LUKE Littler’s defence of the World Grand Prix title has ended at the very first hurdle after the Warrington darts sensation suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to Luke Woodhouse in Leicester on Monday night.
The world number one arrived at the Mattioli Arena as defending champion and one of the biggest names in the 32-player field – but his hopes of successfully retaining the prestigious title were ended by Woodhouse in a dramatic first-round clash.
Littler was bidding to become only the third player in the history of the World Grand Prix to win the unique double-start tournament in successive years, following in the footsteps of legendary champions Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen.
Instead, it was Woodhouse who produced the result of the opening night.
The defeat represents a major setback for the 19-year-old Warrington star, who has enjoyed an extraordinary 2026 season and had been targeting another major title in Leicester.
The World Grand Prix is particularly demanding because every leg must begin and end on a double or the bullseye – making the opening round a potential banana skin even for the world’s best players.
And Woodhouse took full advantage as Littler’s title defence came to an abrupt end.
Littler had arrived in Leicester looking to bounce back from his quarter-final defeat to Jonny Clayton at the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam, where his bid to complete a clean sweep of the major PDC titles had ended.
That Amsterdam defeat had also ended an extraordinary run of success for the Warrington star.
Despite that setback, Littler remains world number one and his 2026 campaign has already produced a remarkable collection of major titles.
But tonight’s defeat means the World Grand Prix trophy will have a new destination.
Littler’s exit was not the only major shock on the opening night.
Six-time World Grand Prix champion Michael van Gerwen was also eliminated, losing 2-1 to Ryan Joyce.
Earlier in the evening, Nathan Aspinall came through his opening match against Kevin Doets, meaning the Warrington connection could have produced a mouth-watering second-round meeting had Littler survived.
What next for Littler?
There is little time for Littler to dwell on the disappointment.
The World Grand Prix runs until October 4, but the Warrington star’s campaign is now over and attention will quickly turn to the remaining major events of the season.
Littler’s remarkable 2026 has already included the World Championship, World Masters, UK Open, Premier League, World Cup of Darts and World Matchplay, underlining just how extraordinary his season has been.
The latest defeat will therefore be viewed as a painful night rather than the end of a remarkable year.
For Woodhouse, however, Leicester has delivered a career-defining victory.
WOODHOUSE KNOCKS OUT LITTLER 😱
Defending champion Luke Littler is OUT ❌
Luke Woodhouse comes back from one set down to stun the World Champion and win 2-1!
📺 https://t.co/TMDN8xUQq6#WGPDarts | R1 pic.twitter.com/UGJ7oA2rWB
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) September 28, 2026
