Sunday 20 September 2026 23:15, UK
Luke Littler's attempt to win every major PDC title in 2026 is over after he lost 10-4 to Jonny Clayton in the quarter-finals of the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam.
The world number one had already won six of the season's premier events. He followed his World Championship victory at Alexandra Palace in January with the World Masters, UK Open, Premier League, World Cup of Darts and World Matchplay.
Littler wanted to add the World Series of Darts Finals, World Grand Prix, European Championship, Grand Slam of Darts and Players Championship Finals trophies to complete a historic clean sweep of all majors. But Clayton, inspired on the night, won seven of the last eight legs to beat the teenager in a tournament ultimately won by Ross Smith.
Littler can still sweep all the ranking events in 2026. The World Series Finals, like the World Cup and Premier League, is non-ranked. If he wins the remaining four majors in Leicester, Dortmund, Wolverhampton and Minehead this autumn, he will have won every ranking major of the year.
However, he has work to do to reach the Players Championship Finals. He sits 125th on the Order of Merit in that series, with six events of the regular season remaining. Only the top 64 players advance to the finale in Somerset from November 27-29.
The teenager is currently £16,750 adrift of the final qualification spot. He had hinted that he might not try to reach the Players Championship Finals if his hopes of a major sweep ended in the Netherlands.
The next Players Championship events are in Den Bosch on Tuesday and Wednesday. Two more follow at the same venue on October 28 and 29, then a final two in Leicester on November 4 and 5.
Jonny Clayton, speaking to ITV4 after his victory over Littler, said: "To be honest, I just thought, 'relax, go out and try your best'. Luke wasn't at full flow. He missed a lot of darts at doubles, and that's the name of the game. You have to take your chances. All respect to Luke, he's fantastic but he gave me chances upon chances. That's not the Littler we all know. But Jonny Clayton can play darts as well!"
Raymond van Barneveld, a multi-time world champion, also spoke to ITV4: "It's the pressure. Everyone talks about: 'can Littler do the whole year and win all the big majors'. It gives big pressure. He wants to perform. He's the best player at the moment, but everyone is
