Phil Taylor has suggested that Luke Littler may not stick around in darts long enough to challenge his record of 16 world championship titles. In an interview with Sport Bild, 'The Power' pointed to the financial rewards now available in the sport as a reason why the 19-year-old might walk away early. "There's so much more money in the sport," Taylor said. "I could therefore imagine him retiring in five years."
Littler, the world number one, has been touted by many to break every record darts has to offer, but Taylor seemingly believes his tally is insurmountable for the time being. The teenager is still regarded as the best player in the world by a distance by many and is the overwhelming favourite to clinch a third PDC World Darts Championship title at the start of 2027. However, his form has fallen off slightly, with early losses in three successive major events in 2026 ending his hopes of a major clean sweep.
Taylor, 66, also weighed in on how he would have fared against Littler in his prime. "In my prime, I definitely would have beaten Luke," he said. "But in certain matches it would have been 50/50 between us. I think we would have been good for each other." Despite hinting at an early retirement for Littler, Taylor admitted his record could be vulnerable. "I think he's capable of it. He has the talent to become world champion several times," he said, adding the caveat: "Whether he can maintain this consistency."
Meanwhile, Taylor touted Martin Schindler as a surprise contender for the upcoming PDC World Darts Championship, which commences in just over a month's time. Schindler is coming off a high on home soil, having just squeezed into the European Championship before reaching his first ever major final, where he lost out to Ross Smith despite a valiant fightback. His big stage form had not been great until that point, reaching just a brace of quarter-finals in 2023, and at Ally Pally he has never made it past the third round. That has not stopped Taylor from believing the German number one could pick up a famous title in North London. "He's a really good scorer and can also check out well. Martin plays at the World Championship the way he's capable of, then he could be in the final or even win the World Championship," Taylor said.
