Luke Littler loses 6-5 in World Youth Championship semi-final

Luke Littler lost 6-5 to Cam Crabtree in a semi-final of the World Youth Championship, the BBC reported on 5 October 2026. The 19-year-old missed the opportunity to hold the senior and youth world titles at the same time.

Littler is 19 and therefore remains eligible for youth events. He has won successive full World Championships and claimed the youth title in 2023 as a 16-year-old. This semi-final defeat was his second straight exit at that stage after losing to Beau Greaves in 2025, and he could still enter the tournament on four more occasions because it is open to players aged 23 or under at the start of the season.

The winner in the semi-final was world number 68 Cam Crabtree, who is 23. Littler had been expected to contend but was beaten by Crabtree in the last four.

The Youth Championship final will be played on finals day at the Players Championship Finals in Minehead, but Littler has not qualified for that event. He skipped the majority of Pro Tour events this season and is currently ranked 126th in the Players Championship order of merit, while only the top 64 qualify for the Players Championship Finals.

Four Players Championship events remain on the calendar, two of which are scheduled in Den Bosch in the Netherlands. Littler withdrew from events in Den Bosch recently after being subjected to boos by the crowds.

The semi-final loss is one of several unexpected early exits for Littler this season: he was knocked out of the World Grand Prix in the first round by Luke Woodhouse and lost to Jonny Clayton in the quarter-finals of the World Series of Darts finals.

Cam Crabtree will meet German Jan Schmidt in the World Youth Championship final on 29 November at the Players Championship Finals in Minehead.