Littler denied at PC27 as Players Championship qualification hopes suffer

On 25 August 2026 in Leicester, Luke Littler was beaten by Jermaine Wattimena in the quarter-finals of Players Championship 27, denting his hopes of qualifying for the Players Championship Finals in November.

The 19-year-old, who won the World Matchplay title last month, was competing in his first Pro Tour event of 2026 as he seeks to complete the calendar sweep of ranking events this year; the top 64 players in the Players Championship qualify for Minehead in November.

The quarter-final went to a deciding leg, with Wattimena landing a 115 checkout to take the match and record his first win in six meetings against Littler on the PDC tour.

Littler posted "on the move" on Instagram after the defeat.

Littler skipped the first 26 events on the circuit and sits 141st after claiming £4,000 on Tuesday; he is currently £22,250 behind 64th-placed Mario Vandenbogaerde.

There are seven Players Championship events remaining, and Littler has previously stated his intention to only feature in the UK events, which would leave him with three further opportunities to climb the order of merit; victory at one of the events earns you £15,000, while runners-up receive £10,000.

One of the remaining Players Championship events takes place on Wednesday at the same Leicester venue, offering Littler an immediate chance to add prize money.