Champion Littler starts Worlds against Labanauskas

Darius Labanauskas will take the field to defend his PDC world title against Luke Littler.

In the first round of the London’s Alexandra Palace matchup, the English world number one will face the Lithuanian, who was a 2020 quarter-finalist.

Ted Evetts, the 2021 world youth champion, will face second-seeded Luke Humphries, who defeated Littler in the final of the 2024 competition.

In the expanded 128-player tournament, which starts at London’s Alexandra Palace on December 11 and features three-time women’s world champion Beau Greaves and 22-seeded Daryl Gurney.

The women’s world matchplay champion Lisa Ashton and Michael Smith, the women’s world series champion, square off against the 2023 PDC world champion.

Only the only woman to have won matches at the Ally Pally tournament will face Dave Chisnall, the other 21st seed.

Noa-Lynn van Leuven will face Peter Wright, the first transgender player to compete in the tournament, while Gemma Hayter will face Josh Rock, the 11th seed, in a match that will be remembered last year.

When Littler defeated Dutchman Van Gerwen in the January final, Littler won the title of youngest world champion at the age of 17 instead of the age of 18.

The 18-year-old teenager won five more television titles in 2025, including the Players’ Championship in Minehead on Sunday.

Littler and Humphries are seeded to compete in the final once more, but they are on different sides.

Littler compared Labanauskas to his first-round opponent, saying, “He’s not the quickest player, but it’s all about getting past that first round.”

I’m excited to try to do that because Gary Anderson was the last player to win back-to-back championships in 2015 and 2016 .

The final is set for Saturday, January 3rd, 2026, with the top 32 seeds going to the first round this year rather than the second.

128 players have increased from 96 in 2024 to 128 in 2025, with the winner receiving £1 million, double what Littler received in January. The runner-up wins £400, 000 from a total £5m prize fund.

Players ranked 33 to 64 were added to the 32 seeds, and they were randomly drawn to the left side of the draw in the face of the remaining 64 qualifiers.

The first-round matches will take place on December 19 from Thursday 11 through Friday 19;

The third round will start on December 27 and the fourth round will start on December 30 and will be played from December 20 through December 23.