Luke Littler is one of the best darts players in the world, yet he isn’t playing for England at the World Cup of Darts. Why is this the case?
Luke Litter has took the darts world by absolute storm since really bursting on the scene in the 2023 World Championship’s. The then 16-year-old missed out on the grand prize by just inches, narrowly losing to the current world number one – Luke Humphries.
But Littler didn’t let that dampen his spirits. Instead, he’s just gone from strength to strength, winning the Bahrain Masters and then currently annihilating the competition in the Premier League Darts 2024.
So this begs the question, with the next big competition upcoming the World Cup of Darts 2024 – why is Littler not featuring for his home country of England?
Why is Luke Littler not playing for England at the World Cup of Darts?
To be eligible to play in the World Cup of Darts, you have to be in the two highest ranked players in your country. At present, Littler is not, and even an outright win in the Premier League wouldn’t see him jump high enough.
As of the time of writing, he’s currently 25th in the PDC Order of Merit, which is based on prize money won over a two-year period from ranking tournaments, and crucially determines the line-up for several major tournaments over the calendar year.
Similarly to the World Cup, Littler missed out on the Masters between February 2 and 4 as his ranking was not high enough to qualify. He was 30th at the time, and only the top 24 competed.
Littler will probably appreciate the rest. He’s had a massively busy schedule, and will likely be glad of some time to relax after the Premier League concludes. It’s safe to say we’ll probably be seeing him in this competition in the future anyway.
Who will be playing at the World Cup of Darts for England?
Luke Humphries will be England’s first competitor and then most likely Michael Smith. A fearsome duo, with the Three Lions arrow throwers definitely the favourites for the tournament heading into it.
The World Cup of Darts 2024 will take place from the 27th to the 30th of June 2024 at the Eissporthalle in Frankfurt, Germany.
Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton of Wales are the defending champions, as they defeated Peter Wright and Gary Anderson of Scotland 10–2 in the 2023 final.