What happened to the four darts players Luke Littler tipped to be future stars
Nearly three years ago, SPORTbible asked Luke Littler who the next big darts superstar would be, so where are they now and have they lived up the the hype?
In 2021, the name Littler started floating around the darts world as a 14-year-old boy defied the odds and won the Irish Open against senior opposition.
Five years later, that same boy is now a two-time world champion and one of the greatest players of all time, leaving many asking who could possibly step up and stop him from dominating the sport for the foreseeable future.
Well, in February 2024, SPORTbible asked Littler who he thought the next star to emerge in the darts world could be, and he gave us four names.
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The four darts players Luke Littler tipped to be future stars
Of course, it'd be hard for Littler to pick just one name to be the next big thing in the sport, so he selected four that he was impressed with at the time as potential future stars.
And to be fair to him, he did pretty well.
Gian van Veen
Littler started his predictions of strong, naming fellow young talent Van Veen as one to watch.
Speaking to SPORTbible in 2024, he said: “I played Gian van Veen [on the Development Tour], he got a tour card."
As Littler mentioned, Van Veen had just earned his first Tour Card the year before, having won six Development Tour titles in 2023, finishing above Littler at the top of the standings. However, Littler did beat him in the World Youth Championship final.
Since then, the Dutchman has gone on to become one of the biggest names in the sport, winning the World Youth Championship in both 2024 and 2025, before claiming his first senior ranking title in 2025 and beating Luke Humphries to win the 2025 European Championship.
Just last year, he showed he can live up to Littler's hype, as he reached the 2026 World Championship final, ultimately losing 7-1 to his rival.
Now, the 24-year-old is the world number two, and will no doubt be among the favourites to win his first World Championship title when the 2027 tournament gets underway in December.
Wessel Nijman
Next up on Littler's list was Nijman, who had recently returned to the sport in February 2023 after serving his suspension for match-fixing
Littler said: "Wessel Nijman, he came back after a few years out and got a tour card straight away."
Having won three Development Tour titles in 2023 to earn his Tour Card and qualification for his World Championship debut, things were looking good for Nijman at the time.
And he's delivered on the hype, winning his first Players Championship title in October 2024, with his 2026 campaign his most prolific to date, bringing eight ranking titles: six Players Championships and two European Tour events
Right now, the only thing holding Nijman back is his lack of success at the majors, but at 26 years old with a world ranking of 13, there's still plenty of time for him to make that next step in his career.
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Nathan Rafferty
Continuing his predictions in 2024, Littler told SPORTbible: “When I won my fourth round game at the World Championship, Nathan Rafferty got his tour card back."
Aged 24 at the time, Rafferty was already a relatively known figure in darts when Littler made his prediction, having famously beaten Peter Wright at the 2018 UK Open, while winning 10 Development Tour titles, including five in 2022, when he topped the circuit’s rankings.
Unfortunately, two years later, things haven't gone as well for Rafferty as for his two predecessors in Littler's list.
Although he added two more Development Tour titles in 2024, Rafferty has struggled to establish himself on the senior circuit, losing his Tour Card after the 2025 season and later failing to regain it at January’s 2026 Q School.
Sebastian Bialecki
Rounding out his list of future stars, Littler said: “I’d probably have to say Sebastian Bialecki from Poland, he’s doing well on the Modus Super Series, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he got his tour card.”
At the time Littler made this call, Bialecki was already impressing, beating the Englishman 4–3 in the semi-final of Series Five, Week Nine of the Super Series.
Since then, he's earned his first Tour Card through the 2024 Development Tour standings, joining the main circuit in 2025.
Bialecki then won the Players Championship 22 in July 2025, then added a second senior ranking title at Players Championship 26 exactly one year later.
Although he's not yet reached the heights of Van Veen or Nijman, Bialecki is making good progress and a place in the world’s top 64 at 22-years-old means he's got loads of time to continue improving.
Topics: Luke Littler, Darts
Ben McCrum