Luke Littler becomes world No. 1

Luke Littler is now world No. 1 in the PDC rankings, according to darts coverage published on August 5, after a rise that DartsNews described as taking him from No. 31 two years ago to the top of the sport. (dartsnews.com) The same rankings update said Gian van Veen had moved into No. 2, underscoring how quickly the order has changed around the leading names. DartsNews framed the shift against the declines of former leading players Peter Wright and Michael Smith, both cited as examples of how much the table has changed in that span. (pdc.tv) Gabriel Clemens, speaking after Littler’s World Matchplay run, added some measure of how rivals and observers are reacting, saying he became “a bit of a fanboy” while commentating on it. ### How fast did Littler get here? August 5 is the date on the DartsNews piece that set out the scale of Littler’s rise, saying he had gone from 31st in the rankings to No. 1 in two years. (dartsnews.com) The outlet’s Luke Littler player page, crawled today, also lists him at Order of Merit No. 2 while carrying article links that describe the latest jump, showing the speed with which rankings coverage has been updating around recent events. November 17, 2025, is the date of an official PDC report saying Littler became world number one after the Grand Slam of Darts, overtaking Luke Humphries and becoming the youngest player to top the PDC Werner Rankings Ladder. (dartsnews.com) That official PDC account places his move to the top less than two years after turning professional. ### Who is right behind him now? August 1, 2026, is the date of a DartsNews Order of Merit update saying Gian van Veen had moved up to world No. 2 after ProTour action in Hildesheim. (dartsnews.com) That report said van Veen edged past Humphries in the rankings and highlighted how little money van Veen had to defend compared with some rivals. July 24, 2026, is also relevant because DartsNews had already flagged during the World Matchplay that van Veen was in position to challenge for No. 2 while Littler was closing on a record ranking total. (pdc.tv) The update described a tightening battle beneath Littler at the top. ### What happened to the veterans mentioned in this reshuffle? Peter Wright and Michael Smith were singled out in the August 5 DartsNews report as players whose positions have fallen as Littler and van Veen climbed. (dartsnews.com) The article presented their slide as part of a broader redraw of the top end of the rankings over the last two years. The same DartsNews rankings page also points to other recent movement, including James Wade’s climb and Michael van Gerwen’s lower placing than in earlier years, showing that the change is not limited to one player. (dartsnews.com) Those shifts sit behind the headline that Littler is now the reference point at the top. ### Why did Clemens say he became “a bit of a fanboy”? Gabriel Clemens made that remark in comments published on August 5 about Littler’s World Matchplay performance. DartsNews said Clemens was speaking on the “Darts auf die 1” podcast after commentating on Littler’s run. (dartsnews.com) Clemens’ quote was tied to the standard of play he said he had watched during the tournament. (dartsnews.com) DartsNews described the run as historic, and Clemens’ reaction offered a player’s account of how extraordinary the performance looked from the commentary position. ### What comes next on the schedule? The PDC calendar lists upcoming events, and the next named stop referenced in recent rankings coverage is the New Zealand Darts Masters in Auckland on August 14 and 15. (dartsnews.com) DartsNews has also linked that event to the race for places in the World Series Finals. August 14-15 is the next concrete date for readers tracking whether the latest rankings order holds, with Littler at No. 1 and van Veen now installed directly behind him in recent published updates. (dartsnews.com) (pdc.tv) (dartsnews.com)