Could Luke Littler dominate like Phil Taylor – or even surpass the legend?

Luke Littler successfully defended his title at the PDC World Darts Championship, held at London’s Alexandra Palace. With this triumph, the young star crowned a remarkable season in which he collected five major titles, and if his current trajectory continues, he could well claim the status of world number one for many years to come.

Littler became only the fourth player in the history of the PDC World Championship to defend his title, following in the footsteps of Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis and Gary Anderson.

The player, who will celebrate his 19th birthday on January 21, achieved a feat last accomplished by Anderson back in 2016. In the final, Littler produced a dominant 7–1 victory over the impressive Gian van Veen, in what became the youngest World Championship final ever based on the combined age of the two finalists.The world champion has now lost just one match at the Alexandra Palace to date — the 2024 final against Luke Humphries — and his performance throughout this year’s tournament was nothing short of outstanding. Littler averaged 106.02 and finished with a 46 percent checkout success rate, while his 16 maximums in the final saw him overtake semi-finalist Gary Anderson (59). With a total of 73 180s during the tournament, Littler also claimed the Ballon d’Art (Golden Dart) award.

Littler among the greats

“He’s like Phil Taylor in his prime: when he plays well, he wins. Right now, everything revolves around him. The format doesn’t matter — he’s simply the best,”

said Wayne Mardle.Mardle did, however, point out that after Adrian Lewis’s World Championship victories in 2011 and 2012, many believed he would go on to win three, four or even five more titles. That example perfectly illustrates how unpredictable such dominant runs can be — and why they make achievements like this all the more special.