“Luke Littler is so good – he will retain his World Championship title,” predicts Sky Sports activities’ Wayne Mardle, whereas Mark Webster feels {the teenager} is “ticking boxes”.
Littler has his sights set on changing into the primary individual in a decade to efficiently defend the title.
The Warrington slinger turned the youngest world champion when he beat Michael van Gerwen within the 2025 closing and his star has solely risen since.
The 18-year-old has gained 5 main titles since then, together with the Gamers Championship final weekend, and has overtaken Luke Humphries to take a seat on the prime of the rankings.
He’s the heavy favorite to win a second successive crown at Alexandra Palace and can start towards Lithuanian Darius Labanauskas on December 11.
Solely Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis and Gary Anderson have ever defended their title at Ally Pally, with the Scot profitable in 2015 and 2016.
“Littler is unscarred,” Mardle advised Sky Sports activities’ reporter Michael Bridge. “He is the freest darts participant on the planet mentally. There is no such thing as a negatives in any respect. There’s none of this, ‘I’ve tried to win the Worlds earlier than and it did not work out for me’. He is going into every little thing contemporary and with readability of thoughts realizing that he can do no matter he likes.
“He does what he likes. I’m not saying he’s always right. He’s leaving double 15 on purpose and then splitting it. That’s not good board management – that’s poor – but he gets away with it because he is so good.
“If you end up so good, individuals will all the time give it, ‘yeah, however he is so good’. Phil Taylor would go away 162, 163, 169, then win the leg, win the set, win the world championship.
“Michael van Gerwen would hit a 180 to leave double one – ‘Yeah, but he can do what he likes because he’s so good!’
Former Lakeside champion Mark Webster said: “Luke Littler mentioned it himself. For him to not win that event he has to have an off-day and he is not having a lot of them on the minute. He is brimming with confidence. He is ticking containers by profitable tournaments. The world championship is simply one other event for him to win.
“There’s all the glamour around the million pound prize but he just wants to win another tournament.”
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Luke Humphries says his arch-rival Littler is in a league of his personal
Mardle added: “I think it will be a Luke-Luke final. I’ve already predicted it. I think he [Littler] will retain it. I think Luke and Luke are head and shoulders. Littler under pressure in set play has already shown what he can do in the World Grand Prix Final – every big leg, he won!”
One of many standout ties of the primary spherical sees three-time girls’s world champion Beau Greaves tackle World Cup winner Daryl Gurney.
Greaves – who dominated the ladies’s collection in 2025, choosing up 86 consecutive wins and 13 titles in a row – gave Van Gerwen and Anderson a run for his or her cash within the current Grand Slam of Darts and can present a check for the Northern Irishman.
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Talking on Love The Darts, Abigail Davies and Chris Murphy talk about whether or not Beau Greaves must be within the dialog for the Premier League
Former world champion Michael Smith will tackle Lisa Ashton whereas ‘Queen of the Palace’ Fallon Sherrock faces Dave Chisnall.
Two-time world champion Peter Wright has been paired with Noa-Lynn van Leuven and Josh Rock performs Gemma Hayter.
“The Gurney-Beau match and Chizzy against Fallon – they’re the ones that could go either way. They really could,” admitted Mardle.
“Beau Greaves is world class, there’s no doubt about it. There could have been worse draws for Beau and Daryl but they’ve drawn each other. Chizzy is not playing well and Fallon will see that as an opportunity. She’s playing decent.”
“I don’t know if the other ladies will fancy their chances, but they’re not the class of their opponent.”
This 12 months’s event has an prolonged discipline of 128 gamers and all seeded gamers will play twice earlier than Christmas.
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