Luke Littler delivered a stunning performance to defeat Michael van Gerwen 7-3 and capture the 2024/25 Paddy Power World Darts Championship title at London’s Alexandra Palace on Friday 3-1-2025.

The teenage sensation fulfilled his darting destiny in a generational showdown, averaging 102 and hitting 56% of his doubles to etch his name into the history books.

Having been narrowly beaten by Luke Humphries in a record-breaking final exactly a year ago, Littler vowed to bounce back—and he delivered in style with a masterful display. 

The 17-year-old capitalized on early errors from Van Gerwen to race into a 4-0 lead. Despite a spirited comeback attempt by the Dutch superstar, he could not mount a serious challenge to Littler's dominance.

Littler now surpasses Van Gerwen as the youngest-ever World Darts Champion. Van Gerwen had previously set the record at 24 when he first claimed the Sid Waddell Trophy. 

“Since hitting the winning double, I still can’t believe it, ” said Littler, the 13th player to win the World Darts Championship. “I keep telling myself it’s real and that the trophy is mine, but it hasn’t sunk in yet.

“After the Ryan Meikle game, I felt at home on that stage. Tonight, I didn’t feel nervous at all—except for the last leg when my hands started shaking. I just told myself, ‘You’ve been steady all game, don’t start now!’”

Entering Friday’s final, Littler and Van Gerwen were evenly matched in their head-to-head record. After his breakthrough win, Littler paid tribute to his opponent. 

“Michael has done so much for this sport, ” Littler said. “He was hungry for his fourth World Championship, but to win my first and become the youngest champion ever is an incredible feeling. It’s been a long few weeks, and I can’t wait to go home, celebrate with my family, and sleep in my own bed!”

Van Gerwen, a three-time World Champion, was unable to reclaim the sport’s biggest prize, six years after his last triumph at Alexandra Palace. Despite falling short, he praised Littler for his exceptional achievement. 

“Every 17 years, a star is born, and Luke is one of them, ” Van Gerwen said graciously. “Of course, it hurts, but that’s how it should be. If it doesn’t hurt, you’re not a true sportsman. 

“I had a great tournament and enjoyed every moment. But at the start of the game, I let myself down too much. Against a player like Luke, that spells trouble. I’ll take this on the chin and move forward.”

Littler opened the match with a steady performance to take the first set before averaging 115 in the second to double his lead. Van Gerwen’s struggles on doubles persisted in the third set, allowing Littler to extend his advantage. A dominant fourth set put the teenager firmly in control.

Van Gerwen rallied in the fifth set with impressive finishes of 80 and 132 to narrow the gap, raising hopes of a comeback. However, Littler responded emphatically in the sixth set with three high-quality legs to restore his four-set lead. 

Despite Van Gerwen finding his rhythm to claim the seventh set, Littler surged ahead with a 112 average in the eighth, moving within one set of victory. Although Van Gerwen claimed set nine to delay the inevitable, the unflappable 17-year-old sealed the title with a clean sweep in the tenth set.

2024/25 Paddy Power World Darts Championship
Friday January 3 - Final
Luke Littler 7-3 Michael van Gerwen (3-1, 3-0, 3-1, 1-3, 3-2, 2-3, 3-0)

The darts world braces itself for another thrilling World Championship, starting on December 15th 2024

 Reigning champion Luke Humphries will defend his title, facing a tough challenge from the likes of Price, Van Gerwen, and Van Barneveld.

 Rising stars like Littler and Van Veen are poised to make their mark, while legends like Anderson and Van Barneveld aim for one last glory.

The tournament will pause for a festive break before returning on December 27th for the final stages.

• Opening Night: Humphries vs. Tricole/Comito
• Early Rounds: Price, Wade, Wright, Van Barneveld, Anderson
• Rising Stars: Littler, Van Veen

2024/25 Paddy Power World Darts Championship
Schedule of Play
Sunday December 15 (1900 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Thibault Tricole v Joe Comito (R1)
Jermaine Wattimena v Stefan Bellmont (R1)
Kim Huybrechts v Keane Barry (R1)
Luke Humphries v Tricole/Comito (R2)

Monday December 16
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Wesley Plaisier v Ryusei Azemoto (R1)
Luke Woodhouse v Lourence Ilagan (R1)
Alan Soutar v Kai Gotthardt (R1)
James Wade v Wattimena/Bellmont (R2)

Evening Session (1900 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Niels Zonneveld v Robert Owen (R1)
Connor Scutt v Ben Robb (R1)
Cameron Menzies v Leonard Gates (R1)
Gerwyn Price v Huybrechts/Barry (R2)

Tuesday December 17
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
James Hurrell v Jim Long (R1)
Kevin Doets v Noa-Lynn van Leuven (R1)
Ryan Joyce v Darius Labanauskas (R1)
Mike De Decker v Woodhouse/Ilagan (R2)

Evening Session (1900 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Jeffrey de Graaf v Rashad Sweeting (R1)
Ricardo Pietreczko v Xiaochen Zong (R1)
Ryan Meikle v Fallon Sherrock (R1)
Peter Wright v Plaisier/Azemoto (R2)

Wednesday December 18 (1900 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Jim Williams v Paolo Nebrida (R1)
Madars Razma v Christian Kist (R1)
Ricky Evans v Gordon Mathers (R1)
Nathan Aspinall v Menzies/Gates (R2)

Thursday December 19
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Chris Landman v Lok Yin Lee (R1)
Callan Rydz v Romeo Grbavac (R1)
Martin Lukeman v Nitin Kumar (R1)
Gabriel Clemens v Zonneveld/Owen (R2)

Evening Session (1900 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Nick Kenny v Stowe Buntz (R1)
Mensur Suljovic v Matt Campbell (R1)
Scott Williams v Niko Springer (R1)
Michael Smith v Doets/Van Leuven (R2)

Friday December 20
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Stephen Burton v Alexander Merkx (R1)
Wessel Nijman v Cameron Carolissen (R1)
Ian White v Sandro Eric Sosing (R1)
Stephen Bunting v Soutar/Gotthardt (R2)

Evening Session (1900 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Mickey Mansell v Tomoya Goto (R1)
Florian Hempel v Jeffrey De Zwaan (R1)
William O’Connor v Dylan Slevin (R1)
Michael van Gerwen v Hurrell/Long (R2)

Saturday December 21
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
2x First Round, 2x Second Round
Karel Sedlacek v Rhys Griffin (R1)
Richard Veenstra v Alexis Toylo (R1)
Brendan Dolan v Landman/Lee (R2)
Chris Dobey v Burton/Merkx (R2)

Evening Session (1900 GMT)
4x Second Round
Danny Noppert v Joyce/Labanauskas (R2)
Raymond van Barneveld v Kenny/Buntz (R2)
Luke Littler v Meikle/Sherrock (R2)
Damon Heta v Scutt/Robb (R2) 

Sunday December 22
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
4x Second Round
Ryan Searle v Suljovic/Campbell (R2)
Dirk van Duijvenbode v Razma/Kist (R2)
Joe Cullen v Nijman/Carolissen (R2)
Ritchie Edhouse v White/Sosing (R2)

Evening Session (1900 GMT)
4x Second Round
Martin Schindler v Rydz/Grbavac (R2)
Ross Smith v J Williams/Nebrida (R2)
Gary Anderson v De Graaf/Sweeting (R2)
Dimitri Van den Bergh v O’Connor/Slevin (R2)

Monday December 23
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
4x Second Round
Krzysztof Ratajski v Veenstra/Toylo (R2)
Andrew Gilding v Lukeman/Kumar (R2)
Josh Rock v Sedlacek/Griffin (R2)
Jonny Clayton v Mansell/Goto (R2)

Evening Session (1900 GMT)
4x Second Round
Gian van Veen v Pietreczko/Zong (R2)
Daryl Gurney v Hempel/De Zwaan (R2)
Dave Chisnall v Evans/Mathers (R2)
Rob Cross v S Williams/Springer (R2)

Friday December 27
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
3x Third Round

Evening Session (1900 GMT)
3x Third Round

Saturday December 28
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
3x Third Round

Evening Session (1900 GMT)
3x Third Round

Sunday December 29
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
3x Third Round

Evening Session (1900 GMT)
1x Third Round, 2x Fourth Round

Monday December 30
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
3x Fourth Round

Evening Session (1930 GMT)
3x Fourth Round

Wednesday January 1
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
2x Quarter-Finals

Evening Session (1900 GMT)
2x Quarter-Finals

Thursday January 2 (1930 GMT)
Semi-Finals

Friday January 3 (2000 GMT)
Final

Source: PDC

In a thrilling match at Alexandra Palace, Luke Humphries defeated Luke Littler 7-4 to become the 2023/24 Paddy Power World Darts Champion. Humphries was down 4-2 but made an incredible comeback, winning five consecutive sets to clinch the title. He averaged 103 and hit 23 maximums in the match, which was a classic. Littler, who is only 16 years old, had a fantastic tournament, defeating former World Champions Raymond van Barneveld and Rob Cross on his way to the final. Humphries victory is all the more remarkable given his struggles with anxiety in the past. He has now won four of the last five Premier televised events since October. Congratulations to Luke Humphries on his well-deserved victory!

2023 Friday December 15 (7pm)

Kevin Doets v Stowe Buntz (R1)
Cameron Menzies v Rusty-Jake Rodriguez (R1)
Simon Whitlock v Paolo Nebrida (R1)
Michael Smith v Doets/Buntz (R2)

2023 Saturday December 16

Afternoon Session (12:30pm)

Lee Evans v Sandro Eric Sosing (R1)
Connor Scutt v Krzysztof Kciuk (R1)
Jules van Dongen v Darren Penhall (R1)
Dave Chisnall v Menzies/Rodriguez (R2)

Evening Session (7pm)

Jamie Hughes v David Cameron (R1)
Keane Barry v Reynaldo Rivera (R1)
Scott Williams v Haruki Muramatsu (R1)
Gary Anderson v Whitlock/Nebrida (R2)

2023 Sunday December 17

Afternoon Session (12:30pm)

Ricky Evans v Simon Adams (R1)
Jim Williams v Norman Madhoo (R1)
Matt Campbell v Lourence Ilagan (R1)
Joe Cullen v Van Dongen/Penhall (R2)

Evening Session (7pm)

Dylan Slevin v Florian Hempel (R1)
Niels Zonneveld v Darren Webster (R1)
Jermaine Wattimena v Fallon Sherrock (R1)
Luke Humphries v L Evans/Eric Sosing (R2)

2023 Monday December 18 (7pm)

Mario Vandenbogaerde v Thibault Tricole (R1)
Gian van Veen v Man Lok Leung (R1)
Martin Lukeman v Haupai Puha (R1)
Gerwyn Price v Scutt/Kciuk (R2)

2023 Tuesday December 19

Afternoon Session (12:30pm)

Ian White v Tomoya Goto (R1)
Ritchie Edhouse v Jeffrey de Graaf (R1)
Keegan Brown v Boris Krcmar (R1)
James Wade v Campbell/Ilagan (R2)

Evening Session (7pm)

Steve Beaton v Wessel Nijman (R1)
Mike De Decker v Dragutin Horvat (R1)
Ricardo Pietreczko v Mikuru Suzuki (R1)
Michael van Gerwen v Barry/Rivera (R2)

2023 Wednesday December 20

Afternoon Session (12:30pm)

Radek Szaganski v Marko Kantele (R1)
Steve Lennon v Owen Bates (R1)
William O’Connor v Bhav Patel (R1)
Ross Smith v Zonneveld/Webster (R2)

Evening Session (7pm)

Ryan Joyce v Alex Spellman (R1)
Richard Veenstra v Ben Robb (R1)
Christian Kist v Luke Littler (R1)
Peter Wright v J Williams/Madhoo (R2)

2023 Thursday December 21

Afternoon Session (12:30pm)

Mickey Mansell v Xiaochen Zong (R1)
Luke Woodhouse v Berry van Peer (R1)
Madars Razma v De Decker/Horvat (R2)
Rob Cross v Vandenbogaerde/Tricole (R2)

Evening Session (7pm)

Andrew Gilding v Kist/Littler (R2)
Danny Noppert v S Williams/Muramatsu (R2)
Gabriel Clemens v Van Veen/Leung (R2)
Damon Heta v Lukeman/Puha (R2)

2023 Friday December 22

Afternoon Session (12:30pm)

Brendan Dolan v Mansell/Zong (R2)
Jose de Sousa v Edhouse/De Graaf (R2)
Krzysztof Ratajski v Hughes/Cameron (R2)
Dirk van Duijvenbode v Brown/Krcmar (R2)

Evening Session (7pm)

Dimitri Van den Bergh v Slevin/Hempel (R2)
Martin Schindler v Wattimena/Sherrock (R2)
Raymond van Barneveld v Szaganski/Kantele (R2)
Chris Dobey v O’Connor/Patel (R2)

2023 Saturday December 23

Afternoon Session (12:30pm)

Kim Huybrechts v Veenstra/Robb (R2)
Callan Rydz v Pietreczko/Suzuki (R2)
Jonny Clayton v Lennon/Bates (R2)
Daryl Gurney v Beaton/Nijman (R2)

Evening Session (7pm)

Ryan Searle v White/Goto (R2)
Josh Rock v Woodhouse/Van Peer (R2)
Stephen Bunting v Joyce/Spellman (R2)
Nathan Aspinall v R Evans/Adams (R2)

2023 Wednesday December 27

Afternoon Session (12:30pm)

3x Third Round

Evening Session (7pm)

3x Third Round

2023 Thursday December 28

Afternoon Session (12:30pm)

3x Third Round

Evening Session (7pm)

3x Third Round

2023 Friday December 29

Afternoon Session (12:30pm)

3x Third Round

Evening Session (7pm)

1x Third Round, 2x Fourth Round

2023 Saturday December 30

Afternoon Session (12:30pm)

3x Fourth Round

Evening Session (7:30pm)

3x Fourth Round

2024 Monday January 1

Afternoon Session (12:30pm)

2x Quarter-Finals

Evening Session (7pm)

2x Quarter-Finals

2024 Tuesday January 2 (7:30pm)

Semi-Finals

2024 Wednesday January 3 (8pm)

Final

Source: Paddypower

Michael Smith won the world title at the World Darts Championship on Tuesday 3-1-2023 evening and was therefore allowed to collect the corresponding check for £ 500,000.

As a result of the prize money won, Smith is the fifth player ever to win more than a million pounds playing in the World Darts Championship.

Earlier, Michael van Gerwen, Phil Taylor, Gary Anderson and Peter Wright already earned more than a million from the prize money at the world championships alone.

For Smith, a dream came true. "It's great. This is what I've been working for all my career.

Smith also threw a nine-darter in the final, after Michael Van Gerwen had missed double twelve in the same leg to hit a nine-dart finish.

Runnerup Michael v Gerwen MVG