Luke Littler kept control of Blackpool, and he did it emphatically. The world number one beat Gerwyn Price 18-9 in Sunday night’s 2026 World Matchplay final, averaging 111.51 according to the PDC. That turns our final preview into something much bigger: Littler did not just win, he produced the most statistically dominant campaign this stage has ever seen.
The PDC described the title run as the greatest in the tournament’s history. Sky Sports also highlighted the record-breaking nature of the night: Littler became the fourth player to retain the World Matchplay title and smashed Phil Taylor’s old tournament-average benchmark. This is no longer just a favourite confirming his status. This is a player redefining the ceiling.
Littler settled the final early
Price had said he could hurt Littler with his A-game. He quickly ran into the real problem: even when he started well, he still had to survive a pace that was close to unplayable. Littler took command in the opening session, pinning a 167 checkout and then a 110 to lead 4-1, even as the Welshman was averaging around 109.
From there, the match changed shape. Littler stretched the gap to 7-3, then produced the run that effectively closed the final: four legs won in 12, 12, 11 and 12 darts, with finishes of 128, 127, 87 and 84. The score became 11-3. On a spell like that, there is very little room to breathe.
Price deserves credit for refusing to disappear. He won six of the next ten legs to close to 15-9, ending with a 104.92 average, the second-highest losing average in a World Matchplay final according to the PDC. Even that was not enough. Littler pinned a 148 checkout, his sixth ton-plus finish of the match, before sealing an emphatic 18-9 win on the bull.
The numbers behind the title
| Final | Luke Littler 18-9 Gerwyn Price |
| Littler final average | 111.51 according to the PDC |
| Price average | 104.92 |
| Littler tournament average | 111.04 |
| Littler 180s for the week | 66 |
| Prize money | £225,000 for Littler, £125,000 for Price |
The number that stands above everything is that 111.04 tournament average across five matches. Phil Taylor had held the event record at 106.31 since 2010. Littler cleared it by a huge margin, while also hitting a nine-darter earlier in the week against Nathan Aspinall and averaging above 109 in all five of his matches.
The final score does not fully capture what Littler produced across the week. He beat Niko Springer, Nathan Aspinall, Josh Rock, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Gerwyn Price without ever really making the tournament look in doubt. That level of control is rare in a PDC major, especially at 19.
What this title changes next
This World Matchplay title extends a 2026 season that is already close to absurd. Littler had already won the World Championship, World Masters, UK Open, Premier League and World Cup. With Blackpool added to the list, he remains on course for a sweep of the biggest televised titles, but the PDC pointed to one very practical detail: he still needs to qualify for the Players Championship Finals, having not played a Players Championship event this season.
His post-match line also summed up the contrast of the moment. He was supposed to be going to Spain, but now he has to head to Leicester for ProTour events. That may be the one place where his televised dominance still runs into a calendar problem. The question now is whether he can maintain this pace while adding the grind of the floor circuit.
The morning after the title added two useful markers. Sky Sports pushed the Phil Taylor comparison further, using Littler’s own post-final line: “I would absolutely love to be the greatest dart player there ever has been.” That quote shows that he is already beginning to place this season against the biggest benchmarks in PDC history.
The ranking picture says something similar. DartsNews notes that Littler has passed £3 million on the two-year PDC Order of Merit, described as a first for the world rankings. The same update puts Price up to No. 4 and highlights Michael van Gerwen’s fall to his lowest mark since 2012. Blackpool has not just changed a trophy line. It has sharpened the whole picture at the top.
The real hurdle now is Minehead
That point has become even more important since the final. In an analysis published on 30 July, DartsNews puts a number on the challenge: Littler may need roughly £32,000 from the final eight Players Championship events to break into the top 64 in the race to Minehead. The paradox is unusual: the player dominating the majors still has to earn his Players Championship Finals place on the floor.
Sky Sports brought the subject back into focus at Littler’s mural unveiling in Warrington. The champion said the clean sweep was still “very much on”, but he also framed Minehead as the first practical hurdle of his end-of-season run. That detail matters: televised dominance is not enough here, he now has to convert a handful of ProTour days into qualification money.
Price beaten, but not erased
This was a painful night for Price, but not a wasted week. The Welshman was playing his first televised ranking final since October 2023, moves back ahead of Jonny Clayton as Welsh number one, and leaves with £125,000. He also acknowledged the obvious afterwards, calling Littler “one in a million” and saying there was something wrong with anyone booing him given what he brings to the sport.
The link with our World Matchplay semi-finals reading is clear enough: we asked whether Price could turn the final into a more physical, more nervous, longer fight. He tried, but Littler dragged everything back onto his own rhythm. This time, even a very good Price was not enough.
Sources used: official PDC article, Sky Sports report, Sky Sports follow-up on Littler’s records, Sky Sports clean-sweep update, DartsNews Order of Merit update and DartsNews analysis on Minehead qualification.
