Luke Littler on track at buzzing Ally Pally – World Championship talking points
By Jonathan Veal, Press Association
The World Championship has paused for the Christmas break after an action-packed opening 13 days at Alexandra Palace.
Here, we look at the biggest talking points so far.
It’s Luke’s world
All the pre-tournament expectation was that it would be a battle of the Lukes in the final as Littler and Humphries dominate the sport.
And nothing has happened in the opening two rounds to suggest anything different. Littler has not had to get out of first gear in victories over Darius Labanauskas and David Davies, while Humphries has beaten Ted Evetts and Paul Lim comfortably.
Bigger tests lie ahead, but both men have the capacity to improve, and it would take a brave person to predict someone other than Littler or Humphries will be lifting the Sid Waddell Trophy in the new year.
Unlikely heroes emerge
The newly extended tournament, with 128 players, might have seemed bloated, but it provided some memorable stories.
Kenyan veterinary nurse David Munyua was perhaps the best of them, stunning 18th seed Mike De Decker on his competition debut.
Japanese Motomu Saka become an instant cult hero with his wacky walk-on and dance routines during his opening-round victory, while Nitin Kumar became the first Indian to win a match at the event as the first round saw some shocks.
Ally Pally Wasp
The star in the opening few days was the Ally Pally wasp, which took more headlines than any of the players.
Buzzing around the oche, it has been in the thick of the action. It got a little too close when it got hit by a dart, while Martin Lukeman appeared to be stung and Jurjen van der Velde arrived on stage with a can of insect spray.
Munyua tried to adopt it as a good luck charm, having earlier swatted it away from his face. It has kept a low profile in recent days.
— Cameron Menzies (@CameronMenzies) December 22, 2025
Cameron Menzies made his mark on the tournament and not in a good way.
The Scottish thrower reacted badly to a defeat to youngster Charles Manby, repeatedly punching a table on stage after losing a match he should have won.
He left with a bloodied hand and a bruised ego, while being forced to apologise for his embarrassing actions. Things got worse a couple of days later when ex-girlfriend Fallon Sherrock mimicked him by playfully grabbing the table after her first-round loss.
Seeds falling
The new format of the tournament, where seeded players no longer receive a bye into round two, meant a host of big names were gone before Christmas.
Former champions Gerwyn Price, Peter Wright and Michael Smith were all dumped out in the second round, while sixth seed Danny Noppert was the highest-ranked player to go.
Chris Dobey, seeded seventh, and James Wade, seeded eighth, also went out in the second round, while 12th seed Ross Smith was the highest seed to fall at the first hurdle.
