Luke Littler not feeling pressure ahead of Darts World Cup Back with Luke Humphries: ‘We didn’t bond on stage last year’ | Darts News

Luke Littler admits he and Luke Humphries didn’t “bond” on stage during the World Cup of Darts in 2025 but hopes it will be different this time.

As world Nos 1 and 2, Littler and Humphries went into the tournament as clear favorites last year.

However, against all odds, They lost 8–4 in the second round at the Eisporthalle in FrankfurtWhere Martin Schindler and Riccardo Pietreco, inspired by a partisan home crowd, sealed a comprehensive victory.

Once again they will enter the tournament as the No. 1 seed, meaning they will face the Netherlands, Scotland and Northern Ireland in the second round.

Littler admitted the draw wasn’t the most favorable for the first-time pair but said they certainly didn’t “bond” properly as a partnership during the competition.

“Me and Luke, we’re up for it and hopefully we can get an easy draw this year,” Littler said.

“I think about Ricardo (Pietreczko) and Martin (Schindler). They definitely played a good game with each other.

“Me and Luke had a few good moments in the game, but we didn’t really bond on that stage.

“Hopefully, this year is a lot different.”

So, will Littler and Humphries look to bond ahead of this year’s tournament, which takes place from June 11-14, live on Sky Sports?

Littler says they can only go from competitors to teammates once they’re out of the Nordic Darts Masters.

Despite the need to work on their partnership, he feels the pressure was greater on them during their debut last year than going into the 2026 edition.

“This week with Luke is a lot different because we are playing against each other. We all want to win this title. We all want to win games,” he added.

“I think next week is when me and Luke will really be down to try and win.

“I’m not really feeling the pressure building. I think the pressure this year was more than last year.

“Drawn by the Germans last year, we didn’t want it. We wanted someone else. But hopefully this year we can do better.”

Humphries: The crowd won’t affect Littler as much This year we are more prepared

Humphries agreed with Littler that they had entered a “cauldron” that was the worst-case scenario when they lost to Germany in 2025 with the crowd firmly in favor of their home team and provided encouragement for the English pair.

However, he thinks Littler will be better equipped to step into a hostile environment with the crowds he’s faced of late.

Littler broke down after his Premier League win and admitted that the cheers he received from the crowd got to him and he talked to his girlfriend about leaving.

“I would probably agree. To be fair, it was probably the worst draw we could have had,” Humphries said.

“Luke wasn’t getting the most support from the German people at the time so, of course, he was going to get a lot and it was going to come with me anyway.

“It’s going to be the way it’s always been and it’s obviously the worst draw we could have achieved.

“Luke has probably learned to deal with it, a lot more in the last 12 months. He’s probably learned a lot from what’s happened in the last few months and I don’t think that sort of thing will affect him as much now.

“But when it happens to one person it can affect you as a group. I think it can be very dark when it’s happening to you.

“It’s a small place and it’s hard trying to pick your opponents but also try and play yourself.

“We both didn’t play our best, we both struggled to find it and they were just a good team.

“I don’t think we’ve bonded well. Nothing has changed. We haven’t grown apart on the practice board. We’ve always been very good.

“I think it was one of them, a combination of a lot of things against us that made it work hard. But you can’t take away from Germany how well they played and how they played the game. They did what they had to do and they beat us.”

While learning from their first time as a team, Humphries sees this World Cup as a fresh start and believes they are ready for the challenge ahead.

“Now it’s a new start, a new year and I think we’re more prepared than ever this year because the pressure on us was huge last year,” he said.

“It’s still going to be a lot of pressure this year but I think everyone recognizes that we can lose to anybody. It’s not a foregone conclusion.

“No matter who we play, we can lose to anyone but we’re ready this year, more prepared, more excited, and we’re looking forward to the challenge.”

Watch the 2026 BetVictor World Cup of Darts live on Sky Sports from June 11 to June 14. Get Sky Sports or Stream Darts with no contract.