Luke Littler ruled out of World Cup of Darts on PDC rule despite pending Premier League glory
PDC regulations mean that darts sensation Luke Littler won't be able to represent England at the World Cup of Darts. Instead, his Premier League semi-final opponent Michael Smith and Luke Humphries, who defeated him in the Paddy Power PDC World Darts Championship final, will fly the flag for England in Germany.
The tournament kicks off in Frankfurt on June 16 and wraps up on June 19. Smith and Humphries have been chosen as they're currently England's top two players in the PDC order of merit. Despite Littler's impressive run to the world championship final and victories in the Bahrain Darts Masters, Austrian Darts Open and Belgian Darts Open, he's still only ranked as the world's No. 25 player.
This ranking automatically rules him out of contention for Team England, reports the Mirror. The PDC Order of Merit, which determines the ranking of darts players, is based on the amount of prize money they've earned over a two-year period. As Littler only made his senior tour debut in December 2023, he's still around 18 months behind most players in the table.
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Littler secured his spot at Alexandra Palace by clinching the World Youth Darts Championship in November 2023. According to the table, Littler has managed to pocket £303,500 over the two-year period.
Despite his impressive performance, Littler still trails behind Humphries, who has amassed winnings of £1,496,500 and Smith with £1,059,250 over the past two years. He also lags behind fellow English players Nathan Aspinall and Rob Cross, who rank fourth and sixth respectively.
However, if Littler continues his
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