Luke Littler has made history by winning the UK Open for the second year in a row. The 19-year-old Englishman defeated his 42-year-old compatriot James Wade 11-7 at Butlin's Minehead Resort in a repeat of last year's final, successfully defending his title. With this victory, Littler joins an exclusive club of players who have won the UK Open in back-to-back years: Michael van Gerwen, Phil Taylor, and Raymond van Barneveld.
The final was played at a high level, with Littler proving more consistent at key moments. Wade hung in for a long time, but Littler made the difference in the decisive phase with a series of strong checkouts. After the match, Littler spoke with respect about Wade, noting he looked up to him growing up. "I think he's been here every time now, for I think 24 years," Littler said. "It just goes to show how long he's been around. James is obviously one of the ones I always watched growing up. All these people that I'm beating, thinking back ten years ago I was watching them."
The two Englishmen shared a light-hearted moment afterwards. Littler joked, "James is absolute class. I said to him: 'I've beat you back-to-back now you can have it next year' and he went: 'Yeah that's if I'm still around'. I think he's still got a lot left in the tank." Wade was candid in his assessment, saying, "He was just too good for me there in the end. Little bit gassed out, little bit older than he is. Just couldn't quite find it. Hats off to him. He's doing what he does and he does it quite easily. Missed a couple of shots and a couple of doubles. No one likes losing." He added that he is satisfied with his recent performances, stating, "Perhaps it doesn't always get reflected how I'm doing and what I'm doing. But for the last 18 months I've done alright."
Wade also praised Littler, calling him "the best player in the world at the moment." Despite strong results, including reaching the UK Open and World Matchplay finals, Wade was notably absent from the Premier League Darts lineup for 2026, with wildcard spots awarded to Jonny Clayton, Stephen Bunting, Josh Rock, and Gerwyn Price. For Littler, the win extends his impressive streak at major televised tournaments, having not lost a single match on a big PDC stage since late October last year, when Wade beat him at the European Championship Darts.
