Phil Taylor has revealed he would be willing to face Luke Littler in an exhibition match — but only on his own very specific terms.
The 16-time world champion, who retired from competitive darts in 2018 and is widely regarded as the greatest player to ever pick up a dart, was asked about a potential meeting with the teenage sensation who has taken the sport by storm. Taylor’s initial response was one of caution. Speaking to talkSPORT, he said: “No [I don’t want to play him]. Not yet, I don’t want to play him to be quite honest with you!”
But pushed on whether he would consider an exhibition, the 64-year-old had a characteristically cheeky answer. “I’d play him in an exhibition, yeah. One leg of 301, I go first!” he said.
It is the kind of remark only Taylor could get away with — simultaneously humble enough to acknowledge Littler’s extraordinary talent and competitive enough to still want every possible advantage on the oche. Throw first in a single leg of 301, and the outcome is heavily tilted in your favour from the opening dart.
Taylor’s fondness for Littler has been evident throughout the teenager’s rise. “I think he is absolutely fantastic, I have got to be honest with you, and I know he’s got the backs up of the other pros which I love to see,” Taylor said. “I wasn’t really watching darts, I wasn’t really interested in it and he’s made me interested in watching it again. I even watched some of the streaming yesterday [Players Championship 2] so that’s not me! But I’ve really enjoyed watching him.” He added: “He’s a great little player, he’s got a great little personality and it hasn’t affected him yet. I don’t think it ever will. I think he will keep his feet on the ground no matter how many tournaments he achieves.”
For his part, Littler has been equally candid about how a hypothetical match-up would go. “If Taylor does start practising, then it will be tough, but if he just sits at home and then comes to an exhibition then I fancy my chances,” he said.
Littler has been careful to maintain his admiration for everything Taylor represents. After winning his second World Championship title at the start of 2026 with a dominant 7-1 victory over Gian van Veen in the final at Alexandra Palace, the world number one was measured about whether he could one day match Taylor’s extraordinary record of 16 world titles. “I mean, obviously it’s so far away. Yeah, what’s that, 14 to go?” Littler said. “If it happens, it happens. I’ll be around for a very long time, and I’m here to win. Who knows if I could reach it? If I could get five or six, I’d be happy.”
Taylor, for his part, is in no doubt about who holds the most realistic claim to his legacy. Speaking to The Sun after Littler’s second world title win, ‘The Power’ said Littler has a “bloody good chance” of winning 16 world titles: “If anybody’s got a chance, it’s definitely him, that’s for sure.”
The two have already shared a stage together at exhibitions in 2026, with Target Darts teasing footage of the pair facing off for the first time — suggesting that the one-leg-of-301-I-go-first encounter may already have had its day. Whether Taylor insisted on that condition in practice is another question entirely.
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