Luke Littler nominated for prestigious award but darts star must beat his sporting hero to win it

 

Luke Littler has been recognised on one of sport’s grandest stages, earning a nomination for the prestigious 2026 Laureus World Sports Awards. But the twist that makes this story particularly compelling is this: to win it, he would have to beat the man he has publicly idolised — his friend, Formula One world champion Lando Norris.

The Nomination

The nominees for the 2026 Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award are Désiré Doué (France, football), João Fonseca (Brazil, tennis), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada, basketball), Luke Littler (UK, darts), Lando Norris (UK, motor racing) and Yu Zidi (China, swimming).

Littler’s nomination recognises his achievement in becoming the youngest-ever PDC World Darts Champion, en route to completing the Triple Crown — the World Championship, World Matchplay and Premier League. It is a remarkable accolade for a teenager who, just over two years ago, was an unknown 16-year-old making his Alexandra Palace debut as a 66/1 outsider.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony at the Palacio de Cibeles in Madrid, Spain, on April 20.

The Rival He Calls His Hero

The name sharing the Breakthrough of the Year ballot with Littler adds a wonderfully layered dimension to proceedings. Lando Norris pipped Max Verstappen to the 2025 Formula One world championship by just two points at the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi, winning seven races throughout the year as he overturned a 34-point deficit to claim his maiden world title.

But for Littler, Norris is not merely a fellow nominee. He is a genuine sporting hero — a man he has met, admired, and publicly championed. When Norris gave Littler a hot lap around Silverstone ahead of the 2024 British Grand Prix, McLaren F1’s social media captured the pair together with the caption: “When Lando’s world meets Luke ‘The Nuke’s!” — Littler in the passenger seat, Norris at the wheel, two young British champions briefly sharing the same orbit.

The admiration has only grown since. When both were nominated for BBC Sports Personality of the Year late last year, Littler gave his backing to Norris for the award, publicly endorsing his F1 hero over himself. It was a generous and revealing gesture — a window into how Littler views Norris not just as a rival but as a kindred spirit.

Two British Prodigies, One Stage

The parallel between the two young men is striking and has not gone unnoticed. Both burst onto the scene in their respective sports as unfancied teenagers and proceeded to rewrite the record books. Both have had to navigate the peculiar pressures of sudden, all-consuming fame at a young age. Both are British, both are in their early twenties or younger, and both finished 2025 as the undisputed number one in their sport.

Norris pipped 2022 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Max Verstappen to the Formula One Drivers’ Championship, winning his maiden title by just two points at the last race of the season. It was the kind of nail-biting, season-long drama that captures the world’s attention. Meanwhile, Littler was making history of his own — completing the Triple Crown and becoming the youngest-ever PDC World Darts Champion.

Now, at the Laureus Awards, those twin stories of British sporting brilliance are set to go head-to-head for the same prize.

A Stacked Category

It would be wrong to reduce this to a simple two-horse race. The Breakthrough of the Year field is genuinely formidable. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander became the fourth basketball player to win the NBA’s regular season MVP, Finals MVP and Scoring Champion titles within the same season. Nineteen-year-old João Fonseca debuted at all four Grand Slam tournaments and announced himself as a future force in men’s tennis. And Yu Zidi — the youngest-ever Laureus nominee — won bronze in the 4x200m freestyle relay at the World Aquatics Championships at just 12 years old.

But it is Littler and Norris — two young British champions who have transcended their sports and captured mainstream attention in a way few athletes of any age manage — who will command the most headlines when the Madrid ceremony arrives on April 20.

The Bigger Picture for Littler

The nomination is a timely reminder of just how much Littler has already achieved, at a moment when his Premier League Darts struggles are threatening to overshadow his broader legacy. Four difficult weeks in the Premier League do not diminish what came before — two World Championship titles, six majors in a single calendar year, and now recognition on the global sporting stage alongside the likes of Norris, McIlroy and the greatest athletes on the planet.

Also nominated across the wider Laureus Awards are Rory McIlroy — recognised for his comeback after ending an agonising 11-year wait for a major championship by winning the Masters — and the England Women’s Football Team, nominated for World Team of the Year after retaining the European Championship title via a penalty shoot-out win over Spain.

For Littler, simply being in that company at 19 years old is an achievement in itself. Winning the award, however, would require him to finally do something he has so far chosen not to do — beat Lando Norris.

Whether he would even want to is another question entirely.