Josh Rock looks forward to his Premier League debut in Belfast with great anticipation – and immediately sets his sights on world champion Luke Littler. The Northern Irishman is convinced: This time he can finally beat “The Nuke”.
Although Josh Rock had to accept elimination in the round of 16 at the Darts World Championship 2026, he was nevertheless nominated by the PDC for the prestigious Premier League. For Rock, currently number nine in the world rankings, the invitational tournament will be the next big step in his career.
In an interview with the BBC , the 24-year-old was euphoric before the start on February 5th in Belfast. Given the scale of the event, he explained: “I might be a bit nervous, but I will enjoy the moment.”
Opening Clash for Rock against World Champion
Right at the start, a mega-duel awaits Rock: In the Northern Irish capital, he will meet Luke Littler in the quarter-finals, who had impressively defended his World Championship title in London.
Rock remained cautious: “We’ll see what happens.” This is because Littler won all three previous encounters, including those at the World Matchplay and Grand Slam.
Littler? “I’m going to beat him eventually”
Despite the defeats, Rock sounded anything but intimated. He emphasized that the matches against Littler were always at a very high level. “Every time I played against him, the average was over 100,” said the 2025 World Cup champion.
“I was in the lead every time, but just couldn’t get over the finish line,” Rock added, sending a challenge: “I’m going to beat him eventually.”
Furthermore, Rock had words of praise for the 18-year-old superstar: “The sport has now experienced an enormous upswing. Darts is at a different point today than it was ten years ago.” “Rocky” made it clear that Littler played a decisive role in this.