Luke Littler secured his second consecutive World Matchplay Darts title and secured a healthy payout, and new records, to go with it.

With a record prize money pot up for grabs, some serious money was banked by ‘The Nuke’, as well as several other top stars.

As one of three legs of the Triple Crown, the tournament represents a big opportunity in both a sporting and financial sense. In last year’s final, Littler defeated James Wade 18-13 to take the top prize. The teenager was in even more clinical form at the Winter Gardens in 2026.

Luke Littler Wins World Matchplay in Dominant Fashion

Luke Littler defended his title with an 18-9 victory over Gerwyn Price in Blackpool as he became just the fourth person to win back-to-back World Matchplay titles.

Littler looked imperious throughout the final as he stormed to victory with an average of 111.53. In doing so, the 19-year-old broke another record by beating Phil Taylor’s record average in a final when he set 111.23 in his victory over Adrian Lewis in 2013.

That wasn’t the only record Littler took from Taylor this year though. The Englishman was in ebullient form throughout and set a tournament average of 111.04, which smashes the previous best of Taylor’s 106.31 in 2010. Littler’s record-breaking rate is truly remarkable yet almost unsurprising now, and for that to be the case for someone who is still a teenager is scarcely believable.

Littler is now on a run of 29 successive wins in games with 20 or more legs, with the Englishman indomitable in long formats. His last defeat in such a game was the 2024 World Championship final, where he lost on debut to Luke Humphries.

This victory means ‘The Nuke’ has won four out of four PDC ranking events of 2026 and with four more to go, you wouldn’t bet against him securing them all and becoming the first player ever to complete a calendar clean sweep.

“It’s been a crazy week, one of the best weeks of my life with the darts I’ve played,” Littler told Sky Sports. “It’s been tough. The stats may look like it’s easy, but when you’re on this stage with how hot it is, it’s not easy.”

Price was good himself as he averaged 104.97 in the final, but with Littler in Littler form, he never stood a chance. He will leave Blackpool fairly content though, as he has climbed to fourth in the PDC rankings and took the Welsh number one spot from Jonny Clayton to go along with his healthy prize sum.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Price said: “Luke is one in a million, I threw everything at him.

“He’s fantastic for the sport. I wish he wasn’t as good as he is – I would have won a couple more tournaments.

“I hope there’s no-one else like him coming through because he’s ridiculous!”

Although he couldn’t get close to Littler in the final, Price’s defeat saw bank a healthy £125,000, whilst Littler’s victory earned him a staggering £250,000, up from £200,000.

World Matchplay 2026 Prize Money

Round one served up a shock of high magnitude as world number two Luke Humphries was knocked out by Cameron Menzies, meaning the Englishman left the tournament with £12,500.

Menzies was later forced to withdraw from the tournament mid-match due to a health issue. The Scot picked up £22,500 before his exit.

Darting legend Michael Van Gerwen suffered his own shock exit in round two as he was eliminated by his national compatriot Dirk van Duijvenbode in a 14–12 thriller. The three-time World Championship winner earned £22,500 for his showing.

Last year’s finalist James Wade fell at the quarter-final stage following a 16-13 defeat to Gian Van Veen, which saw him take home £35,000. Gary Anderson, Josh Rock, and Ross Smith also lost out at this stage.

The semi-finals saw the two Dutchmen, Gian van Veen and Dirk van Duijvenbode, lose out, leaving both with a prize sum of £65,000.

The next major televised darts event takes place in September with the World Grand Prix getting underway in Leicester on the 28th of September.

Littler enters that tournament as the defending champion, and, judging by his current form, it could be a tough ask for anyone to prevent him from lifting the trophy again.

Braga goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek is on Newcastle United’s radar, although the Premier League club are yet to make an offer for the Czech as they continue to assess other options on the market, according to Sky Sports.

Hornicek enjoyed an extremely impressive 2025/26 season for Braga, keeping 12 clean sheets across 33 Primeira Liga appearances, as the Minho club qualified for the Conference League. This campaign has prompted widespread interest in the shot-stopper from top-flight English clubs, including Newcastle and Hull City.

The Tigers reportedly had a significant offer for Honicek rejected, and the Magpies are now considering swooping in for the keeper.

The Braga number one has a £30 million release clause in his contract, and while this should theoretically make it easy for potential suitors to land him, no interested parties have yet chosen to activate this clause.

Newcastle Interested in Lukas Hornicek

Newcastle are looking to renovate their goalkeeper department this summer. Nick Pope is entering the latter stages of his career, while Aaron Ramsdale has returned to Southampton after his season-long loan on Tyneside.

James Trafford was a target for some time, although the north-east outfit have backed out of the race for the Manchester City star, with Leeds now said to be the frontrunners.

Reims keeper Ewen Jaouen has arrived in a £25 million deal, although Newcastle aren’t prepared to stop there, as they actively scour the market for another reinforcement in between the sticks.

Sky Sports journalist Keith Dowie indicates that the Magpies admire 6 ft 6 colossus Hornicek, although they’re yet to table a proposal for the 24-year-old.

Newcastle are still analysing various other candidates to fill this role in their squad, and the £30 million release clause in Hornicek’s contract means they can swoop in when needed, as long as someone else doesn’t get there first.

Newcastle Need to Sign Another Goalkeeper This Summer

Supporters might be bemused as to why Newcastle are looking for a second goalkeeper signing this summer. Eddie Howe’s squad is being ripped to shreds, with Sandro Tonali, Anthony Gordon and potentially Bruno Guimaraes all leaving, so allocating significant resources to this position might seem a bizarre choice from the outside.

However, this is rightfully deemed a priority position by the Tyneside hierarchy. Pope is no longer at the level required for a club with European aspirations and should be settling into a third-choice role as his career runs down.

Jaouen is a long-term investment. The former Reims man is only 20, and may not be ready to assume the number one position at St. James’ Park from the outset. Another name is needed to ensure the prodigy shot-stopper can integrate slowly and continue his development at a steady pace.

The 2026 football season will be welcomed with the UEFA Super Cup, taking place on Wednesday, August 12.

It pits the Champions League winners, Paris Saint-Germain, against the Europa League winners, Aston Villa, in what will be the third meeting in these sides’ history.

One key story is the involvement of the Somalian referee, Omar Artan, who was awarded the game by UEFA after he was barred from refereeing at the World Cup, making history as the first African referee to take charge of a major UEFA final.

Held in Salzburg, Austria, it will be the first UEFA club final to be staged at the venue, becoming the 14th city to stage the Super Cup since the fixture moved away from its long-term Monaco home.

Which Teams Are Playing in the UEFA Super Cup 2026?

In the blue corner stand the back-to-back Champions League winners, PSG. Led by an incredible attack that features the 2025 Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé, Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Flanked by Nuno Mendes, Achraf Hakimi and midfield duo Vitinha and Joao Neves.

They defeated Arsenal in their final on penalties to secure a historic repeat victory and remain the team to beat in Europe. Having defeated Monaco, Chelsea, Liverpool and then overcame Bayern Munich in an all-time great tie, PSG ran out as worthy winners, proving to European football just who reigns on top.

For Villa, Unai Emery worked his magic again to win his fifth Europa League trophy, the most by any one manager. His side defeated Lille, Bologna, Nottingham Forest and Freiburg comfortably in the final to earn a famous win.

The English side enter as heavy underdogs against an all-conquering side but will take inspiration from Tottenham‘s strong effort in 2025, as they pushed PSG all the way to penalties. This ensured PSG became the 26th team to lift the trophy in what was the first time in their history.

How to Watch the UEFA Super Cup 2026

In the United Kingdom, European coverage comes from TNT Sports and will continue for this season. Steaming is available on discovery+.

For other major areas, such as the United States, are allowed to stream the game on Paramount+, and Spanish-language coverage comes from TUDN.

Who Won the Last UEFA Super Cup?

REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes

Last year’s Super Cup final involved PSG and another English team, the 2025 Europa League winners Tottenham. Luis Enrique‘s side were fresh off a five-nil win over Inter Milan in the Champions League final, whilst Spurs edged out Manchester United.

Thomas Frank’s side led for 85 minutes, before squandering a two-goal lead at the end of the match before succumbing to the French champions on penalties, losing 4-3.

Villa have previous in this unique final, winning the European Super Cup in 1982, beating Barcelona in the final. PSG won their first Super Cup last season after their first European Cup triumph as both teams eye an early-season trophy.

The two sides have met just twice in their history; that came in April 2025 in the Champions League quarter-finals, as PSG edged an epic tie, 5-4 across two brilliant legs.