Not even a darts tournament is set to stop Luke Littler from enjoying one of his favourite pastimes.
The 17-year-old sensation has been in dazzling form all year long and has picked up nine titles.
Littler has been in fine form this yearGetty
Those victories have also added some serious weight to Littler’s wallet, with his 2024 earnings sitting well over £600,000.
He could have secured a tenth title and netted some extra pocket money this weekend at the Hungarian Darts Trophy.
However, Littler was a late withdrawal from the tournament, meaning his wait for a double-digit tournament victory will go on, at least for now.
But it didn’t take long for darts fans to suspect the reason behind Littler’s mysterious decision to pull out.
The Hungarian Darts Trophy fell on the same weekend avid gamers could enjoy the early access release of EAFC 25, previously known as FIFA.
It is no secret Littler is a fan of the football video game and even opened an Ultimate Team pack for a fan during one of his walkouts earlier this year.
Early access to the game was available on September 20 for fans who had pre-ordered it.
The 17-year-old soon broke his silence on the matter with a cheeky three-word response to a post on Instagram, pointing out the interesting timing of his withdrawal.
“What a coincidence,” Littler wrote in a comment.
Littler’s love for the video game has been on show throughout the year.
@lukethenukelittler on instagramLittler didn’t exactly quash speculation he withdrew from a tournament to play video games[/caption]
Littler has openly talked about his love for gamingGetty
In February, the teen revealed he would be spending his prize money from the PDC World Championship on his Ultimate Team.
“That’s what I’ve always done,” Littler told The Times.
“When I win money, I just treat myself, buy some packs, get some good players.”
Such is Littler’s passion for gaming, he even brings his Xbox with him when touring across England.
“When I am abroad, I cannot take my travel case,” Littler told the JaackMaate Happy Hour podcast.
“But when we went to Brighton, I just take my travel Xbox. It’s a suitcase, you flip it up, it has the little screen, two controllers, you have a wireless phone. You put your phone on it and it charges. Target got it for me.”
Littler is in for a big end to the 2024 season ahead of the World Championships in December.
The 17-year-old will look to be the last man standing at the World Grand Prix which kicks off on October 7.
Littler has a big run of tournaments coming up ahead of the World Darts Championships in DecemberGetty
Littler will then have nearly a month before the Grand Slam of Darts commences on November 9.
Attention will quickly shift towards the 2025 World Darts Championship as the best players on the planet converge on the Alexandra Palace in London from December 15.
Littler will hope to go one better than his remarkable effort in the previous trip to Ally Pally.
The then-16-year-old was a relatively unknown quantity but quickly became a household name when he beat the likes of Rob Cross and Raymond van Barneveld on his path to the final.
However, Littler fell just short of winning the grand prize in a thrilling final as Luke Humphries emerged victorious.
