Darts World Cup in London: “It’s going to be damn good”: dream final Littler against van Gerwen

The darts world has been waiting for this game. After 94 games, the highlight awaits at the end of the World Cup: the meeting between the two arrow heavyweights Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen. The final on Friday (9 p.m./DAZN and Sport1) will either bring the fourth coronation for the long-standing dominator van Gerwen – or the final breakthrough for teenager Littler, who at 17 can become the youngest world champion in history.

“This is already a breathtaking tournament for me. I’m so happy that I won it today. I can’t wait,” said Littler after the smooth 6:1 over Stephen Bunting. Previously, the Dutchman van Gerwen (35) was just as convincing in the 6-1 win against Chris Dobey. “It’s going to be damn good,” predicted Littler, who is considered the favorite.

The duel between van Gerwen and Littler is somewhat reminiscent of the World Cup final in 2013. At that time, record champion Phil Taylor, after years of dominance, met the still unfinished van Gerwen, who was striving for his debut title at the World Cup. Taylor won 7-4, but the Dutchman’s reign began the following year.

In addition to his three World Cup titles, Van Gerwen has also won other majors such as the European Championships (four titles), the World Matchplay (three) and the Players Championship Finals (seven) several times. Littler does not have such a wealth of success to boast about, simply because he is just coming off his debut season on the PDC Tour.

And it went brilliantly for Luke “The Nuke” Littler, as his nickname is. After his sensational entry into the World Cup final last year, the English youngster immediately won the titles in the Premier League and the Grand Slam of Darts. Only dethroned world champion Luke Humphries earned more prize money in 2024 than Littler. Van Gerwen, on the other hand, did not win any major titles at all in the calendar year.

Both finalists didn’t have the hardest route to the final. Van Gerwen mastered his biggest test on New Year’s Day when he defeated the excellent Callan Rydz in a high-class 5-3. Littler’s test of maturity had been the round of 16 one round earlier, in which he was able to avert an early knockout against compatriot Ryan Joyce 4-3. Overall, Littler and van Gerwen, along with surprise man Rydz, were the most consistent players at the World Cup.

The two opponents played against each other twelve times in 2024. They dueled in Bahrain, Berlin and Blackpool, among others. Littler won six comparisons, as did van Gerwen. At the World Matchplay, the second most important tournament of the season after the World Cup, van Gerwen clearly won 10:6.

At the time, Littler posted an Instagram story with a photo of a trash can and wrote: “Embarrassing.” Less than six months later, he has the opportunity to make amends on the biggest darts stage in the world in the most important match of the year. The world champion receives the Sid Waddell Trophy, which weighs around 23 kilograms, and prize money equivalent to around 600,000 euros.