With his trophy cabinet creaking under the weight of stacked silverware, darts phenomenon Luke Littler is stamping his name all over the sport's record books.
He is making 2026's chapter all his own, with 4/4 major titles already in the bag, as well as the Premier League and World Cup.
It means Littler is on for an unprecedented year where, come July 3, he might be standing on the Alexandra Palace stage, Sid Waddell Trophy in his hands, having won every ranked and non-ranked tournament over the previous 12 months.
The remarkable 18-9 win over Gerwyn Price in July's World Matchplay final, in which Littler set a new record average in a final (111.53) off the back of an eye-catchingly dominant route through the competition, offered the clearest sign yet that he might be unbeatable right now.
There are, though, some notable obstacles for him to navigate if he is to pull off an unprecedented 12-month clean sweep.
Has anyone swept the majors before?
If Littler pulls off the unthinkable over the next few months, he would become the third player to hold every major ranking title at the same time. However, his feat would arguably eclipse the achievements of Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen.
Taylor's total dominance of the sport during the 1990s and 2000s meant he has swept every major ranking title twice. The number of titles available has fluctuated over the years -- when Taylor first achieved the feat in 2000, he won all three majors available -- the World Championship, World Matchplay and World Grand Prix. He also captured the Las Vegas Desert Classic to hold all four major titles in 2002.
As the calendar expanded along with darts' growth in the noughties, Taylor came close to another clean sweep in 2009, winning the World Championship, Players Championship Finals, UK Open, Las Vegas Desert Classic, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix and European Championship as well as the the then-unranked Grand Slam of Darts. But 'The Power' fell agonisingly short of sweeping every tournament due to his Premier League semifinal defeat to Mervyn King.
While his powers appear somewhat diminished of late, Van Gerwen's 2016-17 campaign ranks among the most one-sided that darts has seen. The Dutchman swept the ranked UK Open, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, European Championship, Grand Slam of Darts, Players Championship Finals and the World Championship as he held every active major ranking title at the same time, as well as the unranked Masters, Premier League and World Series. But he failed to complete the set after losing to Taylor in the inaugural edition of the short-lived Champions League of Darts.
While Taylor and Van Gerwen's achievements are extremely impressive, if Littler can win all 10 ranked televised events this year, as well as the four non-ranked televised ones, his clean sweep would surpass the others.
- Luke Littler darts titles, prize money, career history, more
Pro Tours: The complicated bit
Perhaps the most obvious obstacle standing in Littler's way is defending his Players Championship in November. As it stands, 'The Nuke' will not qualify for the finals section of the tournament in Minehead in November.
To compete in the Players Championship Finals, 34 individual Players Championship events are held between February and October at a variety of venues, after which the top 64 players in the Players Championship Order of Merit proceed to the finals.
The Players Championship Order of Merit is decided by total prize money accrued across the 34 events.
Littler has opted against playing in any of the 26 Players Championship events played so far -- likely due to his packed schedule and comfortable position at the top of the world rankings -- and so with eight events remaining, he sits £25,500 off 64th-placed Martin Schindler.
Littler has said he will skip Players Championship 27 and 28, but will compete on the Pro Tour after the World Series Finals that ends on Sept. 20. That will leave him six events in which to earn the prize money that would see him rise into the top 64 by the end of Players Championship 34 in Leicester on Nov. 5.
He likely needs to earn around £30,000 in Players Championship prize money to earn his place in Minehead.
Players Championship prize money
Second round: £1,250
Third round: £2,000
Fourth round: £3,000
Quarterfinals: £4,000
Semifinals: £6,500
Runner-up: £10,000
Final: £15,000
Regain World Series title
All of those Players Championship projections will mean little if Littler doesn't win his next tournament -- the World Series of Darts.
He won the tournament at the first attempt in 2025, but was beaten 11-4 by hometown hero Van Gerwen in Amsterdam last year.
Littler is second in the World Series Order of Merit and assured of qualification for the finals.
His recent form makes him the clear favourite to retain his title on Sept. 20.
- Luke Littler unveils mural in home town after nan gets early preview
Win notoriously tricky World Grand Prix
The next task for Littler is the World Grand Prix where he is the reigning champion thanks to his victory over Luke Humphries in the 2025 final.
While loved by some, the double in, double out format is dreaded by many with Littler himself saying he wasn't a fan and describing it as "one of the toughest tournaments to win" ahead of last year's competition.
If Littler emerges victorious once again, he will become only the fourth repeat Grand Prix winner, joining James Wade (2), Van Gerwen (6) and Taylor (11).
By the time Littler rocks up in Leicester, he will likely have played two Players Championship events and his path to Minehead will therefore be clearer.
Finally win the one trophy missing from his collection
Littler's tender age has not stopped him from hoovering up almost every darts title available to him, but there is one trophy the 19-year-old is yet to lift -- the European Championship.
'The Nuke' has tended to find things more difficult in Germany where he is welcomed by a hostile crowd keen to see one of their own upset the odds.
Dutchman and new world No. 2 Gian van Veen won last year's event in Dortmund for what was the first major title of his career.
Littler made an uncharacteristically early exit with a second-round 10-7 defeat to an impressive James Wade who outperformed the world champion on the outer ring.
The loss to Wade on Oct. 25, 2025 remains the last time Littler has tasted defeat onstage.
A win in Dortmund could see Littler hold every major ranking and non-ranking title available.
Win third straight Grand Slam title
Littler has a perfect career record in the Grand Slam, backing up his 2024 triumph with victory last year.
'The Nuke' cruised through his group before ousting Wessel Nijman, Josh Rock and Danny Noppert before once again beating Humphries in the final.
By the time the Grand Slam rolls around, Littler's chances to qualify for the Players Championship Finals will have been and gone and so presuming he wins the other tournaments, we will know if he stands on the verge of a perfect 2026.
Finish off the job in Minehead
If Littler can squeeze into the top 64 of the Players Championship Order of Merit during the last remaining Pro Tour events, he will have even more onlookers than normal following his every move in Minehead.
He cruised to the 2025 title with an 11-8 triumph over Nathan Aspinall in the final, offering a sign of the sort of form he would display when winning his second World Championship title a month later.
The world No. 1 will be looking to repeat the trick this year.
Back-to-back-to-back at Ally Pally?
Littler has technically already won the 2026 World Championship, courtesy of his 7-1 won over Van Veen in the final back in January, with the upcoming World Championship known as the 2027 tournament due to its ending on Jan. 3.
Still, the World Championship heralds the end of the darts season, so for Littler to complete a clean sweep of titles this year, he will have to lift the Sid Waddell trophy for the third time in a row.
You'd fancy his chances given he has only lost once on the Ally Pally stage in his career -- his 7-4 defeat to Humphries in the final of his debut tournament appearance at the age of 16 in 2024.
If he goes back-to-back-to-back, Littler will become the first player to win three World Championship titles in a row since Taylor did it in 2006. Littler would still have some way to go to match Taylor's longest PDC World Championship winning streak, though, with 'The Power' having won eight in a row from 1995 to 2002.
Completing a clean sweep of titles on the biggest stage of all would be a fitting way in which to seal a piece of sporting history.