Luke Littler has won back-to-back World Championships, collected 14 PDC major titles and established himself as the biggest name in darts before his 20th birthday. Yet Barry Hearn believes concerns about the world number one's dominance are premature, with as many as a dozen emerging talents preparing to pursue their own breakthrough in 2027.

The PDC president has highlighted 16-year-old Archie Self and Scottish teenager Mitchell Lawrie among the youngsters capable of following Littler into the professional ranks. Both have already made significant impressions on the darts circuit, with January's Q-School offering another opportunity for the sport's next generation to emerge.

Speaking on talkSPORT's Breakfast show, Hearn revealed that Littler's extraordinary success had already prompted questions about whether he was making the sport too predictable.

"I had someone say the other day, 'Isn't it getting a bit boring because Luke Littler wins everything?'" he recalled. "And you think, he's only been here for two years! He hasn't exactly dominated. He may well be, he may well be. The man's a great, great player."

Since losing the 2024 World Championship final to Luke Humphries on his Alexandra Palace debut, Littler has won the next two editions, climbed to world number one and amassed a remarkable collection of major trophies. With his 20th birthday still more than two months away, some of the teenagers hoping to follow his example are already beginning to break records of their own.

Barry Hearn at the "Beat Luke Littler" auditions for Netflix

Archie Self breaks Littler's record as Q-School approaches

Few youngsters have enjoyed a more eye-catching few weeks than Archie Self. The Englishman recently became the youngest player to throw a televised nine-darter, breaking Littler's record by just 18 days during the MODUS Super Series Champions Week in Portsmouth.

Self was only 16 years and 345 days old when he produced the perfect leg against Daniel Ayres on 28 October. Three days later, he defeated Andy Baetens 4-2 to win the Series 15 title and £25,000, adding another significant achievement to a career that already includes a WDF World Youth Championship triumph.

"Nine-dart finish on television. Sixteen! Sixteen years old!" Hearn exclaimed. "The talent that's coming into darts blows my mind. I mean, we're in such a good place."

Self has also secured his place at the upcoming PDC World Darts Championship and enjoyed success on both the Challenge Tour and Development Tour in 2026. The teenager will have another opportunity to establish himself on the professional circuit when Q-School begins in January.

And Hearn believes there are plenty more youngsters capable of joining him. "Archie is one of, I could probably reel off a dozen, that are just going to be knocking on the door come Q-School in January," he said. "They're going to go and get their card."

Self's televised nine-darter has already taken one record away from Littler, but the world champion's achievements remain an extraordinary benchmark. Littler reached the World Championship final at 16 and returned to Alexandra Palace a year later to become world champion at 17, establishing himself among the sport's elite with remarkable speed.

Mitchell Lawrie's missed Littler showdown and Lakeside lesson

Mitchell Lawrie is another player Hearn has identified as a potential successor to Littler. The 15-year-old Scot reached the senior WDF World Championship final at Lakeside in December 2025, becoming the youngest player to achieve the feat. He also won the youth world title during the same tournament, although his bid for a remarkable senior triumph ended in defeat against Jimmy van Schie.

Lawrie was subsequently selected for Netflix's Beat Luke Littler event in Manchester on 30 October, where Hearn had been particularly interested in seeing him face the reigning world champion. "Mitchell Lawrie is a great, great player. We're looking at him to be the next Luke Littler," Hearn said. "Can you believe Luke's coming up, he's not 20 yet, is he? And we're already trying to replace him! That's the world we live in."

Lawrie had experienced a very different kind of disappointment at Lakeside, where he raced into a 3-0 lead in sets against Van Schie before the Dutchman won six consecutive sets to claim the world title. "The darts World Championship is tough because it's over such a long period of time," Hearn said, contrasting the demands of Alexandra Palace with Netflix's single-leg format. "You've got to be mentally ready, physically ready."

Lawrie's defeat demonstrated how quickly a match can turn, even with a substantial advantage, while the longer format of the PDC World Championship presents another challenge altogether. Self will get his first taste of that stage when the tournament begins at Alexandra Palace in December. Littler, meanwhile, first heads to Wolverhampton for the Grand Slam of Darts, chasing a third consecutive title before attempting to complete a hat-trick of World Championship victories.

By January, attention will turn to Q-School and the next group hoping to join the PDC circuit, including the youngsters Hearn believes could eventually challenge the man they are already being compared with.