Luke Littler, the teenage darts sensation, has confirmed what everyone had been expecting – he’s not actually stepping away from the sport. The reigning world champion released a video on Thursday hinting at a break from darts to focus on his other passions. Many speculated that this ‘announcement’ was merely a lead-up to an advertising campaign.
Their suspicions were confirmed on Friday when Littler posted a new video on social media. In the clip, he is seen setting down his darts on a chair, then strolling into a retirement home donned in a dressing gown. He settles down to play the newly launched EA FC 26, before stating: “Take time to do the things you love, FC26 now on Xbox.”
Littler shot to fame during the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace two years ago. At just 16 years old, he had a dream run to the final, defeating big names like Michael van Gerwen before he was ultimately beaten by Luke Humphries.
Despite that loss, he had an incredible following year, clinching the Premier League, the Grand Slam and the World Series Finals.
A year later, back at Ally Pally, he triumphed over Van Gerwen to become the youngest world champion in the sport’s history. His domination continued into 2025, bagging three more major titles, with his sights firmly set on the world number one ranking.
And so the declaration that he was prepared to retire from the sport was inevitably greeted with considerable doubt.
In his original video he declared: “I’ve had an awesome career, I couldn’t have asked for much better for myself.
“You know it’s been full on for two years, I’ve done many great things, the Premier League at the age of 17 on debut, the nine-darters on telly, winning the World Championships at 18, the youngest to ever do it.
“I just want to say thanks to all my fans for the support over the last two years, it’s been phenomenal. It’ll shock some people that I’m taking a step back. It’s not been an easy decision, now I want to do something that I love.”
The true purpose became apparent at the conclusion of the footage, however, with Littler overheard whispering: “Do you think they’ll fall for that?”.
Littler has been open about his passion for FIFA and EA Sports FC, frequently enjoying the game between major tournament clashes.
Following his meteoric rise to fame after reaching the World Championships final in 2024, he quipped that he would use his £200,000 prize money on FIFA points, a digital currency for the game’s Ultimate Team mode.
Littler is set to take the stage on Saturday evening in the Hungarian Darts Trophy in Budapest.
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