Thursday 17 September 2026 18:10, UK Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Stephen Bunting says Luke Littler has changed darts since bursting on to the scene a few years ago, but he believes ‘The Nuke’ will not win as many world titles as Phil Taylor Littler has the World Championship, World Masters, UK Open and World Matchplay titles under his belt already to add to an already crowded 2026 trophy cabinet that also includes the Premier League and World Cup. He now has to win five more titles to make more history, so Sky Sports analyses Littler’s exact path to achieving that historic feat… World Grand Prix draw confirmed as Luke Littler looks to defend titleLatest Sky Sports deals or stream no contractListen to Sky Sports’ Love the Darts podcast Event Result Dates World Championship Littler won Dec 11-Jan 3 World Masters Littler won Jan 29-Feb 1 UK Open Littler won March 6-8 Premier League* Littler won Feb to May World Cup* Littler & Humphries won June 11-14 World Matchplay Littler won July 18-16 World Series of Darts Finals* September 17-20 World Grand Prix Sept 28-Oct 4 European Championship October 22-25 Grand Slam of Darts November 14-22 Players Championship Finals November 27-29 *Non-ranking event What does Littler still need to win?Littler’s next hurdle on the journey to the clean sweep begins on Friday at the World Series of Darts finals.Michael van Gerwen is the reigning champion, having beaten Littler 11-7 in front of a partisan home crowd in Amsterdam, but the Englishman does have a World Series title under his belt already, having beaten Michael Smith 11-4 in 2024. Over a week later, Littler will have the World Grand Prix to contend with, live on Sky Sports from September 28 to October 4, where he faces a challenging tie against Luke Woodhouse in the first round.<\/p>\n
Littler has previously established that he “didn’t like” the double-in, double-out format of the tournament, bemoaning the Grand Prix as “one of the toughest tournaments to win, with the Worlds, the Matchplay, [and] the Premier League”.That format change, though, did not stop Littler from winning 6-1 in the 2025 final in a dominant performance against world No 2 Luke Humphries. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Littler claimed the Czech Darts Open title with a win over Luke Humphries His journey will then take him to Dortmund, where he will seek to win the one major title that has eluded him in his career thus far – the European Championship, where he suffered a 10-7 second-round defeat at the hands of James Wade in the last edition in 2025.Should Littler win that title, he would hold all of darts’ major titles – something no one else has done (as Van Gerwen nearly did it in 2016 and 2017 but did not win the World Cup of Darts).Littler then would have to win a third straight Grand Slam title in Wolverhampton, before taking a trip to Minehead to retain the Players Championship, where he beat Nathan Aspinall 11-8 in the 2025 final.If the teenager wins all of those titles, he would become the first player to win every darts major in the same calendar year. World Series of Darts Finals* September 17-20 Players Championship 29 (Den Bosch) September 22 Players Championship 30 (Den Bosch) September 23 World Grand Prix* Sept 28-Oct 4 European Championship* October 22-25 Players Championship 31 (Den Bosch) October 28 Players Championship 32 (Den Bosch) October 29 Players Championship 33 (Leicester) November 4 Players Championship 34 (Leicester) November 5 Grand Slam of Darts* November 14-22 Players Championship Finals* November 27-29 *denotes major How can Littler qualify for the Players Championship Finals?Littler has significant work to do on the Pro Tour to stand any chance of securing the Players Championship – and, by extension, the clean sweep.He is ranked 125th on the Players Championship Order of Merit with just \u00a310,500 in prize winnings thus far – only the top 64 qualify for the finals weekend at Minehead.Shane McGuirk sits in 64th with \u00a327,500 in winnings with just six Players Championship events in the calendar left, meaning the reigning champion would have to make up at least \u00a317,500 in winnings in order to qualify. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Jermaine Wattimena claimed his first victory over Littler in the Players Championship 27 quarter-finals This is still a feasible target for Littler, with the winner of each event adding \u00a315,000 to their kitty – so he probably has to win just one of the six remaining events – and accumulate some prize money in the others – to stand a chance of retaining his title.The world No 1 was hoping to do much of the work in August, when he returned to the floor events in Leicester after missing the first 26 Players Championships, but he only managed to reach a quarter-final and a semi-final in his two appearances.Littler will fancy his chances to make up the deficit in prize money with six events in Den Bosch and Leicester remaining – but the clock is starting to tick.Watch the World Grand Prix live on Sky Sports from September 28 to October 4.<\/p>\n
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