The Premier League Darts Finals took place at the O2 Arena on Thursday Night, where Luke Littler’s title defence coming to an end in the final against Luke Humphries
The highly-anticipated Premier League Darts Finals Night will live long in the memory. Teenage sensation Luke Littler was aiming to defend his title at the O2 Arena in London, but he fell short against Luke Humphries in a dramatic final.
The 18-year-old won the Premier League Darts title last year after being invited as one of four wildcards following his shock run at the 2024 World Darts Championship. Littler won four nights in his maiden campaign before defeating Michael Smith in the semi-finals and clinching the title with an 11-7 win over Humphries.
‘The Nuke’ is reigning world champion and won the UK Open this year, placing him second in the PDC Order of Merit. He beat Gerwyn Price in his semi-final this time around, while Humphries beat Nathan Aspinall, but it was Cool Hand who won the final by an 11-8 margin.
Littler had earlier topped the regular season standings with 45 points, winning six of the 16 weekly events, and many expected him to complete the job. He made a fast start against Humphries, only for his rival to come roaring back.
The Premier League season has a total £1million prize pot, with Humphries receiving £275k for his victory. Runner-up Littler will earn £125k for his efforts, with the losing semi-finalists pocketing £85k each. The remaining four players in the eight-man league earned between £60k and £75k, with the money rising by £5k increments depending on their final league position.
Littler had already earned an extra £60k regardless of any results tonight, courtesy of the £10k bonus for weekly wins in the regular season. According to the PDC Order of Merit, the 18-year-old has earned £1.3m from ranked tournaments, placing him £573k behind world number one Humphries.
This total does not take into account Littler’s prize money from non-ranked events, such as Premier League Darts. It also doesn’t include his earnings from sponsorship deals.
Humphries was one of three men chasing a first ever Premier League triumph, and his success made him a triple crown winner. Remarkably, neither he, Price or Aspinall had ever won the competition going into the 2025 play-offs.
Littler will have to wait until 2026 at the earliest to become a multi-time Premier League champion – something only achieved by Gary Anderson, Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen. However, the teenage sensation would still have a long way to go to match Van Gerwen’s record seven title wins.
“This one means the world to me, that was the one I was missing,” Humphries told Sky Sports after his win. “It was the one I wanted, I have done it now. If I don’t win another title, I am happy as I have done the three hardest ones to do.
“Phil Taylor has given me a lot of support over the last couple of weeks so, Phil, if you are watching, thank you. He gave me a lot of advice and that extra support.
“I love Luke to bits. He is one of my best mates on tour and he is so good,” he said of Littler. “He wasn’t at his best tonight, neither was I. I thought the game was going to go away from me at 3-0 down. He is a great player, a great lad, and I will get in early before he trounces everyone.”
