Luke Humphries and Luke Littler have outlined their desire to eclipse Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis’ World Cup of Darts legacy, after leading England to a record-extending sixth title in Frankfurt. The world’s top two produced a dazzling display to triumph at the Eissporthalle, overcoming Dutch duo Gian van Veen and Michael van Gerwen in […]
Luke Humphries and Luke Littler have outlined their desire to eclipse Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis’ World Cup of Darts legacy, after leading England to a record-extending sixth title in Frankfurt.
The world’s top two produced a dazzling display to triumph at the Eissporthalle, overcoming Dutch duo Gian van Veen and Michael van Gerwen in Sunday’s showpiece.
Littler and Humphries averaged 104.77 – the highest pairs average in a World Cup final – to celebrate a 10-5 success, denying Netherlands a record-equalling fifth World Cup crown in the process.
The top seeds survived a major scare in their quarter-final epic against Wales, recovering from 4-0 down to edge past Jonny Clayton and Nick Kenny – aided by Littler’s magnificent 170 checkout in the closing stages.
Following an 8-3 demolition of Scotland’s Gary Anderson and Cameron Menzies in the semi-finals, the pair then delivered another darting masterclass to sink Van Gerwen and Van Veen.
“I’m absolutely delighted,” revealed Littler, who recorded an individual average of 108.22 in the final.
“That’s the best we’ve played all tournament and that’s what we needed to do.
“We’ve had tough challenges over the past two days, and this was our best performance.
“We had to win together. This afternoon we had a tough, tough battle, got through, and I was pretty relaxed tonight.”
Littler and Humphries were highly-fancied to prevail on their debut as a partnership 12 months ago, only to succumb to an inspired display from hosts Germany in the last 16.
However, England’s darting dream team thrived under the pressure on their return to German soil, as Humphries added to the title he lifted on debut alongside Michael Smith in 2024.
“We played in that final I think how everyone expected us to play every game,” admitted Humphries, who becomes the eighth player to win multiple World Cup titles.
“We were maybe a bit fortunate against Wales, but we ran with the luck that we got from that game, and we showed how well we can play as a team.
“We had a lot of doubters, a lot of people that didn’t think we could play well together, but we showed we play as a team.
“I’m proud of us, because there was so much pressure on our shoulders. That expectation is so hard, and we do feel it.”
Humphries and Littler have been the sport’s leading protagonists for a sustained period, winning the last three editions of the World Championship, Premier League and Grand Slam between them.
They’ve also shared the spoils in the last two stagings of the World Matchplay, and now they have Taylor and Lewis’ haul of four World Cup titles firmly in their sights.
“We were just discussing there – Adrian and Phil won four, so we want to win five,” added Humphries.
“Hopefully if I’m lucky enough to partner him [Littler] for many years in the future, we will try and win as many as they did!
“Me and Luke are good friends off the oche. We’re just two great dart players that seem to be in a lot of finals together.
“I’ve won my fair share, Luke has won his fair share and we enjoy that rivalry, but you put that aside.
“We’re here to win as a team, we won as a team, and I’m really, really proud!”
Littler, meanwhile, has added further silverware to his astonishing CV, having won every Premier televised title available to him in 2026.
Following his success at the World Championship, World Masters, UK Open and Premier League, the 19-year-old could still complete an unprecedented clean sweep throughout the calendar year.
Nevertheless, the world number one paid tribute to Humphries, before reaffirming their intent to create further history as a partnership over the coming years.
“Obviously I’ve won every big title so far this year, but I couldn’t have done this without Luke. He’s been brilliant,” declared the two-time World Champion.
“Me and Luke know we can win. Even at 4-0 down against Wales, we knew we could come back.
“It’s not easy at times, but we’ve got this winning feeling and hopefully we can come back next year to try and do it all again.”