Former world darts champion Keith Deller has called for a rule change to prevent Luke Littler from entering the World Youth Championship. The reigning world champion, aged 19, remains eligible for the youth edition, which has an upper age limit of 23, but lost to Cam Crabtree in the semi-finals.
Top-32 restriction proposed
“It needs to change,” the 1983 champion wrote on social media. “Anyone in the top 32 should not be playing. It should be trying to bring someone young coming through. Hopefully looked at and changed.”
Had such a rule been in place, it would also have prevented reigning world youth champion Gian van Veen from taking part last year. The Dutchman, who lost to Littler in the 2026 world final, was comfortably inside the world’s top 32 when he won the youth title.
Mardle questions decision
Deller is not the only darts figure to question Littler’s decision. Before the world champion’s elimination, Wayne Mardle also wondered why the teenager chose to take part.
“I don’t know what he wants to gain from it. He can only lose. Unless he wants competitive practice before the worlds,” Mardle told Sky Sports. “But there will be plenty of time with the Grand Slam and stuff. No, I don’t understand it. I don’t know what his advisors have planned.”
“But bearing in mind this is someone who has missed a load of events because he wants to keep fresh. It doesn’t make any sense to me.”
Littler’s youth record
Littler has won the World Youth Championship once before, beating Van Veen in the 2023 final when he was 16. He sat out the 2024 edition but returned for the last two, losing to Beau Greaves in the 2025 semi-finals and to Crabtree this year.
Crabtree, 23, is now into his first world youth final, where he will face Jan Schmidt after the German beat Charlie Manby in his own semi-final.
