World Youth Championship Final 2026: Crabtree v Schmidt
The world youth championship final 2026 will be contested by Cam Crabtree and Jan Schmidt, two young players who have earned their place on one of the biggest stages in darts through very different journeys. The final takes place on Sunday 29 November 2026 at Butlin’s Minehead Resort, staged between the semi-finals and the final of the Players Championship Finals, which means the two finalists will walk out in front of a packed Minehead crowd on one of the busiest days of the darts calendar. For both men, it is the biggest match of their young careers so far, and for the winner it brings a £15,000 first prize from a total prize fund of £60,000.
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The World Youth Championship is open to players aged between 16 and 24, and it has become one of the most watched events on the PDC calendar because it offers a glimpse of the future. Past winners and finalists have gone on to become household names, and every year the tournament produces a new story. This year’s story is a compelling one. On one side stands Crabtree, the reigning Development Tour champion and a player now in his second year as a PDC tour card holder, who reached the final by beating world champion Luke Littler in a last-leg decider. On the other side stands Schmidt, a German qualifier whose trip to the semi-finals in Wigan was almost called off before it began, and who now has the chance to become only the second German winner of the title.
The World Youth Championship Final 2026 at Minehead
The final is scheduled for Sunday 29 November 2026 at Butlin’s Minehead Resort, and it will be played as a best-of-11-legs match. That format rewards a fast start, because there is little room to recover from a slow opening in a race to six legs. The first player to win six legs takes the title, the £15,000 winner’s cheque and the trophy, and in a match of this length a single missed double or a single big finish can change everything.
Staging the final at Minehead, between the semi-finals and the final of the Players Championship Finals, gives the youth championship a stage it would never have on its own. The Minehead crowd is one of the loudest and most passionate in darts, and the atmosphere for a youth final played in front of thousands of fans is a world away from the quieter setting of the earlier rounds in Wigan. For two players still early in their professional careers, handling that atmosphere will be as important as handling the darts themselves.
Prize money and what is at stake
The winner of the final receives £15,000 from a total prize fund of £60,000. For a young player building a career on the PDC circuit, that is a significant sum, but the money is only part of the prize. The title itself carries real weight. Winning the World Youth Championship puts a player’s name alongside some of the finest young talents the sport has produced, and it brings attention from fans, sponsors and the wider darts world. The championship is restricted to players aged 16 to 24, which means the window to win it is short, and that adds to the pressure on both finalists.
How Cam Crabtree Reached the Final
Cam Crabtree’s route to the world youth championship final 2026 went through the biggest name in the sport. His semi-final against Luke Littler, played in Wigan on 5 October, was one of the matches of the youth championship, a 6–5 win settled in a last-leg decider that showcased everything that makes Crabtree such an exciting prospect.
Crabtree averaged 97.91 in the semi-final, a superb standard for any match, let alone a youth semi-final against the world champion. He finished the deciding leg in 16 darts and pinned double six under real pressure to seal the win. It was the kind of composed finish that separates good young players from future stars, and it came at the end of a match in which the momentum swung repeatedly between the two players.
Littler had started strongly. He hit a 164 checkout and then produced back-to-back 14-dart legs to lead 3–2, and at that point it looked as though the world champion might take control of the match. Crabtree, though, refused to fold. He hit finishes of 92 and 100 to move ahead 5–4, showing the scoring power and finishing ability that had carried him through the tournament. Littler was not finished either. His 117 checkout forced a deciding leg, setting up a finale that the Wigan crowd will not forget in a hurry. In the decider, it was Crabtree who held his nerve, finishing the leg in 16 darts and taking his chance at double six.
Littler’s gracious response
The defeat was a disappointment for Littler, because the stakes for him were unique. He won the youth title in 2023, and he also lost at the semi-final stage in a last-leg decider a year ago, in 2025. Had he beaten Crabtree and gone on to win the final, he would have become the first player ever to hold the senior World Championship and the World Youth Championship titles at the same time. That piece of history will now have to wait.
Littler’s road to the semi-final
Littler’s journey to the semi-final in Wigan had been impressive in its own right. He went unbeaten through the group stage, and then he produced a remarkable comeback in the last 64, recovering from 3–0 down against 16-year-old Lewis Cook to win 6–4. From there, Littler beat David Fidler 6–1, then recorded a 6–4 win over Archie Self, before beating Harrison Leigh 6–2 in the quarter-final. It was a strong run, built on heavy scoring and the kind of finishing that has made him the dominant player in world darts. Crabtree, though, was the one player who found a way past him, and that win alone makes him a player to watch at Minehead.
Jan Schmidt’s Route to the Final
Jan Schmidt reached the final with a 6–3 win over Charlie Manby in the other semi-final in Wigan. It was a composed performance from the German, who controlled the match and took his chances when they came. The win made him the third German player to reach the final of the World Youth Championship, following Max Hopp and Martin Schindler, and he now has the chance to become the second German winner of the title after Hopp.
Schmidt’s story is one of the most remarkable of this year’s championship. His trip to England for the Wigan event was almost called off, and it was only saved when dart shop owner Daniel Zadach drove him to England. Without that journey, there would have been no semi-final win and no place in the final at Minehead. It is the kind of detail that makes the youth championship special, because behind the televised matches and the prize money there are young players making real sacrifices to chase their chance.
Crabtree’s Rise Through the Development Tour
Crabtree was last year’s Development Tour champion, a title that marked him out as one of the finest young players in the game. The Development Tour is the proving ground for the next generation, and winning it is a serious achievement that brings with it a tour card and a place on the professional circuit. Crabtree is now in his second year as a PDC tour card holder, and his progress since winning the Development Tour has been steady and impressive.
Both Finalists Head to the Grand Slam First
Before Minehead, both finalists will play in the Grand Slam of Darts, which runs from 14 to 22 November in Wolverhampton. The Grand Slam is one of the biggest events of the year, and it will give Crabtree and Schmidt valuable experience of televised tournament darts against the world’s best players before they meet in the youth final.
Crabtree is in Group K with James Wade and Ricky Evans, while Schmidt is in Group N with Chris Dobey and Martin Schindler. Wade is a multiple major winner, Evans is one of the fastest players on the circuit, Dobey is an established major winner, and Schindler is the German number one.
For the latest on the Grand Slam groups and the full draw, the Grand Slam of Darts 2026 groups page has the complete line-up, and the Luke Littler at the Grand Slam of Darts 2026 page follows the world champion’s own campaign in Wolverhampton.
What to Expect in the Final
The final is a best-of-11-legs match, and that format tends to produce fast, tense darts. Neither player can afford a slow start, because falling two or three legs behind in a race to six leaves very little time to recover. The opening legs will be crucial, and the player who settles quickest is likely to take control.
- The venue: Butlin’s Minehead Resort, on Sunday 29 November 2026
- The format: Best of 11 legs, first to six legs wins the title
- The prize: £15,000 to the winner from a £60,000 prize fund
- The occasion: Played between the semi-finals and the final of the Players Championship Finals 2026
- The players: Cam Crabtree against Jan Schmidt
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the world youth championship final 2026?
The final is played on Sunday 29 November 2026 at Butlin’s Minehead Resort. It takes place between the semi-finals and the final of the Players Championship Finals, which run from 27 to 29 November at the same venue.
Who is playing in the final?
Cam Crabtree faces Jan Schmidt. Crabtree beat world champion Luke Littler 6–5 in the semi-final in Wigan, while Schmidt beat Charlie Manby 6–3 in the other semi-final.
What is the format of the final?
The final is a best-of-11-legs match, with the first player to win six legs taking the title. It is a short format, so a fast start is important and there is little room to recover from falling behind early.
How much does the winner receive?
The winner receives £15,000 from a total prize fund of £60,000. The championship is open to players aged 16 to 24, and the title is one of the most respected in youth darts.
How did Jan Schmidt reach the final?
Schmidt beat Charlie Manby 6–3 in the semi-final in Wigan on 5 October 2026. His trip to England for the event was almost called off, and dart shop owner Daniel Zadach drove him to England so he could compete. Schmidt is the third German to reach the final, after Max Hopp and Martin Schindler.
Conclusion
The world youth championship final 2026 promises to be a fitting end to this year’s youth championship. Cam Crabtree arrives at Minehead having beaten the world champion in a last-leg decider, averaging 97.91 and pinning double six to win one of the best matches of the tournament. Jan Schmidt arrives having beaten Charlie Manby 6–3 and having overcome a journey to England that almost never happened, with the chance to become only the second German winner of the title.
Played on Sunday 29 November at Butlin’s Minehead Resort, the final will be a best-of-11-legs shootout for a £15,000 first prize. For Crabtree, it is the chance to add a youth world title to his Development Tour crown. For Schmidt, it is the chance to make German darts history. One of them will leave Minehead as champion.
