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6 hours ago
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The 2025 U.S. Darts Masters was an absolute classic.
Attendance records were set for the event, creating a great atmosphere in a packed Theater at Madison Square Garden.
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Top two players in the world react to U.S. crowd
The number one and two ranked players in the world had a lot of positive things to say about the American crowd and the future of darts in the States.
Humphries and Littler love The Big Apple
Luke Humphries had more success than Luke Littler this weekend, but both were vocal about how great the New York crowd was.
Humphries emphasized that "The American crowd has been absolutely amazing" and added that next year the event could "maybe go in the big arena."
A sold-out crowd of a few thousand was crazy enough, but Humphries understands the potential that the event can have if it moves from The Theater at Madison Square Garden to the real arena, with a capacity that can 3x-5x what we've seen.
Humphries valued winning the U.S. Darts Masters, even though it's not a major title.
Humphries said, "It felt like I just won another major...It's a World Series event, but for me in America, it feels like a major to be honest."
Humphries was asked about the chance of seeing a major in the next five years in the United States, and said, "By the way the crowd was this weekend, 110%."
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Luke cautioned, "Let's not walk before we run," but he sees it as a possibility to happen down the line.
I was able to ask Luke Littler, after his round of 16 match, if he thought there would be a possibility of seeing a bigger event in the United States.
Littler said, "In a few years, maybe we can sell out the big Madison Square Garden...the way darts is going, it's only going to get bigger and better."
Both players seemed to embrace the overall atmosphere during the weekend and see the noticeable year-to-year growth.
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Friday night's round didn't have the back section seats available for sale, but the players still couldn't believe how great the atmosphere was that night for that early in the tournament.
Seeing two United States-born players advance to the quarterfinal round is a great sign for the sport as well, and is a credit to the continued growth darts has had recently in a region where the sport has been underappreciated.
It has already been announced by the PDC that the U.S. Darts Masters will be back in New York in 2026.
As for the next World Series of Darts event this year, the Poland Darts Masters will take place from Jul. 4 - Jul. 5.
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English (US)