The Break Wasn’t Long for the PDC Stars.
The Break Wasn’t Long for the PDC Stars.
The Break Wasn’t Long for the PDC Stars.
18-year-old Luke Littler shattered records with ease, becoming the youngest world champion in history just three weeks ago. In a dominant PDC World Championship final, he swept Michael van Gerwen aside with a 7-3 victory in sets, solidifying his status as the greatest darts prodigy the world has ever seen.
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However, Littler and his fellow sharpshooting stars didn’t get much time to rest. Less than two weeks after the World Championship final, the 2025 season kicked off with the Bahrain Darts Masters. Stephen Bunting, seeking redemption after his World Championship semifinal exit, secured his first-ever PDC World Series title by defeating Gerwyn Price in the final.
Gerwyn Price had dazzled earlier in the tournament, crushing the newly crowned world champion Littler in the quarterfinals. However, he was no match for the Scouser, Stephen Bunting. This weekend, the darts circuit moves back to European soil for the Dutch Darts Masters, where Bunting, Littler, and other stars will head to the Netherlands to compete for the trophy.
The tournament will take place in Den Bosch and feature 16 players. Dutch hero Michael van Gerwen is one of the eight seeded participants, while players ranked 9–16 include regional stars from the Benelux region. These regional players promise to offer much stiffer competition compared to those faced in Bahrain, where local qualifiers are typically outclassed by the world's elite in the early rounds.
Among this weekend’s regional competitors are standout players such as Danny Noppert, Dimitri Van den Bergh, Jermaine Wattimena, and Kevin Doets, all of whom impressed during the World Championship at Ally Pally a few weeks ago.
Littler, who was still 17 when he claimed the world title three weeks ago, narrowly lost last year’s PDC Dutch Darts Masters final to Van Gerwen. Whether their paths will cross again this weekend remains to be seen. What’s certain, however, is that these two titans will face off in the opening round of the Premier League in just a few weeks.
The Premier League is a unique competition where eight elite players compete in weekly mini-tournaments over 16 weeks, culminating in the playoffs at the iconic O2 Arena in late May. The first round will take place in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Thursday, February 6. The 2025 Premier League lineup includes:
It doesn’t get much more star-studded than this! Watching these players battle it out over 16 weeks promises to be thrilling. The full schedule is already out, and fans are eagerly awaiting a rematch of the World Championship final when Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen clash in the quarterfinals in Belfast. By May’s playoffs, the top four players from the 16 rounds will compete in the semifinals.
Prepare for an action-packed weekend as the world’s best darts players return to the oche! If you’re looking for odds and bets for this weekend’s darts action, head over to Betsmith.com and check it out!