Smith claims World Series of Darts Finals title as Littler's run halted

Michael Smith won the World Series of Darts Finals, defeating Gerwyn Price in the final to claim the £100,000 top prize. It marked a turnaround for Smith, who had suffered first-round exits in his only two other 2026 World Series appearances, in New Zealand and Australia.

On his way to the final, Smith beat Northern Ireland's Josh Rock 10-7 in the quarter-finals and Dutch player Gian van Veen 11-8 in the semi-finals. Price reached the final by defeating England's James Wade in the last eight and compatriot Jonny Clayton - who had earlier eliminated Littler - in the semi-finals.

In the final, Price, a former winner of the event in 2020 and 2022, won two straight legs to level the match at 5-5. But Smith took control after the interval, winning three consecutive legs including back-to-back checkouts of 127 and 123. Although the big finishes tailed off, Smith continued to win a series of scrappier legs as Price's form faded, sealing the victory.

Earlier in the day, Littler's bid to sweep every major PDC title in 2026 came to an end with a 10-4 quarter-final defeat by Clayton. The world number one had already won the World Championship at Alexandra Palace in January, along with the World Masters, UK Open, Premier League, World Cup of Darts and World Matchplay titles this year. However, after threatening to boycott events in the Netherlands following heavy booing from the crowd during his last-16 win over Nathan Aspinall, the Warrington-based player was unable to find his best form against Clayton.