Close up photo of a darts board with a dart in it.

Bethany Lee

World Champion Luke Littler has been knocked out in the early stages of the first Players Championship darts tournament of the year.

Littler was defeated in the third round of the event, losing 6-3 to Joe Cullen.

With an average of just 87.8 compared to Cullen’s 95.4, the 18-year-old World Champion was knocked out of the event.

While Littler’s event came to an end, Cullen continued to beat both Gian van Veen and Richard Veenstra before winning against Luke Humphries to secure a spot in the final.

There, he met his own defeat losing 8-3 to Rob Cross, the 2018 Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) World Champion.

Littler Responds To Critics

Littler seemed unphased by his loss. Sky Sports reported that he responded to critics on Facebook.

Replying to a comment, he said: “Still earned a few quid today while these are sat at home charging their phones waiting for me to lose.”

Littler has become a household name since rising to sports stardom in his first World Championship at just 16 years old.

“He’s given me the enthusiasm to watch darts again”

Earlier this year, he won the PDC World Championship, beating three-time champion Michael van Gerwen. He is the youngest-ever winner.

Since then, he hasn’t managed to reach the final of any of the tournaments he has played.

However, it’s not over yet. With 34 Players Championships taking place across the year and the finals not until November, Littler has plenty of time to bounce back.

There will be many hoping he does.

The Littler Effect

The Warrington-raised lad has gained a huge fan following and support from the darts world and beyond.

Retired 16-time world champion Phil Taylor told BBC Radio Four: “He really is a breath of fresh air, and he’s given me the enthusiasm to watch darts again because I didn’t watch it for a few years after I retired, I wasn’t interested.”

“He has changed not just his life, but the life of darts itself”

Many have praised Littler for putting darts back on the map and boosting the sport’s popularity. He was Google’s most-searched athlete in 2024, and viewing figures have been rising.

Littler is also significantly influencing the next generation. Last year, the BBC reported that more than 100,000 were expected to get Littler’s self-branded magnetic dartboard for Christmas.

The number of junior academies has also doubled.

Whether Littler can come back from his most recent defeats is yet to be seen, but what is sure is he has changed not just his life but the life of darts itself.

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Featured image courtesy of Immo Wegmann via Unsplash. No changes have been made to this image. Image license can be found here.

Bethany is a multimedia journalist with a MA in Journalism. She is currently a Cultural Affairs Editor at Empoword!

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