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LUKE LITTLER has been drawn in a group of death for the expanded Grand Slam of Darts.
The 19-year-old darts star has been drawn alongside Beau Greaves and Niels Zonneveld in Group A for a new-look tournament format.
Unseeded star Greaves will offer particularly strong opposition after beating the teenage sensation in the semi-final of the World Youth Championship last year.
She went on to lose against Dutchman Gian van Veen in the final before claiming another win over Littler at a MODUS exhibition night just weeks later.
Meanwhile, Zonneveld has proven himself by winning the 2026 Dutch Darts Championship last month.
A single unlucky leg could prove disastrous, with players taking part in just two short round-robin ties under the new Grand Slam of Darts format.
Only the highest-placed player from each three-player pool will progress, with the tournament expanding from 32 to 49 players for the 2026 edition.
This has resulted in a reduction in pool size, with just three throwers competing in each pool, compared to four last year.
A total of 40 players have been included from televised tournaments, PDC Pro Tour title winners, and other events, with the final eight places going to Tour Card holder qualifiers.
A recent dip in form could offer an opportunity for Littler’s rivals to strike, after he failed to qualify for the 2026 Players Championship Finals, despite being the reigning champion.
He has also been recently bested in a short format competition, as Fallon Sherrock claimed the £501,000 jackpot from Netflix’s Beat Luke Littler show last month.
Littler has also been flustered in recent knockout events, falling 6–10 to Krzysztof Ratajski in the European Championships quarter-final.
However, Littler remains among the tournament favourites as the top seed for the Grand Slam of Darts.
The tournament will take place at the WV Active in Aldersley from Saturday, November 14.