Skip to content
Back to the daily read

Daily Read: Sports & Health

Littler to Lead 2026 World Youth Darts Champs

Luke Littler, the current world No 1 and 2023 World Youth Champion, will headline the 2026 Winmau World Youth Championship in the UK. The 128‑player field will be finalized after the Development Tour weekend in Wigan, with the round‑robin phase and knockout stages running from the last 64 to the semi‑finals on Monday, 5 October at the Robin Park Leisure Centre. Littler will be the top seed, joining other Tour Card holders such as Sebastian Bialecki and Keane Barry, and international qualifiers from 20 countries. The top two players in each of the 32 groups will advance to the last 64, where matches are best of 11 legs. The final, held on Sunday, 29 November at Butlin’s Minehead Resort, offers a £15,000 prize. Although Littler lost 6‑5 to Beau Greaves in the 2025 semi‑finals, he remains eligible to play at Minehead. The reigning champion, Gian van Veen, will not defend his title, and Greaves has also opted out of the 2026 event. The championship will run alongside other PDC tournaments, including the World Grand Prix and the World Darts Championship.

· Sky Sports

The essential points

  1. 01World No 1 Luke Littler will headline the 128‑player 2026 Winmau World Youth Championship.
  2. 02Round‑robin groups of four start 5 October, with top two from each advancing to the last 64.
  3. 03Final at Butlin’s Minehead Resort on 29 November offers a £15,000 prize.
  4. 04Reigning champion Gian van Veen and runner‑up Beau Greaves will not compete in 2026.
The full brief

Luke Littler, the current world No 1 and 2023 World Youth Champion, will headline the 2026 Winmau World Youth Championship in the UK. The 128‑player field will be finalized after the Development Tour weekend in Wigan, with the round‑robin phase and knockout stages running from the last 64 to the semi‑finals on Monday, 5 October at the Robin Park Leisure Centre. Littler will be the top seed, joining other Tour Card holders such as Sebastian Bialecki and Keane Barry, and international qualifiers from 20 countries.

The top two players in each of the 32 groups will advance to the last 64, where matches are best of 11 legs. The final, held on Sunday, 29 November at Butlin’s Minehead Resort, offers a £15,000 prize. Although Littler lost 6‑5 to Beau Greaves in the 2025 semi‑finals, he remains eligible to play at Minehead.

The reigning champion, Gian van Veen, will not defend his title, and Greaves has also opted out of the 2026 event. The championship will run alongside other PDC tournaments, including the World Grand Prix and the World Darts Championship.