Luke Littler v James Wade live stream | World Matchplay 2025 final preview
Luke Littler and James Wade battle it out for a place in the World Matchplay history books in an unmissable final at the Winter Gardens on Sunday.
Youth and experience collide in a box office climax to the sport’s summer showpiece as they face off for the £200,000 top prize in Blackpool.
Littler is bidding to join Luke Humphries as the latest player to secure an illustrious Triple Crown alongside his World Championship and Premier League triumphs.
The 18-year-old stands on the verge of becoming the youngest champion in the 32-year history of the event, with Wade holding the current record at 24 back in 2007 – a mere six months after Littler had been born.
UK Open and Belgian Open champion this year, Littler registered his first win on the Winter Gardens stage at the expense of a helpless Ryan Searle, averaging 109 in a 10-2 demolition, before recovering from 7-2 down to deny a spirited Jermaine Wattimena 13-11 in a thrilling tie break.
The world number two then fended off a spirited Andrew Gilding fightback to seal a 16-14 success in the quarter-finals with a staggering 18 maximums to his name.
Littler completed his route to a ninth major final by battling back from 5-0 down to deny Josh Rock in an incredible semi-final on Saturday night, landing a nine-darter in the process and averaging 107.5.
Wade has underlined his remarkable longevity by winning through to a seventh final in what is his 20th appearance in the Betfred World Matchplay.
The 42-year-old is through to a second major final of the season following on from the UK Open in March – from which he is seeking revenge for an 11-2 demolition at the hands of The Nuke.
The left-hander produced, statistically, his best-ever display in this event when he thrashed Joe Cullen 10-3 with a 104.4 average in Round One, before following up with a 102.5 average in an 11-5 dismantling of Wessel Nijman.
He then overcame the test of World Youth Champion Gian van Veen with a battling 16-13 success in the quarter-finals, before coming through an epic tie break encounter to edge out Jonny Clayton 20-18 with a 101.8 average, fending off Clayton’s fightback from 16-10 down.
The Aldershot ace is vying to become only the fourth multiple champion in World Matchplay history, alongside Phil Taylor, Michael van Gerwen and Rod Harrington, and is appearing in his first final here in a decade.
Littler holds the upper-hand when it comes to their head-to-head record, winning four of their five previous meetings, and boasts a tournament average of 104.4 to Wade’s 100.6.
The final gets under way from 8pm BST, with Semi-Final matches to be contested over the best of 35 legs.
If the score is tied at 17-17, the match will be extended if necessary for a maximum of six extra legs before a sudden death leg is required.
How to watch Luke Littler v James Wade live stream
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4) Select the play icon next to the match in progress and the live stream window will appear
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