LUKE LITTLER could become darts world No1 this weekend – provided he eliminates one of his sporting heroes and also survives the wrath of the German crowds.
The 18-year-old could tick off one of his main career objectives if he manages to leapfrog Luke Humphries at the top of the world rankings.
Many would argue that the Nuke IS the best player on the planet but official confirmation of that status might come on Sunday night.
There is a mere £52,500 cash gap between the two Lukes and the pair are seeded to meet in the quarter-finals of the European Championship in Dortmund.
If Littler were to win that last-eight contest over the best of 19 legs – and he did thrash Cool Hand Luke 6-1 in sets in the recent World Grand Prix final – then he will become top thrower if he makes the final.
An early defeat for Humphries – he plays Pole Krzysztof Ratajski first up – would mean a semi-final spot for Littler would be sufficient, creating a £5,000 gap.
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Yet it is not so straightforward as that because the fans are set to become a major factor in his aspirations and progress.
There have been several times this year where the reigning world champion has had his issues with crowds in Germany.
The Warrington teen was given a hostile welcome on the Berlin Premier League night on April 3, to which he made some unwise gestures in response as he lost his opener to Chris Dobey.
After losing to Gian van Veen in the semi-finals of the German Darts Grand Prix over Easter, he posted on Instagram that he was glad not to be returning there any time soon.
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After that, Littler showed no desire to play in the country unless he really had to.
And he skipped the next FOUR European Tour events – he withdrew from the European Darts Grand Prix (Sindelfingen), European Darts Open (Leverkusen), Baltic Sea Darts Open (Kiel) and German Darts Championship (Hildesheim).
The one time he did cross the border onto German soil, it was for the PDC World Cup of Darts in June but he and Humphries, the pre-tournament favourites, bombed out to the hosts in Frankfurt to a chorus of boos.
Undoubtedly, there will be a sense of trepidation when he takes on Raymond van Barneveld in the first round of the four-day Euros, which starts on Thursday in Dortmund.
This is one of THREE PDC Premier events that Littler has yet to win, having lost in the first round to Andrew Gilding 12 months ago on his debut.
Van Barneveld, despite being Dutch, is popular in Germany and will be taking on the sport’s biggest name for the fourth time.
Their first clash was at the 2023-24 PDC World Darts Championship when Littler won 4-1 in the fourth round, a result that heralded his arrival on the big stage.
Van Barneveld stands in the way
Littler won the next meeting 6-4 in Amsterdam at the 2024 World Series of Darts Finals and then Barney, 58, got revenge in a 6-2 victory in the Players Championship 26 in Wigan a month later.
There is a 40-year gap between the pair and when Littler was in nappies he used to copy Barney’s arms-out celebration when he threw magnetic darts at a small board on the floor.
Reigning European champion Ritchie Edhouse – who defeated Jermaine Wattimena 11–3 in the 2024 final – failed to qualify for the tournament and will not defend the £120,000 title.
Two-time European champion Rob Cross takes on Nathan Aspinall in round one.
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The pick of the first-round tie pits Gerwyn Price against Daryl Gurney – their first meeting since a fiery encounter at the World Matchplay in Blackpool, which the Iceman won 10-7.
The pair are believed to have kissed and made up but it will be interesting to see if there are any further fireworks on the oche between them.
How Luke Littler can become world No1
LUKE HUMPHRIES is the PDC world darts No1 with £1,733,000 against his name and there is a £52,500 cash gap between him and world No2 Luke Littler.
It is a two-year money list so the £25,000 Cool Hand Luke earned for losing in the quarter-finals of the 2023 European Championship will come off this week.
So his overall figure will come down to £1,708,000 ahead of the start of the tournament in Dortmund on Thursday.
Luke Littler – who has earned £1,680,500 since turning pro in January 2024 – did not play in the event two years ago and is therefore defending ZERO money in Germany. That now leaves a gap of £27,500.
The pair are seeded to meet in the quarter-finals and that potential clash could decide who starts next Monday as the world No1 in darts.
First round (£7,500):
If Luke Humphries loses in round one to Krzysztof Ratajski (for which he would earn £7,500), Littler becomes world No1 if he makes the semi-finals (£40,000).
New world rankings – 1. Luke Littler: £1,720,500; 2. Luke Humphries: £1,715,500 (a gap of £5,000).
If Luke Littler loses in round one, then Humphries will remain as world No1.
Second round (£15,000)
If Luke Humphries loses in round two (£15,000), Littler becomes world No1 if he makes the final (£60,000).
New world rankings – 1. Luke Littler £1,740,500, 2. Luke Humphries: £1,723,000 (a gap of £17,500).
If Luke Littler loses in round two, then Humphries remains as world No1
Quarter-finals (£25,000)
If Luke Humphries loses to Luke Littler in the quarter-finals, then the Nuke will become world No1 if he makes the final (£60,000)
New world rankings – 1. Luke Littler £1,740,500, 2. Luke Humphries: £1,733,000 (a gap of £7,500).
If Luke Littler loses in the quarter-finals (to Luke Humphries or anybody else), then Cool Hand Luke will remain as world No1.
Semi-finals (£40,000)
Final (£60,000)
Champion (£120,000)
If Luke Littler wins this major crown, then he will become the undisputed world No1 regardless of how Luke Humphries has done in the tournament.
If Luke Humphries becomes the Euro Champion, then he will extend his lead over Littler and bank £1,828,000 in prize money over a 24-month period.
