Luke Littler is gearing up for his first defense of the PDC World Darts Championship against Darius Labanauskas at Alexandra Palace next month. The draw for the tournament was held on Monday afternoon.

Having claimed the 2025 world championship title by defeating Michael van Gerwen at Ally Pally in January, the 18-year-old Littler has since secured victories in the UK Open, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts, and Players Championship, among other accolades.

Recently ascending to the top spot in the world rankings, surpassing Luke Humphries, Littler is in superb form as he prepares to defend his World Championship crown.

In the revamped 128-player tournament, Littler, also known as ‘The Nuke,’ has been matched up against Lithuanian No.1 Labanauskas in the opening round. Additionally, other notable first-round matchups include Luke Humphries facing Ted Evetts, Michael van Gerwen taking on Mitsohiko Tatsunami, and Beau Greaves going head-to-head with Daryl Gurney.

The complete list of 64 first-round ties for the 2026 PDC World Championship includes exciting matchups such as Mario Vandenbogaerde vs David Davies, Joe Cullen vs Bradley Brooks, and Mensur Suljovic vs David Cameron, among others. The stage is set for an action-packed tournament at Alexandra Palace.