Reigning World Champion Luke Littler has completed the fabled Triple Crown after defeating James Wade 18–13 to lift the 2025 Betfred World Matchplay title.
History was always going to be made inside the Winter Gardens tonight – either Littler would become the youngest winner of the tournament (again, he’s making a habit of that), or Wade would reclaim the crown almost two decades on from when he last held it.
In the end, it was the teenage sensation who continues to rewrite the history books and do things most 18-year-olds simply don’t – unless there’s been a radical shift in A-level curriculum.For a third time this week running, Littler found himself heavily trailing early on. Not ideal – but then again, when you can score like this kid, it’s more of a mild inconvenience than a crisis.
Against Josh Rock in the semi-final, he headed to the first interval legless – not in the ‘stag do’ sense, just 5–0 down. He recovered from that, so falling behind to Wade was a tune he’d heard before. And while he might not love the melody, he’s figured out how to drown it out.
Perspective time. James Wade is Mr Blackpool. He made his Matchplay debut in 2006 – and reached the final. Littler? Not even born. A year later, Wade went one better and won the title. Littler was, at that point, crawling around the house. So when it comes to Matchplay pedigree, Wade has more stripes than an Ice Hockey referee. But The Nuke doesn’t do conventional starts. Or if he does, they’re very much his own. He fought back with the resilience you’d expect from a reigning World Champion and, within half an hour, had leapfrogged Wade to lead 11–9.
Of course, beating James Wade is never straightforward – which is why he’s the third most successful PDC player in history. True to form, he kept in touch and then clawed his way back.
Littler’s 13–10 lead suddenly became a much more fragile 14–13. I say suddenly, because that’s exactly how it felt.But then, Littler did what Littler does. Against one of the best of all time, he reeled off four straight legs to seal the title – becoming the youngest World Matchplay winner in history. And just for context, he had another six years to do it.
As for Wade, it’s time to reflect on another brilliant tournament – one where he once again defied the odds, the bookies, and perhaps logic itself. And honestly, who can blame him for feeling proud?
This is a man who won the Matchplay in 2007 and came within inches of doing it again in 2025. That deserves recognition – and respect – because we might not see it happen again in our lifetimes.
But tonight belongs to Luke Littler, the fifth – and, obviously, the youngest – player to complete the PDC Triple Crown.
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Images: T Lanning | PDC
