PDC World Cup 2025 - Preview
The 2025 BetVictor World Cup of Darts begins on Thursday, as Luke Humphries and Luke Littler aim to steer England to a record-extending sixth World Cup crown in Frankfurt.
This year's World Cup of Darts will see 40 nations going head-to-head at the Eissporthalle from June 12-15, with group and knockout stages featuring Doubles matches throughout the pairs event. England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland - the top four ranked nations based on lowest cumulative PDC Order of Merit ranking - will enter the tournament in Saturday's second round.
The remaining 36 nations have been split into 12 groups of three for the round-robin phase - including 12 seeded nations - from which each group winner will progress to the last 16.
Humphries and Littler will form a potentially dream partnership for reigning champions England, as Littler prepares to make his highly-anticipated World Cup debut.
Humphries prevailed on his World Cup bow alongside Michael Smith 12 months ago, and the world number one is relishing the prospect of teaming up with the teenage sensation.
"We're really looking forward to it," insisted Humphries, who defeated Littler to claim his maiden Premier League title less than a fortnight ago. "I know there's going to be a lot of pressure on us, but we're really good friends, and if we connect, then we stand a great chance of winning this title. "We believe we can win it, and if we perform at our best, it's going to take something special to stop us!"
Humphries and Littler are the 2/5 pre-tournament favourites with title sponsor BetVictor, although Jonny Clayton is confident that he and Gerwyn Price can spearhead Wales to a third World Cup triumph this weekend.
Clayton and Price are the most successful pairing in this year's showpiece, having guided Wales to a brace of titles in 2020 and 2023.
The Welsh number one has enjoyed a welcome return to form over recent months, and with Price also performing superbly throughout this year's Premier League, Clayton is bullish about their prospects.
"We're there to try and win the trophy. We've done it twice before and we believe we can do it again," declared Clayton. "I don't care that Luke and Luke are world number one and the world number two. Us Welsh boys are going to stop them! "If you want to win trophies you've got to beat big names and top players, so we're ready to go. "Representing your country - whatever the sport - is a fantastic feeling. It's just special."
Gary Anderson and Peter Wright will renew their partnership for two-time winners Scotland, while Josh Rock and the returning Daryl Gurney form a new-look pairing for fourth seeds Northern Ireland.
Netherlands will kick off their campaign in the group stage for the first time since the inception of the current format, as Danny Noppert teams up with World Youth Champion Gian van Veen.
The four-time champions - winners in 2010, 2014, 2017 and 2018 - will face last year's quarter-finalists Italy and Hungary in Group A, and Van Veen admits it will be a proud moment when he dons the famous orange shirt for the first time.
"To take part in this tournament is a dream come true, and I'm really looking forward to it," claimed the 23-year-old. "If somebody told me two or three years ago that I would be playing at the World Cup, I wouldn't have believed them. "I still play Superleague [darts] here in the Netherlands where we play a lot of pairs matches, which I think is a massive advantage. "Danny and I know each other really well. We have a strong relationship, we practice a lot together, and I think that connection is very important."
There will also be a new-look Belgian pairing on show this year, as World Grand Prix champion Mike De Decker partners the returning Dimitri Van den Bergh at the Eissporthalle.
Martin Schindler and debutant Ricardo Pietreczko will fly the flag for hosts Germany, with William O'Connor and Keane Barry leading the charge for 2019 runners-up Republic of Ireland.
Two-time runners-up Austria headline a star-studded Group H, which also features 2010 semi-finalists Spain and Australian duo Damon Heta and Simon Whitlock, who lifted the coveted title in 2022.
Poland, Canada, Sweden, USA, Czechia, Croatia and Finland complete the seeded nations in the group phase, with Argentina the solitary debutants in this year's extravaganza.
Chinese Taipei return after reaching the last 16 on debut in 2024, India are poised to make just their second appearance since 2015, while 71-year-old icon Paul Lim will take centre stage for Singapore in Group C.
The losing nations from Thursday's opening games will play the third team from each group in Friday's afternoon session, before the decisive final group games are played on Friday evening. Following the conclusion of the round-robin phase, the draw for the last 16 will take place on Friday evening, as England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland enter the fray in Saturday's second round. The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final will then take place during a bumper double session on Sunday, with the schedule of play for the remainder of the tournament to be confirmed in due course.
The 2025 BetVictor World Cup of Darts will be broadcast on Sky Sports for viewers in the UK & Ireland, through the PDC's international broadcast partners, including DAZN and Viaplay, and on PDCTV for Rest of the World Subscribers. Coverage will also be available in the US through Peacock as the second event of the new broadcast deal in America.
This year's World Cup of Darts will see 40 nations going head-to-head at the Eissporthalle from June 12-15, with group and knockout stages featuring Doubles matches throughout the pairs event. England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland - the top four ranked nations based on lowest cumulative PDC Order of Merit ranking - will enter the tournament in Saturday's second round.
The remaining 36 nations have been split into 12 groups of three for the round-robin phase - including 12 seeded nations - from which each group winner will progress to the last 16.
Humphries and Littler will form a potentially dream partnership for reigning champions England, as Littler prepares to make his highly-anticipated World Cup debut.
Humphries prevailed on his World Cup bow alongside Michael Smith 12 months ago, and the world number one is relishing the prospect of teaming up with the teenage sensation.
"We're really looking forward to it," insisted Humphries, who defeated Littler to claim his maiden Premier League title less than a fortnight ago. "I know there's going to be a lot of pressure on us, but we're really good friends, and if we connect, then we stand a great chance of winning this title. "We believe we can win it, and if we perform at our best, it's going to take something special to stop us!"
Humphries and Littler are the 2/5 pre-tournament favourites with title sponsor BetVictor, although Jonny Clayton is confident that he and Gerwyn Price can spearhead Wales to a third World Cup triumph this weekend.
Clayton and Price are the most successful pairing in this year's showpiece, having guided Wales to a brace of titles in 2020 and 2023.
The Welsh number one has enjoyed a welcome return to form over recent months, and with Price also performing superbly throughout this year's Premier League, Clayton is bullish about their prospects.
"We're there to try and win the trophy. We've done it twice before and we believe we can do it again," declared Clayton. "I don't care that Luke and Luke are world number one and the world number two. Us Welsh boys are going to stop them! "If you want to win trophies you've got to beat big names and top players, so we're ready to go. "Representing your country - whatever the sport - is a fantastic feeling. It's just special."
Gary Anderson and Peter Wright will renew their partnership for two-time winners Scotland, while Josh Rock and the returning Daryl Gurney form a new-look pairing for fourth seeds Northern Ireland.
Netherlands will kick off their campaign in the group stage for the first time since the inception of the current format, as Danny Noppert teams up with World Youth Champion Gian van Veen.
The four-time champions - winners in 2010, 2014, 2017 and 2018 - will face last year's quarter-finalists Italy and Hungary in Group A, and Van Veen admits it will be a proud moment when he dons the famous orange shirt for the first time.
"To take part in this tournament is a dream come true, and I'm really looking forward to it," claimed the 23-year-old. "If somebody told me two or three years ago that I would be playing at the World Cup, I wouldn't have believed them. "I still play Superleague [darts] here in the Netherlands where we play a lot of pairs matches, which I think is a massive advantage. "Danny and I know each other really well. We have a strong relationship, we practice a lot together, and I think that connection is very important."
There will also be a new-look Belgian pairing on show this year, as World Grand Prix champion Mike De Decker partners the returning Dimitri Van den Bergh at the Eissporthalle.
Martin Schindler and debutant Ricardo Pietreczko will fly the flag for hosts Germany, with William O'Connor and Keane Barry leading the charge for 2019 runners-up Republic of Ireland.
Two-time runners-up Austria headline a star-studded Group H, which also features 2010 semi-finalists Spain and Australian duo Damon Heta and Simon Whitlock, who lifted the coveted title in 2022.
Poland, Canada, Sweden, USA, Czechia, Croatia and Finland complete the seeded nations in the group phase, with Argentina the solitary debutants in this year's extravaganza.
Chinese Taipei return after reaching the last 16 on debut in 2024, India are poised to make just their second appearance since 2015, while 71-year-old icon Paul Lim will take centre stage for Singapore in Group C.
The losing nations from Thursday's opening games will play the third team from each group in Friday's afternoon session, before the decisive final group games are played on Friday evening. Following the conclusion of the round-robin phase, the draw for the last 16 will take place on Friday evening, as England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland enter the fray in Saturday's second round. The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final will then take place during a bumper double session on Sunday, with the schedule of play for the remainder of the tournament to be confirmed in due course.
The 2025 BetVictor World Cup of Darts will be broadcast on Sky Sports for viewers in the UK & Ireland, through the PDC's international broadcast partners, including DAZN and Viaplay, and on PDCTV for Rest of the World Subscribers. Coverage will also be available in the US through Peacock as the second event of the new broadcast deal in America.