Luke Littler misses chance to hold senior and youth world titles after semi-final defeat at World Youth Championship
Quick Look
- Luke Littler, the 19-year-old world number one, lost 6-5 to world number 68 Cam Crabtree in the semi-finals of the World Youth Championship, missing the opportunity to hold both senior and youth world titles simultaneously.
- Crabtree will face German Jan Schmidt in the final on 29 November at the Players Championship Finals in Minehead, an event Littler has not qualified for after skipping most Pro Tour events this season and withdrawing from events in Den Bosch due to crowd boos.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Luke Littler is the current world number one in darts and has won successive full World Championships. He previously won the youth title in 2023 at age 16.
Luke Littler missed out on the chance to hold the senior and youth world titles simultaneously after suffering a surprise semi-final defeat at the World Youth Championship.
The 19-year-old world number one was beaten 6-5 by world number 68 Cam Crabtree, who will face German Jan Schmidt in the final on 29 November.
That match will take place on finals day at the Players Championship Finals in Minehead – an event Littler has also yet to qualify for having skipped the majority of Pro Tour events this season.
He is currently ranked 126th in the Players Championship order of merit and only the top 64 qualify.
Four Players Championship events remain, but two of those are in Den Bosch in the Netherlands - where Littler withdrew from events recently after being subjected to boos by the crowds.
Littler has won successive full World Championships and won the youth title as a 16-year-old in 2023, but the semi-final loss to 23-year-old Crabtree was his second successive exit at that stage having lost to Beau Greaves in 2025. He could though enter four more times, with the tournament open to players aged 23 or under at the start of the season.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Luke Littler will attempt to qualify for the Players Championship Finals in future events
Likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- Will Luke Littler qualify for future Players Championship events?
- Can Luke Littler still win the World Youth Championship in future years?
- What caused the crowd to boo Luke Littler in Den Bosch?
