For 17-year-old Littler, it is his second successive world final, in just his second tournament, having lost to world no1 Luke Humphries last year. For Van Gerwen it is his seventh, having won three and lost three to date, and most recently came second best to Michael Smith in 2023. The Dutchman became the youngest-ever world champion, at 24, when he beat Peter Wright in 2014, a record Littler can shatter tonight.