Phil Taylor willing to play Luke Littler but only under one condition

Darts icon and 16-time world champion Phil Taylor doesn't sound overly keen on facing Luke Littler, but he would play the teenager under one condition.

Littler, who will face Michael van Gerwen in the World Darts Championship final, has changed the landscape of darts since his now-iconic Ally Pally debut in December 2023.

In fact, the 17-year-old has won a total of £618,500 in prize money from major events over the past 12 months, according to the PDC Order of Merit.

After positive results on the European Tour, as well as the UK Open, the Premier League, the World Matchplay and World Grand Prix, Littler is already considered one of the best players in the world.

But he has some way to go if he wants to match the achievements of Phil Taylor, who won a total of 214 professional tournaments, including a record 85 major titles.

Taylor has previously voiced his admiration for Littler. Speaking to talkSPORT about the teenager's rise, 'The Power' was full of praise for the Runcorn-born thrower – and even credited Littler for getting him back into watching events on TV.

"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 in May last year.

"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 on Tuesday] so that's not me! But I've really enjoyed watching him."

Taylor 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."

Littler is one of the favourites to win the World Darts Championship. Image credit: Getty

When asked if he would like to face him in a match, Taylor said: "No [I don't want to play him]. Not yet, I don't want to play him to be quite honest with you!"

Taylor, who won 16 world titles during a trophy-laden career, was then prodded on whether he would face Littler in an exhibition match.

The 64-year-old replied: "I'd play him in an exhibition, yeah. One leg of 301, I go first!"

Now that's a leg of darts we would like to see at some point in the future. Who would come out on top? Let us know in the comments.