The Ally Pally. It’s a madhouse of fancy dress, warm beer, and the best arrows on the planet. Honestly, if you’d told me two years ago that an 18-year-old would be dominating the PDC World Championship results like a seasoned pro, I’d have said you’d had one too many Snakebites. But here we are in January 2026, and Luke "The Nuke" Littler isn't just a phenom anymore. He’s the king.
He basically dismantled the field this year.
It wasn't even close. In the final on January 3, 2026, Littler faced off against Gian van Veen. It was supposed to be a battle of the young guns, a clash of the next generation. Instead, it was a clinic. Littler won 7-1. He dropped only four sets in the entire tournament. Think about that for a second. Across seven matches against the best players alive, he barely let anyone breathe.
What Really Happened in the 2026 Final
Gian van Veen actually started well. He won the first set 3-2. People in the crowd were looking at each other like, "Wait, is this actually going to be a game?"
Nope.
Littler woke up. He hit a 170 checkout in the third set to break Van Veen’s spirit. By the time the sixth set rolled around, Littler was averaging over 106. He was hitting 180s like they were singles. Van Veen didn't play badly—he averaged nearly 100—but Littler was playing a different sport. He won 21 of the last 24 legs. It was brutal.
Statistically, it was one of the most dominant performances in the history of the Sid Waddell Trophy. Littler finished with 16 maximums in the final and a checkout percentage of nearly 47%.
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The Path to the Title
Littler’s run to the final was a massacre. He started by sweeping David Davies 3-0 in the second round. Then he took out Rob Cross (who always seems to be the one to test him) 4-2 in a high-quality Last 16 match. By the time he reached the semi-finals against Ryan Searle, it was clear nobody could touch him. He blew Searle away 6-1 with a 105.35 average.
- Round 2: 3-0 vs David Davies
- Last 16: 4-2 vs Rob Cross
- Quarter-Finals: 5-0 vs Krzysztof Ratajski
- Semi-Finals: 6-1 vs Ryan Searle
- The Final: 7-1 vs Gian van Veen
Why These Results Matter for the History Books
We've seen dominance before. Phil "The Power" Taylor used to do this for breakfast. But Littler is doing it at 18. By winning this title, he became the first player to retain the PDC World Championship since Gary Anderson back in 2016. He’s joined an elite club that only includes Taylor, Adrian Lewis, and Anderson.
And then there's the money. The PDC bumped the prize fund significantly this year. Littler walked away with a cool £1,000,000. That’s a life-changing chunk of change for a teenager, though I’m sure the taxman is already rubbing his hands together.
The Big Shocks and Near Misses
While Littler was the headline, the 2026 tournament had some wild stories. Justin Hood, a debutant from Glastonbury, became the "People’s Champ." He made it all the way to the quarter-finals before Gary Anderson finally put an end to the dream. Hood was hitting doubles like his life depended on it, at one point hitting 11 consecutive shots on a double in his win over Josh Rock.
We also saw David Munyua, a vet from Kenya, become the first player from his country to qualify and actually win a match. He came from two sets down to beat Mike De Decker. It’s those kinds of results that make the PDC World Championship special. It’s not just about the million-pound winner; it’s about the guy who usually spends his Tuesday nights treating cats and dogs suddenly taking out a world-ranked pro on the biggest stage in darts.
A Look Back: The Evolution of Recent Champions
To understand why Littler's 2026 win is so massive, you have to look at the PDC world championship results from the last few years. The landscape has shifted so fast it’ll give you whiplash.
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2024 was the "Year of Cool Hand." Luke Humphries was the best player in the world that year, and he proved it by beating a then-16-year-old Littler 7-4 in the final. It was a classic. Humphries showed incredible grit to come back from 4-2 down.
Then came 2025. Littler got his revenge. He took out Michael van Gerwen 7-3 in the final, proving that his 2024 run wasn't a fluke. That win cemented him as the new face of the sport. MVG looked shell-shocked. Van Gerwen is a three-time champ, but he hasn't won the big one since 2019. You can see the frustration on his face every time he loses to one of these kids.
Recent PDC World Finals:
- 2026: Luke Littler 7-1 Gian van Veen
- 2025: Luke Littler 7-3 Michael van Gerwen
- 2024: Luke Humphries 7-4 Luke Littler
- 2023: Michael Smith 7-4 Michael van Gerwen
The "Ally Pally Wasp" and Other Weirdness
Darts wouldn't be darts without some chaos. This year, the "Ally Pally Wasp" made a comeback. It’s basically a local legend at this point—a wasp that seems to show up just when a player is about to throw for a match. It terrified Laurence Ilagan this year. Jurjen van der Velde actually brought wasp repellent to the stage. You can't make this stuff up.
But beneath the wasps and the fancy dress, the standard is getting scary. We saw 16 nine-darters throughout the history of this tournament until recently, but the frequency is picking up. The depth of talent in the PDC now is insane. Guys like Gian van Veen and Josh Rock are going to be winning majors for the next two decades.
What Most People Get Wrong About Darts Results
People look at a 7-1 scoreline and think the loser played like garbage. That’s rarely true in modern darts. Gian van Veen played "winning darts" in almost any other era. The problem is that Littler has raised the bar to a point where an 100 average is just "okay."
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If you aren't hitting 105+ and checking out at 40% or better, you aren't beating the top guys anymore. The margin for error is gone. One missed double in the third leg of the fourth set can cost you the entire match. It’s a game of millimeters and mental fortitude.
How to Use These Results for Your Own Game
If you're a fan who plays in a local league, there’s a lot to learn from the 2026 PDC World Championship results.
First, look at Littler’s rhythm. He doesn't overthink. He gets to the oche, finds his target, and lets it go. Most amateurs spend way too much time dwelling on a bad dart. Littler throws a 5, shrugs, and follows it with two T20s.
Second, watch the doubling. Justin Hood’s run wasn't built on 180s; it was built on clinical finishing. He was hitting the doubles the first time, every time. If you want to improve your win rate, stop practicing 180s and spend two hours a day on Double 16 and Double 20.
Actionable Takeaways for Darts Fans:
- Track the Order of Merit: Littler is now miles clear at the top. This affects seedings for the Matchplay and the Grand Prix later this year.
- Watch the Youth Tour: Guys like Gian van Veen came through the Development Tour. That’s where the next superstar is hiding right now.
- Gear Up: Expect a massive surge in "Nuke" branded darts and boards. If you're looking to upgrade your setup, keep an eye on the tech the pros used this year—many were sporting new integrated flight and shaft systems that are becoming the industry standard.
The 2026 championship is over, but the Littler era is clearly just beginning. He’s 18 years old with two world titles. Phil Taylor’s record of 16 suddenly doesn't look as "impossible" as it used to. Stay tuned to the ProTour results over the next few months to see if anyone can find a chink in the armor before the World Matchplay in Blackpool.