Like Littler's route to PDC World Darts Championship glory could include blockbuster Fallon Sherrock showdown

We take a look at Luke Littler's potential route to a maiden PDC World Darts Championship crown as 'The Nuke' bids to improve on his run to the final on debut, 12 months ago.

Luke Littler's Ally Pally return could feature a date with 'Queen of the Palace' Fallon Sherrock

Luke Littler's lofty ranking ensures he will be one of the 32 seeds at the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship, meaning he will begin his quest for his maiden world title in the second round.

'The Nuke' is scheduled to get his campaign underway on the evening of Saturday 21st December where he will take on either 'Queen of the Palace' Fallon Sherrock or Ryan Meikle.

The two qualifiers will face off in the preliminary round on Tuesday 17th December, with the winner then tackling the current Premier League and Grand Slam of Darts champion Littler in the last 64.

Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of a potential match with Sherrock, Littler said: "Watching Fallon's run in 2020 was incredible.

"If I do come across her, I don't know what the crowd would be like, maybe it will be a bit different. I don't think anyone really missed it in 2020, it was incredible to watch.

"It won't be easy against either of them, no game will be easy this year, but it'll be a tough test for both of them facing each other in the first round.

"Either way, I'm very confident, whoever wins. I just can't wait to get on stage. Ever since the Worlds last year it has been crazy - this is where it all started for me. The buzz is there, I can feel it."

Should the Warrington star come through his tie with either Sherrock or Meikle, then the world number four is then likely to take on number 29 seed Ritchie Edhouse in the last 32.

The recently crowned European Championship winner saw off the likes of Gian van Veen, Michael Smith and Gary Anderson en-route to his maiden ranking title success in Dortmund, and could provide a stern challenge for Littler in Round 3.

From there, providing the higher seeded player continues to progress, Littler would face world number 13 Danny Noppert in the last 16, before a potential quarter-final affair with 2018 Alexandra Palace champion Rob Cross.

Littler's fourth place position on the PDC's Order of Merit rules out a dream final with current World Darts Championship title-holder Luke Humphries, although he would be 'The Nuke's' semi-final opponent providing the two most dominant players of 2024 make it that far.

The wide open bottom half of the draw opens many possibilities for a potential final opponent for Littler, but based on rankings, world number two Michael Smith or three-time champion Michael van Gerwen would lie in wait in the hugely-anticipated final on Friday 3rd January, 2025.

What is Luke Littler's potential route to the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship final?

• Round 2 - Fallon Sherrock
• Round 3 - Ritchie Edhouse
• Round 4 - Danny Noppert
• Quarter-Final - Rob Cross
• Semi-Final - Luke Humphries
• Final - Michael Smith

When does Luke Littler play at the World Darts Championship?

Luke Littler's opening match at the 2025 event will be on Saturday 21st December.

Littler is scheduled to be the third match in the evening session, with play getting underway from around 19:10 (GMT).

It's expected that 'The Nuke' will toe the oche against either Fallon Sherrock or Ryan Meikle at around 21:00 (GMT).