It's Leeds United v Manchester United as Luke Humphries faces Luke Littler in World Darts Championship final

Humphries will take on 16-year-old Luke Litter in tonight’s (Wednesday) Paddy Power World Darts Championship final at Alexandra Palace in north London. Littler, who supports Manchester United and his hometown Betfred Super League club Warrington Wolves, is bidding to win the title at the first attempt, just weeks after becoming world youth champion.

Humphries, aged 28, from Newbury in Berkshire, is a lifelong Whites fan, following in the footsteps of his father who began supporting the club when they reached the FA Cup final in 1972. He averaged 108.74 with every three darts thrown in a 6-0 semi-final drubbing of Scott Williams on Tuesday. Littler continued his fairy-tale run with a breathtaking 6-2 semi-final success against 2018 champion Rob Cross, averaging 106.

Humphries went into the tournament as favourite after winning three major televised events in 2023. He admitted: “This is a massive, massive moment for me. I think it [the semi-final] is probably one of the best performances I've ever produced on the big stage. I just hope it didn't come one game too early.”

He added: “I needed to put in a statement performance because Luke was fantastic tonight. Every aspect of my game was as I wanted it to be and it's such a special moment. Becoming world number one is something you can only dream of as a kid, but it will stay with me forever if I become world champion, so my mind is fully focused on that."

Warrington mascot Wolfie was among the crowd as Littler backed up his quarter-final win over former champions Raymond van Barneveld to guarantee himself a minimum £200,000 in prize money. “I’ve got no words,” he said of reaching the final in his debut world championship.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet. I’ve thrown big averages on the floor all year round, but I’m so happy to have brought that form up on to the biggest stage of them all. It would be unbelievable to win this title. I set myself the target to win one game and be back after Christmas and I’m still here. I can’t even imagine lifting that trophy yet though. I’ve just got to stay focused, relax and be Luke Littler.”