THE darts star who lifts the Sid Waddell trophy at Alexandra Palace for the World Darts Championship could be revealed over a month before the tournament ends.
That’s because this weekend’s Grand Slam of has been an eerie indicator for darts’ top prize.
Speaking on SunSport’s Grand Slam of Darts preview show, presenter Phill Barrs laid out the stunning fact that each of the last four winners of the Grand Slam have ended up winning the Worlds.
has won the last two, with winning the year before and the year before that.
It was almost a five-year run including 2021, but beat eventual world champion .
Former world champion and pundit Mark Webster joined Barrs on the show, and he asked the pair whether that record was a coincidence or if history would repeat itself.
Webster said: “There’s only a certain crop of players [that can win them], I’ll be amazed if someone can come from left-field and win these events.
“So I’m not surprised, elite players at this time come into their own. They know the tournaments are thick and fast, and you just flow into the next couple and keep going.
“I expect maybe it will happen again.”
TV tournaments in 2026 have been won by the two Lukes and Ross Smith.
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But while Littler won’t be at one of the three majors to end the season, Lewis still believes the Nuke – or even Cool Hand – is the man to beat and tipped him to win the worlds if he wins in Wolverhampton on November 22.
He said: “If Littler wins this, he will win the worlds or I can say the same with Humphries as well.
“But looking outside of them, Gezzy is a push I think.”
Webster added that the middle tournament of the three, The Players Championship, is mixed in with the season and could have a random winner, but reiterated his belief that one of the elites will take home Grand Slam glory.
The winner of the Grand Slam of Darts will take home £200,000, up from £150,000 last year.
The group stage of the tournament kicks off tomorrow.
