World Darts Championship LIVE: Unstoppable Luke Littler prepares for final against Michael van Gerwen
The 17-year-old sensation Littler thrashed Bunting 6-1 at Alexandra Palace
A dominant Luke Littler booked his place in the World Darts Championship final as the teenage superstar swept aside Stephen Bunting at Alexandra Palace.
Littler looked in an ominous mood throughout a 6-1 win as he set up a mouthwatering showpiece decider against Michael van Gerwen. The 17-year-old will be tough to stop as he looks to go one better than his sensational runner-up finish on debut last year, again averaging in triple figures across the match to allow Bunting seldom a sniff.
Earlier, three-time champion Van Gerwen had shown off his own strength with a similarly one-sided drubbing of Chris Dobey. Last a winner here in 2019, the Dutchman rarely looked threatened by the unfancied Englishman and thundered to a 6-1 win to book his spot in the tournament decider.
Could this be the moment for Littler’s coronation, or will Van Gerwen reclaim his place on top of the darts world? A blockbuster final no doubt awaits between the present and future of the sport.
Follow all of the action from Ally Pally in our live blog below:
Semi-finals fizzle out but Littler and Van Gerwen set up fascinating World Championship final
If ever there can be a calm before the storm amid the raucous, alcohol-fuelled cauldron of the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace, this may have been it.
While semi-final night can often be the highlight of the entire tournament, the 2025 edition crackled at points but never truly turned into evening of darting classics that will live long in the memory. But the reward comes in what it has set up.
Semi-finals fizzle out but Littler and Van Gerwen set up fascinating final
Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen were too good for their semi-final foes on a flat night at Ally Pally but Friday evening’s showpiece promises to be a classic
Luke Littler sends warning to Michael Van Gerwen after revealing final lesson
Luke Littler is determined to go one better this year and win the World Darts Championship having reached the final for the second year running with a confident 6-1 victory over Stephen Bunting in the semi-finals are Alexandra Palace.
Littler, who lost the 2024 final 7-4 to Luke Humphries, has been the overwhelming favourite to lift the title this year but faces a resurgent Michael Van Gerwen in the showpiece this evening.
Luke Littler sends warning to Michael Van Gerwen after revealing final lesson
The 17-year-old says he’s learned a lot since losing the 2024 final to Luke Humphries and aims to go one better tonight
Luke Littler vs Michael Van Gerwen
Tournament stats
Luke Littler’s power scoring has helped him through to the final. The 64 180s he has thrown is a tournament high, while also boasting the highest three-dart average with 102.13.
Life might have been even more comfortable for him had he been clinical on the doubles, as he currently has a 41 per cent checkout rate, though he has taken out the ‘big fish’ 170.
Van Gerwen is second in the race for the Ballon d’Art, having thrown 43 maximums so far. His average is slightly below Littler’s on 99.75 but he has a better checkout rate at 44 per cent. In any other year, these numbers would make him the standout player in the tournament, but not now Littler is in town.
Luke Littler vs Michael Van Gerwen
Route to the final
Littler was the pre-tournament favourite and has so far lived up to the bill. He put in a record-breaking performance in his opening round win against Ryan Meikle, with the highest ever single-set average, but was made to work hard against Ian White and was taken to a final-set decider against Ryan Joyce in the fourth round.
He was at his dominant best against Nathan Aspinall in the quarter-finals before putting in his best display of the tournament when he dismantled Stephen Bunting in the semi-final.
Van Gerwen has taken advantage of being on the other side of the draw to Littler and has made serene progress against players he would always expect to beat.
He began in a hurry against James Hurrell before taking out Brendan Dolan and Jeffrey de Graaf to set up a quarter-final against the surprise package Callan Rydz.
Rydz gave him his biggest challenge of the tournament to date but he triumphed 5-3 before trouncing Chris Dobey 6-1 in the semi-final.
Luke Littler vs Michael Van Gerwen
Littler’s rising star
Ever since he announced himself to the world this time last year, Littler has not only been the biggest name in darts but also transcended it.
He finished second in BBC Sports Personality of the Year and was the UK’s most Googled sportsman of 2024, as well as making a host of appearances on prime-time chat shows.
And that has undoubtedly put Van Gerwen’s nose out of joint as the Dutchman was the main man following Phil Taylor’s retirement. Winning the title would restore some order in his mind.
Luke Littler vs Michael Van Gerwen
Head to head
Michael Van Gerwen has spent a lot of 2024 telling his fellow players on the PDC Tour that there is no reason to be scared of Luke Littler, despite his unprecedented success.
The pair have developed a great rivalry during the teenager’s first 12 months on the scene with their 12-match contest tied at 6-6.
There were some high-profile victories for Van Gerwen in there, notably the final of the Dutch Darts Masters and the opening round of the World Matchplay, but Littler won the semi-final in the World Series of Darts.
Littler: “It’s been an amazing tournament so far”
Speaking on stage right after the win over Stephen Bunting, Luke Littler said: “People will say I was looking at the title throughout the tournament but I was looking at the first game against Ryan Meikle, and ever since I’ve just got to beat what’s in front of me. I’m so glad to win tonight.
“I’ve played a lot better and won plenty of titles leading up to this, but that’s what we do, we lead up to the big one. There are majors all year round but I can’t wait for tomorrow night.
“If we both turn up like we did tonight, it [the final] is going to be really good. As soon as Luke Humphries went out, that’s what everyone was looking at. I just had to focus on my quarter-final and semi-final, and now I’ve done that I can focus on Michael tomorrow.
“We all know he’s hunting for that world title but I’m hunting for my first. The same as last night - go home, chill out and be back tomorrow.”
How the Luke Littler effect made darts the sport of 2024
In one of the all-time great pieces of nominative determinism, the man at the epicentre of the poker boom was called Chris Moneymaker.
Moneymaker found himself in the eye of a perfect storm: interest in poker surged after the 1998 film Rounders starring Matt Damon and Ed Norton, at a time when the internet’s arrival spawned poker websites which drew millions of American players. In 2003, ESPN took a punt televising the biggest event in poker, the World Series.
They struck gold with Moneymaker, an accountant from Georgia who became the world champion, beating 852 opponents and turning his $40 buy-in into the $2.5m winner’s prize. He was an ordinary American Joe and his story had an inspirational effect. People who’d never before picked up a deck of cards suddenly wanted to be the next Moneymaker.
Two decades on, there is something of Moneymaker in the Luke Littler story.
How the Luke Littler effect made darts the sport of 2024
From Freddie Flintoff’s Bullseye revival to the must-have dartboard Christmas present, the sport is riding the crest of a wave thanks to Luke Littler’s unique blend of mesmerising talent and natural showmanship, writes Lawrence Ostlere, and it’s not slowing down
Tonight’s Ally Pally action
Today sees the final of the 2025 World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace.
Luke Littler will face three-time champion Michael van Gerwen, with the 17-year-old bidding to become the youngest ever winner of the tournament.
It’ll be Littler’s second final in a row, while van Gerwen will be taking part in his seventh final, having lost in 2020 and 2023.
Luke Littler sends Michael Van Gerwen warning after learning from defeat in last year’s final
“I think everyone is looking forward to it more than I am, win seven sets, I’ll be happy,” Luke Littler said after victory against Stephen Bunting.
“I’ve gained loads of experience, Michael has been in numerous finals, this is my second, I know where I went wrong last year, I’m sure I’ll fix it.
“It would mean everything, win seven sets and I’ll be over the moon.”
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