respect to the paying audience. Whatever people think, it certainly created great viewing entertainment and more eyeballs towards the sport.
Littler went on to defeat Krzysztof Ratajski 5-0 and Ryan Searle 6-1 to pave his way smoothly to the final against Gian van Veen. The latter impressed in a fantastic semi-final affair against Gary Anderson, defeating the Scotsman 6-3. The two previously met in the 2023 Winmau World Youth Championship final, with a new era of darts being born in the years since.
The sport of darts is usually stereotyped as an old man's game. With the final between an 18 year old and a 23 year old, this can no longer be the case. Despite immense hype, Littler showed his otherworldly class and defeated the Dutchman 7-1, becoming only the fourth player in history to win back-to-back PDC World Championship titles.
What many dub “The Littler Effect”, darts has exploded since the teenager burst onto the world stage two years ago. Darts has always been big to many but there is no doubt that Littler’s rise has had a phenomenal impact on the sport’s popularity and culture with many viewing it historically as a “pub sport”.
You guys pay for tickets that pay for my money, so thank you.
The rise of the sport can also be seen here in UCD, as last year saw the emergence of the UCD Darts Society. With it claiming to be “Ireland’s largest darts society”, it has clearly made a large impact on campus.
Luke Littler is special. The world is his oyster and with age on his side, many will look forward to seeing if he can challenge darts icon Phil Taylor’s record 14 PDC World Championship titles. The young man has confirmed one thing for now - he’s not going anywhere.