Overview
- Littler became only the fourth player to successfully defend a PDC world crown, joining Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis and Gary Anderson.
- He stayed composed through unusual delays in the final, dodging a persistent wasp and resuming after the board was replaced when Gian van Veen drew blood from a cut finger.
- The champion also secured the Ballon d’Art for most 180s at the event as the tournament set a new aggregate record of 1,127 maximums.
- Rankings shift with Littler extending a huge No. 1 lead and runner-up van Veen climbing to world No. 3 and Dutch No. 1 ahead of Michael van Gerwen.
- Post-match, Littler spoke of relief under heavy pressure, set sights on a title hat-trick, reconciled with Ally Pally fans, and joked about Bayern prospect Lennart Karl and Harry Kane in a light exchange.