Luke Littler is gearing up for his first defense of the PDC World Darts Championship against Darius Labanauskas at Alexandra Palace next month following the draw on Monday afternoon. The 18-year-old claimed the 2025 world champion title by defeating Michael van Gerwen at Ally Pally in January. Since then, Littler has secured victories at the UK Open, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts, and Players Championship, among other accolades.
Having recently ascended to the world No.1 spot, surpassing Luke Humphries, Littler is in stellar form as he prepares to defend his World Championship title in the upcoming tournament. The draw has paired him with Lithuanian No.1 Labanauskas for the opening round.
In other matchups, Luke Humphries will face Ted Evetts, Michael van Gerwen will take on Mitsohiko Tatsunami, and Beau Greaves is scheduled to compete against Daryl Gurney in the initial ties of the revamped 128-player tournament.
The complete list of first-round matchups for the 2026 PDC World Championship includes various exciting duels such as Mensur Suljovic against David Cameron, Damon Heta versus Steve Lennon, and Raymond van Barneveld against Stefan Bellmont. The tournament promises to deliver thrilling darts action as the players vie for victory on the iconic stage of Alexandra Palace.