Sports
World Darts Championship 2026 Salaries For Luke Littler and Gian van Veen
Teenage sensation Luke Littler became a two-time winner of the PDC World Darts Championship on Saturday night after demolishing Gian van Veen in a one-sided final at Alexandra Palace in north London. ‘The Nuke’ walked away with the biggest amount of prize money ever awarded in the sport, while the Dutchman banked a staggering sum in defeat.
With the 2026 tournament having been expanded to include a massive 128 players, Littler’s chances of retaining the crown that he won in 2025 by beating Michael van Gerwen should theoretically have been slimmer than usual. However, the 18-year-old made light work of the rest of the field.
In making his way to a third-straight world championship final, Littler lost just three sets. He made light work of names such as Darius Labanauskas, David Davies, Mensur Suljovic, Rob Cross, Krzysztof Ratajski and Ryan Searle in order to book his showdown with Van Veen.
‘The Giant’ may have had a tougher route to the final, but the 10th seed showed his class by getting the better of a host of big names to secure his place in the showpiece decider. The 23-year-old produced two of the best performances of his career as he beat former champion Luke Humphries in the quarter-finals, before outclassing two-time victor Gary Anderson in the semis.
Luke Littler Dominated Gian van Veen in the 2026 World Championship Final
However, for as much promise as Van Veen showed in his run to the final, the reigning European Champion failed to produce his best when it really mattered. The final started well enough for the underdog, as he took the first set.
Frustratingly, though, that would be the only time he got onto the scoreboard in terms of sets. Recovering from the early setback, Littler produced some of the best darts of his young career to reel off seven sets in succession and claim the Sid Waddell Trophy in dominant fashion once again.
While Littler ultimately walked away victorious, there were mixed fortunes for some other former winners.
Many Top Seeds Struggled at the 2026 World Darts Championship
As mentioned, Luke Humphries suffered a shock quarter-final exit. The number two seed was humbled 5-1 by Van Veen in one of the biggest shocks of the tournament.
Third seed Michael van Gerwen fared even worse as the three-time world champion was dumped out by Gary Anderson in the fourth-round. There were similar tales of woe for the likes of Stephen Bunting, Danny Noppert and Gerwyn Price as a number of top seeds bowed out far earlier than expected.
However, those shock exits paved the way for some relatively unknown names to stamp their own impression on the tournament. After defeating Cameron Menzies in the first round, 20-year-old Charlie Manby enjoyed a fairytale run to the fourth round, before being beaten by eventual finalist Van Veen.
The unseeded Justin Hood went one better than Manby. ‘Happy Feet’ overcame seeds such as Noppert and Josh Rock to earn a quarter-final berth. His unlikely journey to the last-eight was ended by Gary Anderson, but the £100,000 pounds that Hood earned for his run in the tournament was a life-changing sum. The 32-year-old will now be able to pursue the sport full-time, and even has one eye on his dream of opening a chinese takeaway off the back of his success.
Five Female Players Competed at the 2026 World Darts Championship
The expansion of the tournament to 128 players also meant that there was a record number of female players in the draw. However, none of the women involved made it past the first round.
Women’s world number one Beau Greaves came closest to making it to the next phase after pushing Daryl Gurney all the way in their first-round meeting. ‘The Queen of the Palace’ Fallon Sherrock was also in action, although she failed to replicate her heroics of previous years, losing to 21st seed Dave Chisnall in their opening round encounter.
Even for those that fell at the first hurdle, though, the prize money was still highly respectable. As a result of the PDC’s decision to boost the overall prize money pool on offer to a massive £5 million, even first-round losers walked away with £15,000.
Littler and Van Veen Lead Player Salaries at 2026 World Darts Championship
However, the major beneficiaries of the move were finalists Littler and Van Veen. The victorious teenager earned £1 million, exactly double what he made for winning in 2025, while Van Veen can console himself in defeat with a hefty £400,000 payday.
By way of illustration, Van Veen’s purse for finishing as runner-up was more than three times what he received for winning the European Championship last year.
|
2026 World Darts Championship salaries (selected) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Round |
Salary |
|
Raymond van Barneveld |
First round |
£15,000 |
|
Fallon Sherrock |
First round |
£15,000 |
|
Cameron Menzies |
First round |
£15,000 |
|
Beau Greaves |
First round |
£15,000 |
|
Gerwyn Price |
Second round |
£25,000 |
|
Danny Noppert |
Second round |
£25,000 |
|
James Wade |
Second round |
£25,000 |
|
Peter Wright |
Second round |
£25,000 |
|
Stephen Bunting |
Third round |
£35,000 |
|
Nathan Aspinall |
Third round |
£35,000 |
|
Rob Cross |
Fourth round |
£60,000 |
|
Charlie Manby |
Fourth round |
£60,000 |
|
Michael van Gerwen |
Fourth round |
£60,000 |
|
Justin Hood |
Quarter-final |
£100,000 |
|
Krzysztof Ratajski |
Quarter-final |
£100,000 |
|
Jonny Clayton |
Quarter-final |
£100,000 |
|
Luke Humphries |
Quarter-final |
£100,000 |
|
Ryan Searle |
Semi-final |
£200,000 |
|
Gary Anderson |
Semi-final |
£200,000 |
No Nine-Darter Hit During The 2026 World Darts Championship
As lucrative as this year’s tournament was, it could have been even more so, as sponsors Paddy Power were ready to reward any player who could finish a leg in just nine darts with a £60,000 bonus.
However, despite several players coming close, there was no nine-darter hit during the tournament. This was bad news for everyone involved in the event.
Not only did the players miss out on £60,000, but Paddy Power would also have awarded the same sum to a fan in the crowd, as well as making a donation in the same amount to Prostate Cancer UK.
Although he ultimately secured the coveted trophy, Littler admitted after the final that a nine-darter was the “only thing missing” from his triumph on Saturday night.
“I think you just take it in all the time and as the game goes on,” the teenage star said of the hype surrounding a potential nine-dart finish.
“The chants, the 180s. Obviously, you go off [hitting a] 180, you hit a small 20 and they’re not happy. Some of them want £60,000, but it didn’t happen tonight. I really wanted that nine-darter, that was the only thing missing.”
Thomas Tuchel did not hold back when speaking about the officials after England’s dramatic victory over Mexico in their 2026 World Cup last 16 match.
England picked up a historic victory at the Azteca Stadium on Sunday evening as they defeated the co-hosts 3-2.
The Three Lions went into the break leading 2-1, with Jude Bellingham scoring a brace. England’s chances of victory took a major blow early in the second half when Jarell Quansah was shown a straight red card.
Despite the man disadvantage, Harry Kane restored England’s two-goal lead via the penalty spot, only for Raul Jimenez to get Mexico back in it when Mexico were given a penalty of their own.
Mexico threw everything they had at England for the remainder of the match, but they could not find an equaliser as England held on to book their place in the quarter-finals of the competition.
Thomas Tuchel Rages at Officials After England’s Victory vs Mexico
Despite England’s victory, Tuchel was not happy at all with the officials, and he made his feelings very clear in his post-match interview with the BBC.
He said: “It’s just not good enough. The referees are just not good enough, fourth officials are just not good enough. That’s the bottom line.
“Three people in the VAR from South America in a match like this. VAR overturns [but] is this a clear and obvious error for the penalty? For sure not. They overturned a situation where [the referee] doesn’t even give a foul. Referees just not good enough, fourth officials just not good enough.”
Tuchel also praised his side, adding: “If a team has heart and belief, then it’s this team. They did it on pure will. I have no words. That’s an iconic match, an iconic stadium. We overcame so much adversity today. Very proud.”
He also gave an update on Jordan Henderson, who suffered a ‘really bad’ injury during England’s post-match celebrations. On the Brentford star, he said: “Not good, not good, next thing is a right defender now with the red card, Jordan just fell over an injured his wrist, it looks really bad.”
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BBC Sport pundit Joe Hart came to the defence of referee Alireza Faghani following Tuchel’s comments. He said:
“I think [Tuchel] has got that wrong. I don’t know why he has gone so hard on that after such an impressive performance. I get it, against all the odds the red card and the penalties, but I don’t think they were borderline decisions. I thought they were decent decisions in the end.”
Micah Richards and Wayne Rooney disagreed with Hart, though, with the former saying that ‘he did not mind’ Tuchel’s comments and the latter stating the 52-year-old was creating an ‘us against the world’ mentality.
England will now face Norway in the quarter-finals of the competition. Stale Solbakken’s side beat Brazil 2-1 on Sunday afternoon, with Erling Haaland netting a brace. The match will take place at Miami Stadium on Saturday, July 11, with kick-off set for 10pm BST.
Jordan Henderson was stretchered off after suffering a freak injury following England’s historic victory over Mexico at the 2026 World Cup.
After battling past DR Congo in the last 32, England were drawn to face co-hosts Mexico at the Azteca Stadium.
A lot of talk going into the match was about how the Three Lions would cope with the altitude and how they would fare playing in such a hostile atmosphere.
England rose to the task with flying colours as they secured a dramatic victory. Jude Bellingham notched a brace and Harry Kane got on the scoresheet as Thomas Tuchel’s side, who were reduced to 10 men in the second half when Jarrel Quansah was shown a straight red card, held on to triumph 3-2.
Jordan Henderson Suffers Injury in Post-Match Celebrations
There was concern for Henderson after he suffered a nasty injury during England’s celebrations.
Henderson, despite not coming on to the bench, was extremely animated on the touchline during the final stages of the match. He picked up a booking for his behaviour on the sidelines.
After the referee blew the full-time whistle, the Brentford midfielder sprinted onto the pitch to celebrate alongside England’s players.
However, he suffered a wrist injury after falling over the advertising hoardings during England’s celebrations. According to the Mirror, his teammates appeared to form a huddle around him as he received treatment from medics.
He was later taken away on a stretcher and given oxygen. Footage has now emerged showing how he suffered the injury.
Thomas Tuchel Speaks Out On Henderson’s Injury
Jude Bellingham spoke out about Henderson’s injury following the match. He said:
“He’s in a bit of bother, but the medical team have got everything under control, best to not give too much detail when I don’t know too much what’s going on, but everyone was there to support him and even that was a beautiful thing to see.”
Harry Kane, who struggled to speak in his post-match interview after losing his voice, said: “Jordan [Henderson] just fell over there, I think he’s okay, just something to do with his arm.”
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Boss Tuchel also provided a worrying update, saying: “Not good, not good, next thing is a right defender now with the red card, Jordan just fell over an injured his wrist, it looks really bad.”
Henderson has played just six minutes for England at the 2026 World Cup, playing six minutes in his side’s victory over Panama in the group stage.
England will now face Norway in the quarter-finals of the competition. Erling Haaland scored a brace as the Scandinavian side defeated Brazil 2-1 at New York New Jersey Stadium. It’s currently unclear whether Henderson will be available to play.
Harry Kane gave a brilliant post-match interview after England’s dramatic victory over Mexico to reach the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup.
England took a two-goal lead over co-hosts Mexico thanks to Jude Bellingham’s quickfire brace in the second half. Julián Quiñones halved the deficit shortly as he fired past Jordan Pickford.
The Three Lions were reduced to 10 men early in the second half when Jarell Quansah was sent off, but, despite having a man disadvantage, England restored their two-goal lead when Kane converted from the penalty spot.
Mexico were given a penalty of their own with just over 20 minutes remaining, and Raul Jimenez was coolness personified as he rolled his effort past Pickford.
The co-hosts threw everything at Thomas Tuchel’s side for the remainder of the match, but, no matter how hard they tried, they could not find an equaliser as England held on to secure a famous victory.
Harry Kane’s Post-Match Interview
England went absolutely berserk after the final whistle sounded as they celebrated their victory. Kane, after playing the majority of the match and then celebrating with his teammates, was required to fulfill his media duties.
The Bayern Munich striker did his very best to speak in his post-match interview with the BBC, but he struggled to give his thoughts as his voice failed him. View his interview below:
Kane said: “That was a crazy game. We had to fight. We had to fight. I’ve just been sitting there… I can’t really talk. The occasion, the team, all the things against us… we found a way.
On the penalty he gave away, he said: “I thought I got to the ball first. It was one of those days when the referee gave a lot against us. In the end, it doesn’t matter, so I’m happy.”
Kane, considered one of the greatest English players ever, also spoke out about Jordan Henderson’s injury he sustained after the match, while he also praised the England supporters who travelled to the Azteca Stadium to cheer their team on.
The 32-year-old’s interview had football fans in hysterics. One fan said: “This interview has secured the man a knighthood if he somehow didn’t have one in the bag already. What a legend.”
A second commented: “Harry Kane is an absolute hero… hilarious!! Best post-match interview ever. Definitely a future meme!”
A third said: “Harry Kane with the interview of a lifetime,” while a fourth stated: “That Harry Kane interview might be the best I’ve ever seen.”
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England to Face Norway in the Quarter-Finals
England’s quest to win their second World Cup title, and end their 60-year wait for a trophy, continues on Saturday, July 11, when they take on Norway. The match will take place at Miami Stadium and kick off at 10pm BST.
Norway beat Brazil 2-1 earlier on Sunday thanks to an Erling Haaland brace. Neymar gave Carlo Ancelotti’s side hope late on when he converted from the penalty spot, but it was too little, too late for Brazil as they crashed out of the competition.
A tie against one of Argentina, Egypt, Switzerland or Colombia awaits in the semi-finals for the victor.
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