Luke Littler has made the final in all three of his Premier League campaigns
Luke Littler was overcome with emotion, breaking down in tears as he lifted the Premier League trophy above his head at The O2.
The 19-year-old expressed disbelief at reclaiming the title in a memorable final against Luke Humphries, revealing he had considered withdrawing from the invitational event.
The two-time champion and world number one faced a challenging third Premier League campaign, marked by on-stage disputes and heckling from the audience.
Speaking to Sky Sports following his 11-10 victory, he confessed: “After Brighton [in week 10], and the incident in Manchester [argument with Gian van Veen], I was at home telling Faith [his partner], ‘I don’t want to do it anymore, just the crowd every week’.”
“I told her, ‘I’m really struggling’.”
The atmosphere turned against Littler during week nine in Manchester.
Following a missed match dart by Van Veen, the pair shared a tense handshake, with the Dutchman accusing Littler of being “out of order” for allegedly celebrating the miss.
Littler also reportedly gestured that Van Veen was a “cry baby,” leading to a period of silence between the two.
After Manchester, Littler was eliminated in the quarter-finals in Brighton by Stephen Bunting, managing an average score of just 84.
Rotterdam saw fans support Van Veen, while subsequent events in Liverpool and Leeds saw Littler consistently booed due to his support for Manchester United.
The teenager described the Rotterdam reception as the “worst I have experienced” and adjusted his mindset to “just expect the worst.”
On Wednesday, at the pre-finals night media event, Littler described the fans as “fickle” for alternating between booing and cheering.
Just over 24 hours later, the O2 crowd loudly cheered Littler after he broke down twice during his on-stage TV interview.
Speaking later at a press conference, Littler, who won £410,000 in prize money, expressed hope that his emotional display would mark a “turning point” in his relationship with the crowd.
He stated: “I’m not asking for sympathy – I just told the world how I was feeling during the Premier League. The biggest outcome is next to me [the trophy].”
“From the Brighton game, the Manchester game, I’ve proved everyone wrong once again, and I can’t believe it.”
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For the third consecutive year, Littler topped the Premier League standings.
He reached the final for the third year in a row, securing the title in two of those appearances.
He set a new record for night wins in the league phase in 2025 and matched that tally of six in 2026.
Despite this, Littler admitted he felt reluctant to “go to the next Premier League night.”
He added: “Tonight was one of those wins where I had to get it done. Even sat at home, I didn’t want to go out. I didn’t want to go to the next Premier League night, but we’ve done it.”
“We’ve all got feelings, not just as dart players, we’re humans. I can’t believe I’ve won.”
The current Premier League format spans 17 weeks for finalists, requiring players to travel across the UK, Republic of Ireland, and Europe for weekly matches during the league phase.
The event features only eight players – the world’s top four ranked players and four invitees from the Professional Darts Corporation – and runs concurrently with ProTour events.
Sky Sports pundit Wayne Mardle pointed out that former world champions Gerwyn Price and Phil Taylor have experienced similar pressures to Littler in the past.
He commented: “It is not uncommon for the Premier League to become overwhelming. Week after week, it is an endurance test.”
“Sometimes you can feel down, and if you feel down, you become mentally weaker.”
“We know how mentally strong Luke Littler is, but when you feel like you’re public enemy number one, you can feel like you don’t want to turn up. However, he did turn up, and this is the result.”
Despite nearly withdrawing from the competition, Littler’s dominance in the sport continues to grow.
His victory adds the Premier League title to his World Championship, World Masters, and UK Open successes this year.
Littler now holds seven of the eight ranking titles issued by the Professional Darts Corporation, in addition to the Premier League.
“There is a point in everyone’s career when they are at their peak – we don’t know if this is his peak, but we know this is peak level because Michael van Gerwen and Phil Taylor’s peak was this kind of standard,” Mardle added.
“We’re assuming he must be near his peak, and it is consistently good enough. There are no real weaknesses.”
Next on Littler’s list is likely to be partnering with Luke Humphries for England in June’s World Cup of Darts.
If the pair perform as they did in London on Thursday night, few would bet against them.