Luke Littler’s prize money after just two years as a professional isn’t far off the highest-earning darts players of all time
Luke Littler remains on track to boost his career earnings to a staggering £3 million if he secures another victory at the World Darts Championship. The Nuke is tipped to retain his title at Alexandra Palace after sailing into his third consecutive final by defeating Ryan Searle in the semi-finals.
Littler will go head-to-head with Gian van Veen in Saturday’s finale as they vie for the Sid Waddell Trophy and a record-breaking £1m prize – double what he pocketed for thrashing Michael van Gerwen in the 2025 final.
Since turning pro just two years ago, Littler has amassed £2m in winnings, thanks to a string of major victories including the Premier League, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix and Grand Slam.
But how does Littler’s financial success stack up against darts legend Phil Taylor, who clinched an astounding 16 world titles and an equal number of World Matchplay crowns during his glittering career?
Surprisingly well, it turns out. While Taylor’s two-decade reign over the sport means his career earnings far exceed Littler’s current total, if the Nuke maintains his winning streak in the coming years, he could soon surpass the Power’s estimated career prize money of £8.5m, which happens to be the current British record amount of career earnings in the sport.
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When Taylor switched from the BDO to the WDC (now the PDC ) in the early 1990s, along with several other top players, the prize money was considerably lower. For instance, when Taylor clinched his first PDC world title in 1995 – his third overall – he pocketed just £12,000.
By the time he secured his 16th and final world title in 2013, the top prize had ballooned to £100,000, still a tenth of the 2026 prize.
Littler still has some way to go before he surpasses all-time record holder Van Gerwen, the three-time world champion, whose career earnings are estimated at around £10m. Although the Green Machine, who joined the sport just as prize money started to increase, isn’t the force he once was, he remains one of the game’s leading players.
As such, it might take Littler some time to overtake him in terms of prize money. For the time being, Littler is concentrating on defeating Van Veen and becoming a two-time world champion.
After his win against Searle, he said: “It’s a massive prize, but it’s the trophy on the stage, it’s not the money.
“I’m repeating myself, but ever since the Grand Slam, I have just said I want to go back-to-back. So hopefully I can lift the trophy again and think about the money after.”
However, Littler won’t have it easy against rising star Van Veen, who enters the final as the world number three, having just surpassed Van Gerwen as the highest-ranked Dutch player. The game is due to start at around 8.15pm.
Watch the World Darts Championship on Sky Sports
The PDC World Darts Championship gets underway on December 11 and fans can watch every match exclusively live with Sky’s Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle.
