Luke Littler ticked off another milestone by winning the Winmau World Masters with a dramatic 6-5 victory over defending champion Luke Humphries in Milton Keynes.
Littler thrashed Josh Rock in straight sets in the quarter-finals and survived a volley from Gerwyn Price in a last-leg thriller to reach the final for the first time at Arena MK, where he was launched into another topsy-turvy contest against Humphries.
The back-to-back world champion moved up 3-1 and 4-3 against Humphries, who had dispatched Danny Noppert and Gian van Veen earlier in the day without dropping a set, only to see ‘Cool Hand’ fight back to claim the next two set lead.
Littler responded by cruising through the final two sets in straight legs to close out another impressive win, leaving the 19-year-old just one EC title away from winning every PDC ranked title in his storied career.
The world No 1 fired a 104.72 average and 13 maximums during an absorbing final, with Littler’s victory following televised final victories over Humphries at the World Grand Prix and Grand Slam of Darts last season and seeing him win the £100,000 first prize.
How Littler edged Humphries thriller
Humphries squandered a chance to take the opening set in straight legs before claiming it with a 66 finish in the scoring and then saw Littler fire back with a stunning 153 box en route to leveling the contest.
Littler followed an 11-dart break with a double-double finish to take out 78 and advance, with back-to-back 121 boxes — one closed on top and one on the bullseye — lifting him to a two-set advantage.
Littler and Humphries will both be chasing further success in the Premier League, from Thursday and live on Sky Sports
Nuke broke again early in the fifth but missed a set of darts on D14 for another 121 and 4-1 lead, allowing Humphries to hold and unleash a run of five consecutive legs to shift the momentum back in his favour.
Littler responded with a three-leg burst of his own but missed the set dart to restore a two-set buffer, with Humphries threatening a successful title defense as he fired an 81 box to win the eighth set and held a throw in the ninth to go one leg away from victory.
![Luke Humphries [Taylor Lanning/PDC]](https://umniy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/1770002449_129_Winmau-World-Darts-Masters-Luke-Littler-sets-up-Luke-Humphries.jpg)
Luke Humphries was looking to become the first back-to-back World Masters champion since Michael van Gerwen
It took just 25 darts for Littler to cruise through the tenth set and force a decider, taking advantage of Humphries’ failure to take out D4 to win the next two games and claim an 11th PDC major title.
“Going into the last break at 5-4 down, I told myself I have nothing left, but I managed to dig deep,” Littler told ITV. “I was fully focused and got the job done. It’s definitely been weird and tough at times, but that’s why we fight in every game and every stage. I’ve come out victorious.
“Me and Luke in the first major of the year and I’m sure it will continue all year.”
What else happened on Sunday?
Humphries had lost just one leg and Littler two during their quarter-final wins over Rock and Noppert, with Price beating Chris Dobey 4-2 and Van Veen seeing off James Wade by the same margin.
In Littler’s eventful semi-final against Price, the Welshman came back from a set down four times to force a decider, with the Ice Man breaking after a poor finish from Littler but missing a match arrow on top for a 107 finish in the next.
![Gerwyn Price [Taylor Lanning/PDC]](https://umniy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/1770002449_631_Winmau-World-Darts-Masters-Luke-Littler-sets-up-Luke-Humphries.jpg)
Gerwyn Price reached the semi-finals for the first time in five years
The teenager responded by sneaking victory in the deciding leg, while Humphries edged past Van Veen with an average of 107.8 and by winning 10 out of 12 legs before finishing second to Littler.
“You look back at the game [against Littler] and it’s hard to pick holes in it because it was such a great game of darts,” Humphries said. “The only hole was the three on double top, which is the kind of pressure he puts you under.
“You’ve got to beat them and if you don’t, you don’t win the fight. If I hit that punch, the possibility is I’ll go on to win the fight. He’s shown real class. I told him at the end I don’t think he’s got a heart – he never folds under pressure.
“You try your best to put him under it, but he never folds. It might be too early, but I think he’s the greatest darts player who ever lived.”
What’s next?
Premier League Darts is back for a new season on Thursday, live on Sky Sportswith Newcastle hosting the opening night of the 17-week program in venues across the UK, Ireland and Europe.
The opening night sees Littler take on Van Veen – in a repeat of the World Darts Championship final, with Jonny Clayton or Rock awaiting the winner, Humphries playing former world champion Price and Michael Van Gerwen going up against Stephen Bunting.
Sky Sports will remain the home of the Premier League in 2026, with every night exclusively live along with World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts and more. Stream darts and more top sports without a contract.