Luke Littler: World No 1 will make his first appearance since picking up his second Premier League title at the Nordic Darts Masters | Darts News

Luke Littler will make his first appearance since picking up his second Premier League title at the Nordic Darts Masters in Denmark.

The world No 1 will be hunting his second World Series of Darts title of 2026 after winning the inaugural Riyadh Season Saudi Arabia Darts Masters in January.

The world champion produced a scintillating display to pip Luke Humphries in a last-leg decider and reclaim the Premier League trophy, averaging 111.67 in the highest-quality final the competition has ever witnessed.

The 19-year-old returns to action in Copenhagen against Norway’s No 1 Cor Dekker, and is now eyeing up the increasingly rare prospect of picking up a title for the first time.

“I can’t wait to have some down time and then return to the oche next week,” affirmed Littler, after claiming the Premier League title at The O2 last Thursday. “The Premier League was my first ever major title, so to pick it up against means the world.

“I hope the Premier League win is a turning point. It was one of those wins that I just had to get done.”

The tournament kicks off on Friday, as Stephen Bunting aims to become the first player to secure back-to-back titles in the Danish capital.

Bunting headlines the return of the World Series of Darts to the Forum Copenhagen, as a star-studded cast of 16 players battle for the title.

The former Masters winner produced a string of dominant displays to scoop his second World Series title last year, defeating Oskar Lukasiak, Jonny Clayton, Nathan Aspinall and Rob Cross.

Although Bunting faced consecutive quarter-final exits in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in January, the 41-year-old is hoping to return to winning ways in Copenhagen.

“I have really great memories from last year,” reminisced Bunting, who has been pitted against Viktor Tingstrom in his opening match. “Being in the wonderful city of Copenhagen is always a pleasure. It’s such a beautiful place and to win the title there was a great honour.

“It would be fantastic if I can become the first player to retain this title. It’s not just a great event but it’s one of the nicest trophies to win also, so that’s a huge incentive.

“I’m not sure what to expect [from Tingstrom]. I’ll just focus on putting in a top performance and concentrate on my own game.”

Blockbuster clash

Premier League finalist Humphries will take on Jeffrey de Graaf in a mouth-watering tie, with both players in fine form.

World No 2 Humphries averaged 105.60 despite falling short to Littler in a last-leg decider for the Premier league crown – the second-highest losing average ever recorded in a Premier League final.

“I’m proud of myself that I managed to have the chance to retain my Premier League title and give it a shot, and boy did I give it a shot,” affirmed Humphries, a two-time winner on the World Series of Darts circuit.

“I’m always confident, always feeling good and know there’s an opportunity to win titles.”

Humphries’ opponent in Copenhagen, De Graaf, enters the tournament after claiming his second PDC ranking title at Players Championship 19 on Tuesday in Milton Keynes.

Elsewhere, No 1 seed Michael van Gerwen will take on De Graaf’s World Cup of Darts partner Lukasiak, as the Dutchman hopes to back up his Bahrain Darts Masters win earlier this year.

Clayton will renew his rivalry with Andreas Harrysson in the opening match of the evening, as the Swede looks to enact revenge for his World Championship defeat in December.

Gerwyn Price – the 2024 Nordic Darts Masters champion – will lock horns with Lithuania’s premier player Darius Labanauskas, as the Welshman looks to return to the winners enclosure on the World Series, having claimed four titles since 2022.

James Wade returns to the World Series fold against Latvian No 1 Madars Razma, the highest-ranked player among the Nordic & Baltic representatives.

The three-time UK Open champion has never picked up a World Series of Darts title, despite winning the World Series of Darts Finals in 2018.

European Champion Gian van Veen will take on Daniel Larsson – a four-time qualifier for the World Championship – as the Dutch number one hopes to add a maiden World Series title to his trophy cabinet.

Following Friday’s opening round, the World Series of Darts event will conclude on Saturday evening, as the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final take place during a blockbuster evening session in Copenhagen.

2026 Nordic Darts Masters
June 5-6, Forum Copenhagen
Draw Bracket
(1) Michael van Gerwen vs Oskar Lukasiak
Stephen Bunting vs Viktor Tingstrom
(4) Gerwyn Price vs Darius Labanauskas
Jonny Clayton vs Andreas Harrysson
(2) Luke Littler vs Cor Dekker
James Wade vs Madars Razma
(3) Gian van Veen vs Daniel Larsson
Luke Humphries vs Jeffrey de Graaf

Schedule of Play
Friday June 5 (6pm)
Round One
Jonny Clayton vs Andreas Harrysson
Gerwyn Price vs Darius Labanauskas
Stephen Bunting vs Viktor Tingstrom
Michael van Gerwen vs Oskar Lukasiak
James Wade vs Madars Razma
Luke Littler vs Cor Dekker
Luke Humphries vs Jeffrey de Graaf
Gian van Veen vs Daniel Larsson

Saturday June 6 (6pm)
Quarter-Finals
Best of 11 legs

Semi-Finals
Best of 13 legs

Final
Best of 15 legs

What’s happening on Sky Sports next?

The 2026 World Cup of Darts will be held at Frankfurt’s Eissporthalle from June 11-14, as 40 nations compete for the coveted title in the unique pairs event.

The top four ranked nations – based on the lowest cumulative PDC ranking of the two competing players – are seeded and will enter at the last 16 stage.

This includes top seeds England, four-time winners Netherlands, reigning champions Northern Ireland and two-time champions Scotland.

The remaining 36 nations have been split into 12 groups of three for the round-robin phase – including 12 seeded nations – from which each group winner will advance.

Who will win this year’s Premier League Darts? Luke Humphries will be defending his title and you can watch Finals Night next Thursday on Sky Sports. Stream darts and more top sport with NOW.