Luke Littler, the world’s top-ranked darts player, plans to continue selectively resting in order to focus on major tournaments, despite warnings from the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) president Barry Hearn about the potential impact on player rankings.

At 19 years old, Littler has dominated the sport this year, winning all six major titles to date and building a substantial £2.1 million lead over second-ranked Luke Humphries. Confident in his position, Littler has opted to reduce his participation in smaller events, believing that prioritizing rest benefits both his performance and personal well-being. “It’s just what’s best for me and my family,” he said. “I’m world No 1 and there’s a massive gap between myself and No 2. I can take that step back and not go chasing every single tournament.”

Throughout 2026, Littler has limited his involvement in European Tour events, competing in only three, and notably withdrew from the opening 26 Players Championship tournaments. However, he recently returned to competition at the event in Leicester as he aims for an unprecedented clean sweep of all 11 major darts titles within a calendar year.

Looking ahead, Littler must secure qualification for the Players Championship finals in November. His path to entry may depend on his performance at the upcoming World Series Finals in Amsterdam this week. Speaking in his capacity as a representative for KP Nuts, Littler outlined his current approach: “I can’t be looking forward any more. If I do win the World Series, I’ll be in Den Bosch for the Pro Tours on Tuesday and Wednesday to try and qualify for Minehead. We’ve just got to see what happens in Amsterdam this weekend.”

While the PDC cautions players against skipping too many competitions to maintain ranking stability, Littler’s commanding lead affords him the flexibility to manage his schedule carefully in pursuit of continued success at the top level.