Luke Littler

Luke Littler (born 21 January 2007) is an English professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is ranked world number one. Nicknamed "the Nuke", Littler has won two PDC World Darts Championships, in 2025 and 2026, and is the youngest world champion in darts history (17 years, 347 days). He has won 14 PDC major singles titles—ranked third all-time—and a total of 30 PDC titles. Born and raised in Warrington, Littler established himself on the World Darts Federation (WDF) circuit. After winning the 2023 PDC World Youth Championship and five PDC Development Tour titles, Littler made his PDC World Championship debut at the 2024 edition, aged 16; as a 66/1 outsider, he reached the final and was defeated by Luke Humphries. That year, he won his first three PDC major titles, including the Premier League. He defeated Michael van Gerwen to claim his maiden World Championship in 2025, a year where he won six other majors—including his first World Matchplay—and became the youngest world No. 1 in PDC history. He retained his title at the 2026 World Championship, defeating Gian van Veen and becoming the fourth player to win successive PDC world titles. He has won four further major singles titles in 2026, as well as the World Cup of Darts for England, where he teamed with Humphries. Littler's rise to prominence at age 16 led to an increased public interest in darts, a phenomenon dubbed the "Littler effect" or "Littlermania". He is a two-time PDC Player of the Year and was named BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year in 2024. He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2025 Birthday Honours and featured in Time's list of "The 100 Most Influential People in Sports 2026".