Luke Littler has a chance to make history this weekend: the 18-year-old sensation could become the youngest world No1 in PDC history - and by some margin.
The European Championship in Dortmund kicks off today, and gives the world champion his first major opportunity to overtake rival Luke Humphries in the PDC Order of Merit.
If Littler wins the title on Sunday, currently held by Ritchie Edhouse, he'll smash Michael van Gerwen's existing record. The Dutchman was 24 when he reached the summit back in 2014, with the English star some six years younger.
It's quite the opportunity for the teenager from Warrington, who's remarkably been on the professional tour for less than two years.
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He's currently sitting at No2 in the rankings, just behind Luke Humphries.
The rankings work on prize money earned over two years. Littler's already banked nearly £1.7m from seven major titles, and he's currently £52,500 behind Humphries.
Luke Littler has a chance to make history this weekend: the 18-year-old sensation could become the youngest world No1 in PDC history - and by some margin
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The youngster has made no secret of his ambition to claim the top spot before defending his world championship crown at Alexandra Palace in December.
There are several ways Littler could overtake Humphries this weekend.
Luke Humphries is currently World No1 and won the Premier League this year, beating Luke Littler in the final
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The simplest route? Win the whole tournament and he's guaranteed to become world No1, no matter what happens to Humphries.
But there are other possible scenarios that end with the same result.
Ritchie Edhouse is the current European Championship holder
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If Humphries crashes out in the first round, Littler just needs to reach the semi-finals to claim top spot. Should Humphries lose in the second round or later, Littler would need to make the final.
The two Englishmen could even face each other in the quarter-finals on Sunday afternoon if they both win their opening matches. That clash could prove decisive in the battle for No1.
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Littler's been in brilliant form lately. He absolutely demolished Humphries 6-1 in the World Grand Prix final earlier this month, and afterwards, he made his intentions crystal clear.
"Obviously, until I get that world No1 spot, I will never call myself the best in the world," he said. "I don't want to think about it too much, but I could be world No1 before that World Championship.
Luke Littler beat Luke Humphries in the World Grand Prix final last month
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"I’ve just got to keep chucking away and put as much pressure as I can on Luke."
Tomorrow's first-round action sees Littler take on five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld. Humphries faces Poland's Krzysztof Ratajski in his opener.
The current world No2 had mixed fortunes in Germany recently. He faced a hostile reception from spectators and was booed alongside Humphries when they lost to Germany in the first round of the World Cup of Darts in Frankfurt back in June.
Littler, in fact, chose not to attend the European Darts Grand Prix, European Darts Open, Baltic Seas Darts Open, and German Darts Championship as a result of the crowd reaction.
After the European Championship wraps up, there are two more big tournaments before Littler's world title defence begins on 11 December.
The Grand Slam of Darts runs from 8-16 November, followed by the Players Championship Finals from 21-23 November.