Why is Luke Littler not playing in Hungarian Darts Trophy?

THE Hungarian Darts Trophy gets underway TODAY, but World No1 Luke Littler is not travelling to Budapest for this weekend’s action. Littler has not featured on the European Tour since the third event in Belgium, where he was beaten 6-5 by Niels Zonneveld. Luke Littler is chasing an unprecedented clean sweep in TV majors this year Credit: Getty The last time we saw Littler was when he won the World Matchplay in July Credit: Getty After winning the first event of the season in Poland, there has been less pressure on The Nuke to play in these events with his qualification almost wrapped up for the European Championship in October. It means that Littler is still in a good position to claim yet another of darts‘ major titles for the calendar year. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! He has won all of the TV majors so far in 2026, most recently storming to the World Matchplay title in Blackpool. Ahead of the European Tour returning today, SunSport can reveal why the World No1 isn’t playing this weekend. Why is Luke Littler not playing in Hungarian Darts Trophy? Luke Littler has chosen not to play in the Hungarian Darts Trophy this weekend, with The Nuke opting to play in ProTour events this week instead. He hasn’t played in any of the behind-closed-doors tournaments this year, which left him in last place to qualify for the Players Championships in November. With Littler aiming to complete an unprecedented Grand Slam by winning all of darts’ major titles in a calendar year, he must qualify for the showpiece event in Minehead. Also, Littler said he planned to step away from the oche through August, instead opting to take a holiday with his girlfriend. Most read in Sport Speaking to The Ariel Helwani Show, Littler explained his decision to take a break, he said: “After my first full year on the tour, I was like, this is crazy, the (number of) flights. “When we go to Germany and stuff, we have to get like two flights just to get to one place. “But now obviously where I am in the rankings, number one, that’s why I’m missing tournaments and having more time at home. “Well this year I’ve decided not to go to Australia and New Zealand. That’s in August, the second and third week. “So, it’s probably 16 days in Australia and New Zealand. The time zone over there is mental. 10 hours, maybe 12 hours. Comment now