Despite a valiant and hard-fought effort from “The Machine” James Wade, it was the teenage sensation Luke Littler who continued his meteoric rise—joining the pantheon of greats by capturing the 2025 Betfred World Matchday Championship. His path to glory, however, was not without a few tense moments and unexpected scares.

Littler, who has been rewriting the history books in spectacular fashion, now ascends to the coveted title of World Number One. Meanwhile, reigning champion Luke Humphries saw his title defence come to an abrupt end in the opening round, falling to the impressive Dutchman Gian van Veen.

The Machine ran out of gears

Luke Littler once again started sluggishly, while, The Machine, James Wade operated at full tilt—sweeping the opening session with clinical efficiency and racing to a 5–0 lead, securing two early breaks of throw. Wade’s dominance was underscored by a session average of 104.38, outscoring his compatriot by 6.35 points.

Rather than consolidating his advantage, Wade’s lead served as a wake-up call for The Nuke, who ignited in spectacular fashion. Littler reeled off five straight legs, highlighted by a sublime 11-darter, sealed on the game’s most common checkout of 81.

After Wade edged leg 11, it marked the final time he would lead in the match. Littler, the reigning World Champion, completed the comeback in leg 13, nailing double eight once again. Although Wade displayed flashes of brilliance in the third session, the relentless scoring power and precision finishing from the Warrington wonder-kid opened up a crucial two-leg advantage.

That two-leg cushion proved pivotal. Wade, the 2007 World Matchplay Champion, was unable to close the gap again. In leg 22, Littler came agonisingly close to replicating a nine-dart leg on consecutive nights—just clipping the treble 17 wire—but back-to-back 180s set up another blistering 11-darter.

Both players showcased impressive doubling under pressure, but when Wade, a three-time UK Open winner, missed three darts at double, Littler capitalized and extended his lead to three legs. Despite Wade’s higher checkout percentage, he had 14 fewer attempts, illustrating Littler’s scoring dominance.

The players exchanged legs until Littler closed out the match with back-to-back legs, sealing victory and becoming the youngest ever Betfred World Matchplay Champion and the fourteenth different recipient. His performance, reminiscent of earlier round masterclasses, featured a staggering 17 maximums and an average of 107.24—an emphatic statement from the 2024 Premier League Champion.

2025 Betfred World Matchplay – Result

James Wade 13-18 Luke Littler