Luke Littler is an English professional darts player who has taken the sport by storm since bursting onto the scene as a teenager. Born on January 21, 2007, in Runcorn, England, and raised in Warrington, he’s nicknamed “The Nuke” for his explosive scoring power. At just 18 years old as of August 2025, he’s already the reigning PDC World Champion, the youngest ever to win that title, and holds the world number two ranking.
Early Life and Introduction to Darts
Littler comes from a working-class family with two brothers and a sister. His passion for darts started incredibly young—he began playing at 18 months old on a magnetic dartboard. By age six, he scored his first 180, and at 13, he achieved a nine-dart finish. He honed his skills at the St Helens Darts Academy from age 10 and attended Padgate Academy in Warrington.
His early talent was evident in youth competitions, where he won titles like the 2022 World Youth Masters, the JDC World Darts Championship (twice), and gold medals at the 2022 WDF Europe Cup Youth in boys’ singles, team, and overall events.
He transitioned to senior events early, winning his first adult title at 14 in the 2021 Irish Open, which qualified him for the 2022 WDF World Darts Championship. There, he became the youngest player to win a match.
Professional Career and Breakthrough
Littler turned professional with the PDC in late 2023 after winning the 2023 PDC World Youth Championship and five PDC Development Tour events that year.
His debut at the 2024 PDC World Championship was sensational: as a 16-year-old 66/1 outsider, he reached the final, defeating former champions like Raymond van Barneveld and Rob Cross before losing to Luke Humphries. This run sparked “Littlermania,” boosting darts’ popularity with record TV viewership of 3.7 million for the final.
In 2024, he quickly racked up titles, including the Bahrain Darts Masters (where he hit his first televised nine-dart finish at 16, the youngest ever), Players Championship 1, Belgian Darts Open, Premier League, Grand Slam of Darts, and World Series Finals.
He also became the youngest to hit a broadcast nine-darter at age 14 in 2021 and has four televised nine-darters total, ranking sixth all-time.
2025 has been even more dominant. He won the PDC World Championship in January, defeating Michael van Gerwen in the final at 17 years and 347 days old, shattering van Gerwen’s previous record as the youngest champion.
Luke Littler Victories
He followed with victories in the UK Open and, most recently, the World Matchplay in July, where he beat James Wade 18-13 in the final after a nine-dart finish in the semi-final against Josh Rock.
This completed the PDC Triple Crown (World Championship, Premier League, and World Matchplay) at the youngest age ever.
Overall, he has 15 PDC titles, including six majors, tying him for eighth-most in PDC history.
His playing style features heavy scoring (frequent 180s), quick pace, and efficiency on double 10. He uses 23g Target Signature Gen 1 darts with long points. Littler has expressed confidence in becoming world number one soon, closing in on Luke Humphries after earning £700,000 from his two World Championship runs alone.
He credits practice for his success but admits the intense schedule is “really tough,” relying on private chats with his manager for support.
Awards, Sponsorships, and Public Impact
Littler’s meteoric rise earned him the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year in 2024 (first for a darts player) and runner-up for the main award behind Keely Hodgkinson.
In June 2025, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to darts.
He’s crossed into mainstream media, appearing on The Jonathan Ross Show and Fantasy Football League, and paraded his World Championship trophy at Old Trafford during a Manchester United match.
The Warrington Wolves renamed their stadium after him for one night in February 2025, and he was made an honorary citizen of Warrington.
Sponsorships include a multi-year deal with Target Darts and a partnership with BoohooMAN to support the Motor Neurone Disease Association.
His walk-on music, “Greenlight” by Pitbull featuring Flo Rida and LunchMoney Lewis, stems from attending WrestleMania 33 in 2017, leading to WWE interactions.
Personal Life
Luke Littler, a fan of Manchester United and Warrington Wolves, Littler dated Eloise Milburn, a fellow darts player, during his 2024 World Championship run, but they split in July 2024 amid criticism over their age difference (he was 16, she 21).
Despite his youth, he’s handled fame maturely, inspiring a surge in darts interest among young fans. Littler’s story is one of prodigious talent meeting hard work, with many calling him a “freak of darting nature” who could dominate for years.
As of August 2025, he’s eyeing more majors and the world number one spot, with no signs of slowing down.
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