Luke Littler has threatened to boycott future tournaments in the Netherlands after being booed and whistled at during his dramatic World Series of Darts Finals victory over Nathan Aspinall in Amsterdam. The reigning World Champion fought back from 5-3 down before winning the final two legs to edge out Aspinall 10-9 and book his place in the quarter-finals at AFAS Live.
However, the result was overshadowed by the reaction of sections of the Dutch crowd, with referee Charlie Corstorphine intervening during the deciding stages after Littler was repeatedly booed and whistled. It was the second successive night in which Littler faced a hostile atmosphere in Amsterdam, having also been targeted during Friday’s first-round victory over home favourite Danny Noppert.
The 19-year-old has previously taken a stand against crowd behaviour, opting not to compete in European Tour events in Germany following his experiences with supporters there. And Littler has now warned that he could take the same approach with tournaments in the Netherlands if the atmosphere does not change. “If the Dutch stay like this, then I’m not going to do any Euro Tours over there,” Littler told Online Darts. “There’s just no point in me travelling, wasting my time while I’m getting booed. I just want to play my darts, obviously sign autographs. The past two nights, I’ve done nothing, I’ve just walked off stage without thanking anybody. There’s no point thanking everyone when they are booing me.”
Littler’s comments come after another dramatic night in Amsterdam, where he survived a huge scare against Aspinall to maintain his remarkable pursuit of a clean sweep of the sport’s 10 major televised tournaments in 2026. The World Champion has already claimed the first five majors of the year and remains on course for a historic achievement, but his latest victory was anything but straightforward. Aspinall raced into a 5-3 lead and threatened to derail Littler’s title challenge, before the 19-year-old fought back to level the contest. The Stockport star then moved within one leg of victory at 9-8, but Littler held his nerve with a 14-dart hold before producing a 12-dart break in the deciding leg to complete the comeback.
Littler admitted afterwards that he had struggled to find his best level during the opening stages of the contest. “Nathan pushed me all the way tonight,” he said. “I didn’t feel confident in the first two sessions, but I managed to make it 6-6 and I was very good in the final session. When I came here two years ago, Ross Smith missed darts to beat me and then I went on to win the title, but I know it will be a good test against Jonny tomorrow. I’m glad that the streak is still on, but it’s going to be very tough.”
Littler will now face 2021 World Champion Jonny Clayton in Sunday’s quarter-finals as he continues his bid for another major title. The reigning World Champion’s comments also reignite the debate around crowd behaviour at major darts events, with Littler making clear that his frustration could influence his future European Tour schedule. For now, his attention remains on Amsterdam and the chance to keep his extraordinary 2026 campaign alive. But Littler’s warning is clear: if the atmosphere in the Netherlands continues in the same vein, he says he will reconsider his participation in future Dutch European Tour events.
