Luke Humphries has delivered a powerful message of support for Luke Littler after the 2026 Premier League Darts final, in which Littler edged out the defending champion 11–10 in a match of exceptional quality at The O2. Despite the defeat, Humphries left the stage with his head held high, praising the spectacle both players provided for the thousands of fans in attendance. “It was a great game and I pushed him all the way there. I say it in all my interviews – there's no one else in the world of darts who can push him like I can,” said Humphries post-final. “It's just unfortunate that a couple of darts cost me. That kick into the treble one was crucial. If that had stayed in the treble 20, I'd have had darts. But someone said he averaged over 110, so you can't complain too much when someone plays like that.”
Humphries’ journey to the final was far from guaranteed. Midway through the Premier League season he endured a difficult spell and was languishing as low as seventh in the table. Yet he fought his way back and ultimately secured a place in the final four. “Considering the way the season started, after the first 10 weeks I was down in seventh, and then I managed to scrape my way into third in the end. Like I said to Paul Nicholson, once you get into the Play-Offs it's almost a free run because anything else is a bonus. A lot of people didn't expect me to be here, but I managed to get here and give myself a chance to retain the title. I'm proud of myself for having that opportunity and giving it a proper shot. I certainly gave it a good go – it just wasn't enough in the end.”
Although the defeat hurt, Humphries saw plenty of positives for the remainder of the season. “I'm always confident and always feel good. I always believe there's an opportunity for me to win major titles. I've probably been on the wrong end of too many major final losses now – I think that's five. But I don't think I've played badly against him. Sometimes Luke is just at that level where, when it's really important, he seems to shine. A couple of mistakes from him and he loses that match. It was tough because sometimes you feel like you're just sticking with him. But from the first break I knew I was in good form. Maybe it fell away a little bit towards the end, but I'm still proud of the performance overall.”
The rivalry between Humphries and Littler is increasingly being compared to some of the great rivalries in sporting history, with mutual respect standing out. After the final they shared a long embrace. “Like I said on stage, I just gave him a cuddle and told him to take a bit of time. I'm always there for him if he needs it. Maybe it was emotional because we've been on the road for 16 or 17 weeks, and he's had a hard time since Manchester. It was probably a build-up of emotion. I think when the crowd got behind him at the end, he felt a bit of relief. Maybe he felt like people had moved past one mistake and were allowing him to rebuild. I love him to bits. He's one of my great friends. If I need to step in and take some of the limelight off him so he can relax a little bit, then I'll do that.”
Humphries also addressed Littler’s emotional reaction after the match, showing understanding for his colleague and friend. “I've always been a good loser. I can take defeat because you know you're not going to win everything. I've had my fair share of wins and I've won a lot of things. If you're sitting here with 12 major final losses and only one win, you're probably going to be a lot more disappointed because you haven't achieved everything you wanted to. I've pretty much done it all. I've won everything. So now I'm a bit more relaxed. Everything I win now feels like a bonus. I'm just trying to win as much as I can, put myself up there, create a legacy and hopefully give the fans something they enjoy watching.” He added: “Darts needs Luke Littler – Luke Littler doesn't need darts, that's the truth. It's nice to see him bounce back with the fans. He's doing more on social media to show people he's just a normal person. I think a lot of people see him as a robot, but he's not. He's a normal person and a good kid. That's what he's trying to show everyone.”
