Luke Littler shot from darting obscurity to almost unprecedented fame in a matter of days.
Never before has a darts player become a household name so quickly, with Littler — an ordinary teenager who grew up in Warrington, who loves kebabs and video games — storming to the PDC World Championship final at the end of 2023.
He eventually lost to Luke Humphries in early 2024. But Littler was just 16 at the time and was barely known outside the world of darts.
Since then, 'Luke the Nuke' has enjoyed some more stellar performances that have ensured all eyes remain on him. He won the Premier League Darts and World Series of Darts Finals in 2024 and is among the favourites in every tournament he plays.
The Sporting News takes a look at the 17-year-old's upcoming schedule and when he might next win another darting gong.
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Is Luke Littler playing today?
Littler's next match is at the PDC Grand Slam of Darts on Saturday, November 16. He will face Jermaine Wattimena in the quarter-finals after producing a superb comeback to defeat Mike De Decker 10-9 in the last 16.
The teenager started his campaign by routing Keane Barry 5-0 before demolishing Dimitri van den Bergh 5-1 a day later. An indication that the tournament might just be opening up for Littler came after back-to-back defeats led to a shock elimination for world champion Humphries.
Littler closed out his Group F campaign with a 5-3 win over Lourence Ilagan, while the volatile nature of the Grand Slam of Darts format was underlined as Michael van Gerwen and Michael Smith joined Humphries in heading home. It means all of the top three players in the world have been knocked out.
Littler was staring at his own shock elimination in the last 16 before overturning an 8-4 deficit against De Decker in thrilling fashion, surviving a match dart in the decider.
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) November 14, 2024PDC darts schedule 2024 and next tournaments
After the Grand Slam of Darts (November 9 to 17), the next tournament is the Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals at the end of the month (starting on November 22), before two minor events: the Winmau World Youth Championship Final and World Darts Championship Tour Card Holder Qualifier.
Littler, though, will already be thinking about the PDC World Championship, which takes place at Alexandra Palace in London from December 15, concluding in early 2025 with the final on January 3.
Will Littler be able to repeat his magical run from last year, or even go one better and land the world title?