Luke Littler's pursuit of a historic clean sweep of all eight PDC ranking titles in a calendar year has become one of the sporting stories of 2026. The 19-year-old retained his World Matchplay crown in spectacular fashion with an emphatic 18-9 victory over Gerwyn Price, who averaged 105 per visit in the contest.
Dominance and records
Littler's tournament average was 111.04, comfortably beating Phil Taylor's mark of 106.31 set in 2010. His average of 111.53 in the final against Price also eclipsed Taylor's 111.23 against Adrian Lewis in 2013.
He now has four of the eight ranking titles: the World Championship, World Masters, UK Open, and World Matchplay. The remaining four are the World Grand Prix, European Championship, Grand Slam of Darts, and Players Championship finals.
Qualification challenge
To qualify for the Players Championship finals, Littler must compete in low-key Pro Tour events to accumulate prize money and finish in the top 64 of the rankings. The 64th-placed player currently has £22,750, while Littler has won over £3 million in two years, including over £225,000 in Blackpool. However, that money does not count towards Players Championship rankings, so he will compete in minor events in Leicester.
Order of merit and Netflix show
On the PDC's two-year order of merit, Littler has £3,143,500, which is £2.13 million more than second-placed Luke Humphries. He also fronts a new Netflix show where 20 everyday darts players get a chance to play against the world champion, with a prize of £501,000 if they beat him. Heats will take place in Manchester and London.
