Will the defending champion flex his muscles again?
Luke Littler has made absolutely no secret of the fact that he wants to successfully defend his title at the World Matchplay. In the first round, he swept aside Germany’s Niko Springer 10–6, before going on to defeat Nathan Aspinall 11–8 with a surreal average of 113.68—even wowing the Blackpool crowd with a 9-darter.
Consequently, betting on another victory for “The Nuke” in the quarterfinal between Luke Littler and Josh Rock seems like a no-brainer. After all, the two-time world champion has won all nine of his previous matches against the Northern Irishman.
The big question, then, will be just how convincingly the 19-year-old wins this quarterfinal. Basically, in our Luke Littler vs. Josh Rock prediction, we’re already anticipating a very one-sided match. Rocky, on the other hand, didn’t seem all that consistent at times even in his round of 16 victory over Stephen Bunting (11:6); he repeatedly had slumps and, in 2026, his averages often fluctuated heavily in the 90s anyway. With that in mind, we recommend betting that The Nuke will win this quarterfinal by a margin of at least seven legs.
Alternatively, the crowd at the Winter Gardens is sure to enjoy the occasional 180—if only because of the long format. After all, Josh Rock also brings solid scoring power with significant fluctuations—both downward and upward.
Luke Littler – Josh Rock Head-to-Head Record
Head-to-Head: 9:0
Nine matchups have taken place between the two players so far, and without exception, Luke Littler has come out on top every time—including when he knocked Josh Rock out of the competition on his way to winning the 2025 World Matchplay title. Back then, the two players faced off in the semifinals, and “The Nuke” secured a 17-14 victory over the Northern Irishman.
Luke Littler vs. Josh Rock Prediction
Luke Littler continues to play in a league of his own. His averages are consistently above the 105-point mark across the board. Added to that is his extremely high checkout rate, which makes him a threat on nearly every opponent’s opening throw.
Especially for a player as inconsistent as Josh Rock—who rarely gets through a match without brief slumps—this means he can hardly afford to make a single mistake if he wants to upset the defending champion. It’s no coincidence that, in this matchup, he has never beaten The Nuke in nine attempts. In the Premier League, however, he came close—at least in shorter formats—in his most recent 3-6 and 5-6 losses.
In the long-format World Matchplay, however, the two-time world champion’s consistency and stability should ultimately translate into a correspondingly decisive result. We therefore recommend betting on The Nuke with a -6.5-leg handicap.
