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Luke Littler delivered a breathtaking performance to decisively defeat Gian van Veen 7-1, securing his second consecutive PDC World Championship title. At just 18 years old, Littler has now joined a distinguished group of players—Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis, and Gary Anderson—who have successfully defended their world titles. This triumph marks Littler’s second championship win in only his third appearance at the iconic Alexandra Palace.
With this victory, Littler moves closer to the all-time record held by Taylor, who has 14 PDC world titles, and Michael van Gerwen, who has three. Although he remains 12 titles behind Taylor, Littler’s dominant display against Van Veen has intensified speculation that the young player, known as “The Nuke,” could eventually challenge this seemingly unreachable milestone. Reflecting on his achievement, Littler told Sky Sports, “It’s very special. We’ve got to keep going, we’ve got to keep adding more titles. We can’t stop here. We’re still on this rollercoaster.”
Throughout the final, Littler maintained an impressive average of over 107, ultimately finishing with 106.02, well ahead of Van Veen’s just under 100 average. Securing his lead with a spectacular 147 checkout, Littler celebrated vocally as he acknowledged the cheering crowd that had supported him throughout the match. After clinching the £1 million prize, Littler’s emotions surfaced, shedding tears as he received congratulations from Van Veen before being awarded the Sid Waddell Trophy by Olympic cycling star Sir Chris Hoy.
Van Veen, who is set to rise to number three in the PDC world rankings and will participate in the Premier League for the first time, started the final strongly. The 23-year-old Dutch player claimed the first leg and opening set with a 12-dart finish featuring a 116 checkout. However, his momentum stalled as Littler surged back with remarkable checkouts of 145 and 127 in the second set and matched Van Veen’s 116 to level the score. Littler’s dominance continued with a 170 checkout and a sweeping win of the fourth set, taking a 3-1 lead after winning nine of the last ten legs.
Despite Van Veen’s attempt to regain form with a 137 checkout early in the fifth set and the distraction of a wasp at Alexandra Palace, Littler remained unfazed, continuing to press forward and closing out the match in style. Van Veen acknowledged Littler’s superiority, telling Sky Sports, “The scoring maybe tonight wasn’t my greatest game in the whole tournament. Luke wasn’t in the mood to give me any more chances. He played phenomenally. I missed too many chances to make it an even game. That’s why he’s world number one by a margin now and back-to-back world champion.”
This back-to-back world championship win crowns a sensational year for Littler, who has dominated the sport by securing five major titles in total. His victories include the prestigious World Matchplay, completing darts’ coveted triple crown alongside wins at the UK Open, Grand Slam of Darts, and World Grand Prix. Former PDC professional Matt Edgar praised Littler on BBC Radio 5 Live, saying, “He just keeps improving and getting better and I still don’t think we’ve seen the best of Luke Littler yet. I think we’re playing him down, I think he’s better than what everyone says.” Similarly, Wayne Mardle, a five-time World Championship semi-finalist, told Sky Sports, “There’s nothing he can’t do on a dartboard. It was like Phil Taylor, when he played well, he won. When he plays well, he’s winning. It really is about him at the moment. The format doesn’t matter any more. He’s just the best.”
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