Luke Littler banned from competing in PDC darts event amid rule change

Luke Littler will be blocked from competing in a PDC darts event which gets underway on Friday - and he isn't the only player affected.

Littler, 19, is the reigning two-time PDC world champion, having won his second title by defeating Gian van Veen 7-1 in sets at Alexandra Palace last month.

He kicked off his 2026 season by winning the World Masters, meaning he now has to win just the European Championship to complete darts' career slam of major events.

Littler has elected to skip all four Players Championship events so far this season, as he prioritises competing in the Premier League over the ProTour.

'The Nuke' will have to enter a number of ProTour events later in the year in order to qualify for the Players Championship Finals, where he would be defending £60,000 in prize money due to reaching the final in 2024.

Littler has skipped all four Players Championship events so far in 2026 (Image: Getty)

But Littler is ineligible to take part in the PDC's Development Tour, which gets underway on Friday.

The Development Tour is open to players aged between 16 and 24, with 24 separate events held last year.

The two highest-ranked competitors at the end of the season - who don't already hold one - will win a two-year PDC Tour Card.

However, the tour is only open to players ranked outside of the top 64 of the PDC's two-year Order of Merit system, meaning Littler - who is ranked at world number one - cannot enter any events.

He can, however, still compete for the World Youth Championship later this year.

The Development Tour restrictions have been tightened further since the 2025 season, when any player outside of the top 32 of the Order of Merit were eligible to play.

The rule was applied with immediate effect once a player reached the top 32.

In 2024, Van Veen was permitted to compete in the opening Development Tour events of the season, but he was blocked from competing mid-season as soon as he got into the top 32.

Van Veen and Littler are both blocked from playing on the PDC Development Tour (Image: Getty)

Littler, meanwhile, has never been eligible to play on the Development Tour while an active PDC tour card holder.

'The Nuke' did not hold a tour card prior to his run to the 2024 World Championship final, which immediately propelled him to number 31 in the world.

Alongside Littler and Van Veen, the PDC eligibility change means that 23-year-old Keane Barry, who is world number 51, is also blocked from playing on the Development Tour.

The first player outside of the top 64 who can play is Cam Crabtree, who won the Dev Tour title in 2025.

However, as he is ranked at world number 67, the Croydon dartist could soon find himself ineligible as well.

Last season's World Youth Championship and Development Tour runner-up, Beau Greaves, can also compete if she chooses, having won three titles in 2025.