Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen meet in today’s World Cup final.Bild: www.imago-images.de
Tonight the dream final of the Darts World Cup is taking place in the legendary Ally Pally (from 9 p.m. in the Watson live ticker). Three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen meets 17-year-old teenager Luke Littler. This is what the two protagonists say before the big meeting.
follow meThis duel promises excitement and could become one of the biggest games in darts history. The great talent Luke Littler is in a World Cup final for the second time in a row and will meet the three-time world champion and long-time dominator Michael van Gerwen.
Since last year’s World Cup, Luke Littler has been the big star in the darts business, so the teenager is also known as the “Prince of the Palace”. All the fuss surrounding the 17-year-old may not please all players in the darts circus. Michael van Gerwen in particular seemed to be a little jealous of all the hype surrounding Littler.
His opponent in the final today was critical of Luke Littler. Last spring, the youngster was added to Forbes Magazine’s famous 30under30 list, which includes 30 young athletes, gamers and entrepreneurs from the world of sports and gaming. Van Gerwen said at the time: “With all due respect, he hasn’t won anything yet. If someone hasn’t won anything yet, they should hardly be put on such a list.” The Dutchman added: “He will always be the one chasing me.”
However, it can now be said that Luke Littler has already won a lot. For example, the Englishman was crowned winner of the Premier League. In addition to the World Cup, the Premier League is one of the most popular tournaments in the darts calendar.
Here’s how Littler won the Premier League:
Van Gerwen: “You don’t just want to smell the trophy”
Tonight Van Gerwen is aiming for his first victory in the World Cup final after two defeats in 2020 and 2023. Before the big game, van Gerwen once again caused a bit of excitement, as he said before the final: “I’ve been at this point so many times in my career. You don’t just want to smell the trophy, you want to touch it,” and “Mighty Mike” continued belligerently: “Luke was in the final last year and just sniffed it. I’ll make sure he can continue to just sniff it.”
Michael van Gerwen won the World Championship for the last time in 2019.Image: EPA/EPA
After the confident victory in the semi-final against Stephen Bunting, Littler was very happy about reaching the final again: “This is already a breathtaking tournament for me. I’m so happy that I won the semi-final. I can’t wait.” When “The Nuke” was asked how he was preparing for the final, he replied:
“I’ll chill out a bit during the day before things really get going in the evening.”
If Littler, who lost the final 4:7 against Luke Humphries last year, leaves the stage as the winner today, he would be the PDC’s youngest darts world champion. His current opponent is currently the youngest PDC world champion: in 2014, at the age of 24, Van Gerwen won darts’ biggest tournament for the first time. What Littler is certain of is that there will be a “damn good game” between the two opponents.
Balanced balance between the two finalists
In 2024, the two stars met each other twelve times. Both were able to achieve six wins each, the most important victory for Van Gerwen being the victory at the World Matchplay. The Dutchman won 10-6 against Littler and was so disappointed with his performance after the defeat that he posted a story on Instagram after the game where he wrote: “Embarrassing” and added a picture of a trash can.
Can Luke Littler continue to grin like that after tonight’s finale?Bild: keystone
In addition to the equivalent of 560,000 francs, the winner of the final will also receive the 23 kilogram Sid Waddell Trophy. Seven sets are needed to win today. A set is won after three legs have been won. The first throw will take place at around 9 p.m. and can be followed in our stream or ticker.
It was probably the hardest possible game for Dario Wüthrich. Ambri-Piotta’s defender played against the SCL Tigers yesterday, although his long-time girlfriend, snowboarder Sophie Hediger (†26), died in an avalanche accident shortly before Christmas.
Yesterday afternoon, Ambri-Piotta published a letter from his defense attorney Dario Wüthrich. In this, the 25-year-old explained that he would be on the ice against the SCL Tigers, even though he lost his long-time girlfriend just before Christmas. Boarder crosser Sophie Hediger died in an avalanche accident above Arosa.
