Luke Humphries has framed his US Darts Masters final win over Luke Littler at Madison Square Garden as another major chapter in the sport’s defining rivalry. The defending champion edged Littler 8-7 in New York on Friday, June 26, landing an 11-darter in the deciding leg to retain the title in front of a record 5,000-strong US darts crowd.
The result gave Humphries a third World Series of Darts title and made him the first player to win back-to-back US Darts Masters crowns. It also followed England’s World Cup triumph earlier this month, when Humphries and Littler were team-mates rather than opponents. For the PDC, the timing neatly pushes their rivalry towards Blackpool and the summer’s next major checkpoint.
Humphries raises the Luke v Luke stakes
Humphries told the official PDC report that Madison Square Garden felt like the most iconic venue darts could visit, before calling the final another brilliant game in the “Luke v Luke” saga.
That matters because Littler had taken control after trailing 4-1, only for Humphries to level at 5-5 and hold his nerve from there. Humphries had already survived two match darts against Gian van Veen in the semi-final, so New York became more than another trophy defence. It was a reminder that Littler’s 2026 dominance has not turned this rivalry into a one-man era.
