Luke Littler will not defend his Flanders Darts Trophy title in Antwerp this weekend, with his withdrawal confirmed by his dad on the Official Oche Live Lounge show.
The world number one had been listed among the seeds for European Tour Event 13 at Antwerp Expo from Friday 11 to Sunday 13 September. Instead of travelling to Belgium, The Nuke will reset for the World Series of Darts Finals, which begin next Thursday at AFAS Live in Amsterdam.
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The decision follows a roaring return to the European Tour in Prague. Littler had not played a regular Euro event since the Belgian Darts Open in March. On Sunday he ended that gap by beating Luke Humphries 8-6 in the Czech Darts Open final, collecting £35,000 and — more importantly — locking in his place at October’s European Championship in Dortmund.
After the final he said Dortmund was “the one I’m chasing” and hinted he was unlikely to play the remaining regular European Tour stops now qualification was secure. Skipping Antwerp makes that plan official.
It also leaves a hole in a venue he has treated as home. Littler won the Flanders title in 2025, beating Josh Rock 8-7, and has built a habit of collecting Belgian Euro Tour silverware. Antwerp Expo will now crown a new champion in his absence.
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Reports in Belgium say Kim Huybrechts, as a reserve, is in line for a late call-up in front of his home crowd. The official draw and replacements will be confirmed in the usual PDC window before Friday’s first-round sessions.
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Littler’s next assignment is Amsterdam from 17–20 September, where Michael van Gerwen defends the World Series Finals title. For a 19-year-old still talking about a clean sweep of majors, the calendar is the point. Prague gave him Dortmund. Antwerp can wait.
The Flanders field remains strong without him. Humphries, van Gerwen, Gian van Veen and the rest of the seeded group still have a weekend of ranking points and prize money at stake.
But the defending champion will be watching from afar — already pointed at the next stage, not the last one.
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Images: PDC
