Luke Littler has already won four of the five major darts titles he needs to complete a clean sweep in 2026, and the remaining hurdles look harder than the ones behind him. The world’s No 1 player holds the World Championship, World Masters, UK Open and World Matchplay titles, plus the Premier League and World Cup. Now he needs five more to hold every major title in the same calendar year.
The Titles Still On The Board
The World Series of Darts Finals begins this weekend, and Littler is set to compete in it. He recently defeated Danny Noppert in a first-round match where the audience turned against him, and he will take on Nathan Aspinall in the second round on Saturday. The current champion is Michael van Gerwen, who won the title by beating Littler 11-7 in Amsterdam before a hostile crowd.
One week after the event, the World Grand Prix takes place live on Sky Sports from September 28 through October 4. Littler’s first-round opponent there is Luke Woodhouse. He has complained about the double-in, double-out format, calling the Grand Prix “one of the toughest tournaments to win, with the Worlds, the Matchplay, [and] the Premier League.” That did not stop him from winning 6-1 in the 2025 final against world No 2 Luke Humphries.
Then it is on to Dortmund for the European Championship, where Littler lost 10-7 to James Wade in the last edition in 2025. After that, he would need a third straight Grand Slam title in Wolverhampton, followed by the Players Championship in Minehead, where he beat Nathan Aspinall 11-8 in the 2025 final.
The Players Championship Chase
Standing in the way of all that is the Players Championship Order of Merit. Littler is ranked 125th with just £10,500 in prize winnings so far. Only the top 64 qualify for the finals weekend at Minehead.
Shane McGuirk holds the 64 position in the standings with £27,500, and Littler needs to earn at least £17,500 across the last six contests to reach the qualification threshold. Each time a player takes home an event, they receive £15,000 added to their total, which means Littler likely only needs to claim victory in one of those six to put himself in contention.
After skipping the first 26 Players Championships, he came back to the floor events in Leicester in August. There, across two outings, he made it to a quarter-final and a semi-final before being eliminated. Six events still await him in Den Bosch and Leicester, and time is running short.
Why This Clean Sweep Matters
The World Cup of Darts is the one major that no one has yet won while also claiming all the other darts championships in a single year. Van Gerwen nearly pulled it off in 2016 and 2017, though he fell short of winning the cup. Littler stands to become the first person to hold every darts major at once if he adds the World Cup to his collection.
The route ahead is difficult. The World Grand Prix is a demanding tournament, and the Players Championship pursuit demands steady results across six events. Yet Littler has already proven capable of overcoming the crowd and the format complaints alike.
Saturday marks the start of Littler’s next bout against Aspinall, with Dortmund, Minehead, and a third Grand Slam title in Wolverhampton waiting down the line. The road winds through all three, and every one of the five titles remains on the board, within reach.
Key Facts Box
- World Grand Prix: September 28 to October 4, live on Sky Sports
- Players Championship Order of Merit: Littler 125th, £10,500 winnings
- Shane McGuirk: 64th, £27,500 winnings
- Winner of each event: £15,000 added to total
- Littler beat Humphries 6-1 in the 2025 Grand Prix final
- Littler lost 10-7 to Wade in the 2025 European Championship
Littler has a chance to finish the season without a single loss, and the next several weeks will reveal if he can pull it off.
Source material: “What does Littler need to do to complete darts clean sweep?,” Sky Sports.
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