Luke Littler headlines World Youth Championship, Van Veen absent

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/littler-luke/0URN6Xks/"]Littler[/a], 19, has played in the PDC World Youth Championship twice before, winning the tournament in 2023 and reaching the semifinals in 2025, the same year he won his maiden PDC World Championship.[/p][p]Players aged 16-23 can qualify for the PDC World Youth Championship.[/p][p]The reigning world champion headlines an incomplete 128-player entry list, which will be finalised over the weekend after the Development Tour concludes. The World Youth Championship starts next Monday with a round-robin phase and knockout phase that'll leave two finalists, who'll play the final on Sunday, October 29th, at the Players Championship Finals, which Littler won't appear in.[/p][embed guid="41655970-096a-4eb2-8d66-2c23c80f884f" url="https://x.com/OfficialPDC/status/2106060436248621354?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]As Littler enters, reigning youth champion [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/van-veen-gian/jgT1AT29/"]Gian van Veen[/a] will miss the tournament in the final year of his eligibility, as will last year's losing finalist, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/greaves-beau/SrVLyn8o/"]Beau Greeves[/a]. [/p][p]Littler was [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/news/defending-champion-littler-and-van-gerwen-suffer-shock-world-grand-prix-defeats/8dAeSMWG/"]eliminated from the first round[/a] of the World Grand Prix earlier this week and will not appear in the remaining European Tour events. Following the World Youth Championship, Littler will next play in the European Championship between October 22nd and 25th.[/p][h2]World Youth Championship entry list[/h2][p]Luke Littler[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bialecki-sebastian/neVAFdz5/"]Sebastian Bialecki[/a][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/barry-keane/Ycu2Oplg/"]Keane Barry[/a][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/crabtree-cameron/KQt8l5u6/"]Cam Crabtree[/a][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gruellich-dominik/QF73Q2Vh/"]Dominik Gruellich[/a][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/manby-charlie/bPLltm0n/"]Charlie Manby[/a][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/weber-leon/QZFlBfUg/"]Leon Weber[/a][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/dudeney-tavis/U3bMlfhU/"]Tavis Dudeney[/a][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gawlas-adam/GrlBDxKQ/"]Adam Gawlas[/a][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bates-owen/CAtBj9Uo/"]Owen Bates[/a][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/van-der-velde-jurjen/xjFXmhJc/"]Jurjen van der Velde[/a][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/thorpe-tyler/0rT1Jg3B/"]Tyler Thorpe[/a][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/maendl-lawrance-liam/6cRiPJQt/"]Liam Maendl-Lawrance[/a] [/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/donnevert-mika/URWHQYH6/"]Mika Donnevert[/a] [/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/varila-mio/WGlgNjN6/"]Mio Varila[/a] [/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/thorvaldsson-alexander-veigar/pjuZ0yV8/"]Alexander Thorvaldsson[/a] [/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/markovsky-daniel/fgnJMXoS/"]Daniel Kortbek[/a][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/smith-ky/G4rjXS8t/"]Ky Smith[/a][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/marsh-bailey/bkXyvSvq/"]Bailey Marsh[/a][/p][p]Jayden Wedemeyer[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mitchell-tony/pbWF8E41/"]Mitchel Beswick[/a][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/jacklin-paula/Qa4G1xWS/"]Jack Sheppard[/a][/p][p]Hunter Eyles[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/king-gayl/neVPF0ho/"]Zacarno King[/a][/p][p]Zachary Meeks[/p][p]Conner Olson[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/o-brien-liam/p0PxFvvL/"]Liam McNeil[/a][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mcclelland-benjamin/fuS8ccjq/"]Benjamin Goddard[/a][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/galliano-craig/hpWZHXF9/"]Craig Galliano[/a] [/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hayden-rhys/COb9F921/"]Hayden Moodley[/a][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/askew-jason/tz3ofHye/"]Jason Britz[/a][/p][p]Eleanor Cairns[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/frauenfelder-levy/0St0dK7s/"]Kyana Frauenfelder[/a][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cook-lewis/vak7wfgL/"]Lewis Cook[/a][/p][p]Jaichen Song[/p][p]Hiroyuki Tanaka[/p][p]Zhijun Cui[/p][p]Duyana Decena[/p]