World number one and former champion Luke Littler is set to headline the entry list for Monday’s Winmau World Youth Championship, providing the young star another opportunity to compete in the event’s final at Minehead.
The complete 128-player field will be finalized this weekend as the Development Tour season concludes. Events 21 through 24 are scheduled to take place in Wigan on October 3-4.
The 2026 championship will feature a round-robin phase followed by knockout rounds from the last 64 through to the semi-finals, all hosted on Monday, October 5, at the Robin Park Leisure Centre.
Littler enters the tournament as the top seed, bolstered by his world number one ranking. He previously claimed the World Youth Championship title in 2023. However, his absence from the main tour card event in November adds significance to this appearance; Littler withdrew from Players Championship 29 and 30 following his exit from the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam, effectively ending his qualification hopes for the Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals.
The final of the Players Championship Finals is scheduled for Sunday, November 29, at Butlin’s Minehead Resort, where the winner will take home a boosted top prize of £15,000.
Although Littler’s path to the November finals is closed, he could still reach the Minehead venue by performing well at the Youth Championship. The 128-player lineup will consist of all age-qualified PDC Tour Card Holders who accept the invitation, 26 international representatives, and remaining spots filled based on the final Development Tour Rankings.
Seeding for the group stages, which feature 32 groups of four, will be determined by the PDC Werner Rankings Ladder and subsequently the Development Tour Rankings. The top two players from each group will advance to the knockout stages.
Speaking on Love The Darts, Paul Nicholson expressed support for Littler’s decision to maintain a reduced schedule for the remainder of the season. Littler recently secured victory at the World Grand Prix in 2025 but had previously suffered a 6-5 semi-final defeat to Beau Greaves at the World Youth Championship.
Joining Littler in the field are high-profile contenders such as Poland’s Sebastian Bialecki and Ireland’s Keane Barry. Also returning include 2024 runner-up Jurjen van der Velde, along with Cam Crabtree, Charlie Manby, Owen Bates, and Adam Gawlas from Czechia.
The roster features several notable talents who have progressed to the Development Tour, including 16-year-old Lewis Cook from the JDC circuit, Kaya Baysal, Archie Self, and Ben Townley. Eleanor Cairns and Kyana Frauenfelder represent the PDC Women’s Series rankings.
In a notable departure, reigning two-time champion Gian van Veen will not defend his title. Additionally, Beau Greaves, who finished as runner-up to Van Veen last year, and Yorick Hofkens have both chosen not to participate in Monday’s event.
The championship kicks off at 11:30 am on Monday at the Robin Park Leisure Centre. Group matches will be played over the best of nine legs, with the last 64 knockout ties contested over the best of 11 legs.
Alongside Littler, the age-qualified Tour Card Holders include Dominik Gruellich, Charlie Manby, Leon Weber, Tavis Dudeney, Adam Gawlas, Owen Bates, Jurjen van der Velde, Tyler Thorpe, and Sebastian Bialecki.
The international qualifiers represent a global field, including players from Germany, Finland, Iceland, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand, the USA, Canada, Gibraltar, South Africa, the Netherlands, China, Japan, and the Philippines.
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