Luke Littler is gearing up for his first defense of the PDC World Darts Championship against Darius Labanauskas at Alexandra Palace in the upcoming month. The draw for the tournament was conducted on Monday.
Having secured the 2025 world champion title by defeating Michael van Gerwen at Ally Pally in January, the 18-year-old Littler has since clinched victories at prestigious events like the UK Open, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts, and Players Championship. His recent ascent to the world No.1 ranking, surpassing Luke Humphries, underscores his exceptional form as he prepares to defend his World Championship crown.
In the revamped 128-player tournament, Littler, also known as ‘The Nuke,’ will face off against Lithuanian No.1 Labanauskas in the opening round. Notable matchups in the first round include Luke Humphries against Ted Evetts, Michael van Gerwen against Mitsohiko Tatsunami, and Beau Greaves against Daryl Gurney.
Below is the full list of the 64 first-round fixtures for the 2026 PDC World Championship:
– Luke Littler vs Darius Labanauskas
– Mario Vandenbogaerde vs David Davies
– Joe Cullen vs Bradley Brooks
– Mensur Suljovic vs David Cameron
– Damon Heta vs Steve Lennon
– Raymond van Barneveld vs Stefan Bellmont
– Rob Cross vs Cor Dekker
– Ian White vs Mervyn King
– Chris Dobey vs Xiaochen Zong
– Andrew Gilding vs Cam Crabtree
– Luke Woodhouse vs Boris Krcmar
– Martin Lukeman vs Max Hopp
And the list continues with the remaining matchups for the tournament.