2026 World Cup Of Darts Betting Preview

We haven’t just got the 2026 football World Cup starting this Thursday (betting preview here), the 2026 World Cup Of Darts also kicks off. James Punt has written an in-depth betting preview, check it out below.

2026 World Cup Of Darts

The 16th World Cup of Darts kicks off on Thursday 11th June from the Eissporthalle in Frankfurt, Germany. The tournament will see no less than forty countries entered. The top four seeds, England, Netherlands, Northern Ireland and Scotland entering at the second round, the straight knockout stage of the tournament.

The other thirty-six teams are divided into twelve groups, the next highest ranked teams being seeded, one into each group and the remaining twenty four teams drawn into those twelve groups. The winners of each group are then through to the knockout phase, along with the top four seeds.

Obviously, there are only a handful of countries with any realistic chance of winning the tournament. The vast majority are just here to make up the numbers, and maybe get the darts onto their TV stations back home. Uganda, Mongolia and Trinidad and Tobago are making their debuts, but it would be a surprise if they were to win many legs, never mind a match.

The format remains the same as it has been since 2023, when it became a pairs only format. Previous the teams two players played two singles matches and a pairs match was only required if it was 1-1 after the singles.

Past Form

There have been fifteen previous World Cups of Darts. England have won five, the Netherlands four, Scotland two, Wales two, Australia and now Northern Ireland have won one. Of those winners, only Australia could have been considered a surprise, but they were the fifth seeds. The seedings are worked out by combining the two players’ World rankings, with the lowest being the number 1 seeds and so on.

Throughout the event’s various different formats, the number one seeds have won five, the number two seeds five, the number three seeds two and one each for the fourth, fifth and sixth seeds.

Runners up

In terms of the runners up, we have had three unseeded teams making the final. Belgium (2013), Ireland (2019) and Austria (2021). Again, no great surprises, those three teams all featured full time, tour card carrying professionals.

The number one seeds have been runners up three times, number two seeds four times, number three seeds once, number four seeds twice, the fifth seeds once and the tenth seeds once.

The number 1 seeds have made the final eight times and the number two seeds also eight times.

All this suggest that you should not be looking too far down the list of the seeded nations to find the finalists, it just takes four days to get there.

Shock Result Last Year

However, last year saw the red hot 1.50 favourites, England, featuring the world’s number 1 & 2 ranked players, Littler and Humphries, losing 4-8 to Germany in the second round, England’s opening match. It did nothing to lessen Luke Littler’s hatred of playing in Germany.

What did they expect? Playing the home nation, and with two handy players in Schindler and Clemens. Yes, England should have won, but they just didn’t gel as a unit. Reports had them travelling separately and often sitting at different tables backstage. Having a good chemistry between teammates is important.

It might be that bit harder for the likes of England to get motivated for this event. They are the hot favourites again at just 1.58. They are expected to win, it is theirs to lose and that brings its own pressure.

The crowd loves an underdog, and that means everybody England plays. England are not going to get any love from the largely German crowd, and that can diminish their performance.

2026 World Cup Of Darts: The Teams

Top Four Seeds

1 England – Luke Littler and Luke Humphries

The world number 1 & 2 and the obvious favourites for that reason. These two have played just once together and they didn’t gel, they didn’t settle and lost their opening match.

Perhaps they were unlucky that it was the home nation, Germany who they got in the second-round draw. The Germans had decent players, and the crowd on their side. On pure form, England are the likely winners. Are they a value bet at 1.58? Definitely not.

Humphries won this in 2024 when he partnered with Michael Smith.

2 Netherlands – Gian van Veen and Michael van Gerwen

The world’s number 3 & 4 are the obvious ‘next best’ in terms of rankings, but neither player has been in great form. Van Gerwen won the Nordic Masters at the weekend, but he survived match darts against Viktor Tingstrom on route.

These two are making their debut as a team. MVG has won this title three times, all with Raymond van Barneveld as his teammate. The last time the Netherlands won was in 2018, and they have not made a final since. MVG didn’t make himself available for selection in 2025, 2023, and 2022. That suggests his interest in the tournament has waned.

Different Lineups

The Dutch have gone through various different lineups since their last win and none have really worked. Were the ‘second strings’ in awe of playing with the great MVG? Without him, the likes of Noppert, Van Duijvenbode and Van Veen have struggled.

Will the return of MVG improve their chances? I doubt it. He is no longer ‘the man’ and not in top form. Gian Veen made his debut alongside Danny Noppert last year. They were not seeded and had to come through the group stage, winning both matches. They then smashed up Scotland 8-0 in round 2, beat the Czechs 8-2 before losing the semi-final 5-8 to Wales.

Odds of 8.00 are not unreasonable but Van Veen has been off his game for a couple of months and comes here on the back of losing six of his last ten matches.

3 Northern Ireland – Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney

The defending Champions and the lineup remains intact, and that is a plus. The two players get on well and complement each other as players. Rock is the better player these days, but Gurney has been there and got the T-Shirts. He can perform under pressure and on the big stages.

Rock is a heavy scorer, ranked 2nd for 180s per leg, while Gurney is the better finisher, ranked 21st on 40.43%. Rock recently won ET6, beating Gurney in the semi-final, but neither player is in top form, both losing five of their last ten matches.

4 Scotland – Gary Anderson and Cameron Menzies

A new lineup for Scotland as Peter Wright has fallen below Menzies in the world rankings. He is a worthy replacement and it is more Gary Anderson who is the hard one to figure.

Anderson hardly plays anymore outside of the Majors and a few Players Championship events. He won this title in 2019 along with Peter Wright. Scotland’s other title came with Peter Wright and John Henderson.

Anderson has only played 46 matches in 2026 and has reached two Players Championship semi-finals but has lost five of his last ten matches. Menzies is the more active player since he returned from his self-inflicted hand injuries at the World Championship. He recently reached a Euro Tour semi-final and while his A game is very strong, he isn’t the most consistent of players.

Will They Gel?

A lot depends on how these two gel as partners and I have to wonder if the format, now that it is purely a pairs format, will suit Anderson as much as the days when most matches were singles.

Anderson likes to rattle through his games and having to wait for three others to throw before he returns to the oche might disturb his rhythm. Certainly, his time at the oche here last year was brief as Scotland lost 0-8 to the Dutch in their second-round match.

Anderson and Wright did reach the semi-final in 2024 and were runners up in 2023.

The Group Seeds

5 Germany – Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pitreczko

As the home nation, they will have the crowd on their side and the crowd played a part in Germany beating England last year. The lineup remains unchanged for 2026, and these two went all the way to the semi-finals last year.

Germany have made three semi-finals in the last six years and twice in the pairs only format. The big concern for the Germans is that Pietreczko is suffering with Dartitis and is trying to play with a modified throw. He has won four of his last ten matches, and is trying his best, but his scoring is suffering.

Dartitis

Eight of his last ten matches saw sub 90 averages and the other two just 91s. Pikachu used to be deadly on the doubles, but he is struggling in that department, as well as with his scoring.

Clearly Schindler is going to have to do the heavy lifting for Germany, but is he good enough to carry the team? His win rate in 2026 is just 49% and he comes here having lost five of his last ten matches. Home advantage is a big help but they face New Zealand and the Philippines in Group A, and that is not the most straightforward of tasks.

6 Belgium – Mike de Decker and Dimitri van den Bergh

A decent lineup on paper, but both players are struggling with their game. Belgium’s best player right now is Kim Huybrechts, but these two are still dinning out on past glories and are higher ranked.

Belgium have a great tournament record, reaching seven semi-finals and one final, but these two failed to get through the group stage when they teamed up for the first time last year. Both players have declined in terms of form since.

De Decker has lost eight of his last ten matches, Van Den Bergh has lost six of his last ten. They have got lucky with the draw and should be able to win Group B against Hong Kong and Slovenia. However, the Hong Kong pair made the quarter finals last year, so Belgium are no bankers to make the second round.

7 Wales – Jonny Clayton and Nick Kenny

The withdrawal of Gerwyn Price has gutted the Welsh team and while Nick Kenny is a tour card holder, he is no Gerwyn Price.

Clayton and Price have won this twice and reached two other finals, but when Price withdrew from the 2024 World Cup, Jim Williams joined Clayton and they went out at the second round stage. Clayton is a good enough player to carry the team, but how far?

Nick Kenny has lost eight of his last ten matches and his doubling can be very suspect. They should be able to get through to the second round by beating Lithuania and Thailand in Group C.

8 Ireland – William O’Connor and Micky Mansell

O’Connor has played in every World Cup, but he is partnered by Mickey Mansell for the first time. Mansell played in the World Cup of Darts for Northern Ireland from 2012 to 2015, reaching the semi-finals in 2014. He has thrown his hat into the Irish ring as he can no longer qualify for the Northern Irish team.

O’Connor and Lennon made the final in 2019, and with Keane Barry, Ireland reached the quarter final last year. Ireland failed to get out of the group stage in 2023 and 2024.

This year they face Uganda and Singapore in Group D. That looks a very easy group, but getting much further depends on who they draw in round two. O’Connor has been in decent form lately and Mansell is no mug. Ireland could have a good run.

9 Poland – Krzysztof Ratajski and Sebastian Bialecki

The strongest Polish team ever? It looks like it to me. Bialecki has been around for a while now, but he has become a better player in the last year or so. He won a Players Championship title last year and in 2026, he tops the Development Tour OOM, winning six titles so far.

On the Pro Tour, he has reached two quarter finals and a semi-final. He is ranked 12th for Checkout % and he should be a good fit with the very consistent and heavier scoring Ratajski.

These two played together in 2022, before it was pairs only, and they made the second round. They could go a lot further in 2026. They will face Portugal and Switzerland in Group E and are strong favourites to win that.

10 Sweden – Jeffrey de Graaf and Oskar Lukasiak

De Graaf won PC19 last week but he is paired with another player who is suffering with Dartitis. De Graaf is ranked 16th for checkout %, and 26th for 180s per leg, so he is a strong player. Lukasiak is the weak link and has lost seven of his last ten matches. He has played sixteen Players Championship matches in 2026 and won just two.

Sweden will play South Africa and Mongolia in Group F. They should be up to winning their group, but when it comes to the knockout stage, it is a matter of for how long De Graaf can carry Lukasiak.

11 Australia – Damon Heta and Adam Leek

The 2022 Champions have played in every World Cup and only ever had four players representing Australia. This season sees Adam Leek becoming the fifth.

Heta and Whitlock played together for the last six years, winning the title in 2022 and making four other quarter finals. Will Leek be a positive addition to the team? He is a tour card holder, winning his card in January. His seasonal win rate is 51%.

He has only won nine Players Championship matches in 2026, but he has beaten players like Josh Rock, Ryan Searle Martin Schindler and William O’Connor. Leek lacks big stage experience, however, and they will face Canada and the USA in Group G. They should be good enough to win that but are no sure things.

12 Czech Republic – Karel Sedlacek and Adam Gawlas

These two played from 2020 to 2024, reaching the knockout stage in 2024. Last year, Sedlacek played alongside Petr Krivka and reached the quarter finals.

Sedlacek is a decent player but not in great form, losing six of his last ten matches. Gawlas won his tour card back in January having fallen off the Pro Tour in 2024. He is young enough to still be playing on the Development tour.

Gawlas was runner up to Luke Humphries in the 2019 World Youth Championship and he looked to be going places before he lost his form and his card. Gawlas made the semi-final in PC1 but more recently he has lost his last ten first round matches.

The Czech face Denmark and India in Group H. They should good enough to win the group, but harder to see much progress after that.

13 Austria – Mensur Suljović and Rusty-Jake Rodriguez

Paired up for the first time last year and failed to get out of the group stage, losing to Australia. Suljovic has played in every World Cup of Darts and made the final in 2021 and 2024. That was with Rusty Jake’s brother, Rowby-John.

Rusty-Jake is a tour card holder, but not for much longer. He sits 129th in the World rankings and is over £100k short of keeping his card at the end of the year. He has played twenty Players Championship matches in 2026 and won just two. Mensur isn’t the player he once was, and not in great form, but he can still play and loves the event. He is a good team player and Austria can punch above their weight.

Austria face France and China in Group I. France have reached the knockout stage twice in the last three years, but the experienced Jacques Labre has been replaced by Nicolas Thuillier. He plays on the Challenge Tour, with not a lot of success.

14 Latvia – Madars Razma and Valters Melderis

These two have failed to get out of the group stage for the last two years as teammates. Valters Melderis plays on the Nordic Baltic Tour and won a title in 2025. He played on the Euro Tour earlier this year and beat Karel Sedlacek in the first round of ET5.

He is good enough to make a contribution, but Razma will have to do the donkey work, and he is not in great form, losing five of his last ten matches. They will face Italy and Trinidad and Tobago in Group J. They should be able to scrape through to the knockout phase.

15 Croatia – Boris Kcrmar and Pero Ljubić

Big Boris reached the second round in 2023, and the quarter final in 2024 when playing with Romeo Grbavac. His new partner, Pero Ljubic won his tour card in January 2025, and then lost his first fifteen Players Championship matches in a row.

He has played ten PC matches in 2026 and lost the lot. Ljubic hasn’t won a match since August 2025, a 6-4 win over Travis Dudeney. His 12-month average is 79.39 and Big Boris is carrying a passenger here, but that goes for most teams.

Croatia are in Group K with Japan and Spain. Japan have potential but have not made it out of the group stage since the format changed to a pairs only format. Spain have also failed to get out of the group stage in the new format, but their lineup has been boosted by the return of Cristo Reyes. A surprisingly tough group for all.

16 Finland – Jani Haavisto and Jonas Masalin

Haavisto makes a return to the World Cup after an 11 year break. He plays on the Nordic Baltic tour (winning one title in 2026), has a 12-month average of 84.95 and took four legs off Niels Zonneveld in ET3 earlier this season. He is a competent player, but not a great number 1.

Jonas Masalin also plays the Nordic Baltic tour, winning a title in 2025. He qualified for ET2 but lost 0-6 to Kevin Doets, but to be fair to the Finn, Doets averaged 117.12.

There is no great depth of talent here, but both players are steady enough, hitting a lot of mid 80 averages. They will face Norway and Hungary in Group L. That looks a very open group, with no clear favourite.

2026 World Cup Of Darts: Best of the Rest

The unseeded nations are largely making up the numbers, but a few are worth considering as possible group winners.

Spain – Cristo Reyes and José Justicia

Two experienced players. Justicia has played in four World Cups without getting out of the group stage, while Reyes played in five previous world cups, making the second round three times, pre pairs only format.

Reyes is very highly thought of, is a power scorer and his win rate in 2026 is 67%. However, his B game is not great. He can beat the best and lose to journeymen. Justicia had a tour card for eight years but lost it in 2024. They will play in Group K against Croatia and Japan.

Philippines – Alexis Toylo and Paolo Nebrida

These two have played in one previous World cups, with Nebrida making the second-round last year with Lourence Ilagan. Toylo played in 2024 with Christian Perez but went out at the group stage.

The Philippines have won their group in two of the three years when the format has been pairs. These two are ranked 2nd and 3rd on the 2026 Asian tour. Toylo’s 12 month average is 85.67 and he is a painful watch. Slow would be understating it.

Nebrida made the third round of the 2024 World Championship. He has performed well on big stages and on TV. As a team, they could be bigger than the sum of their parts.

New Zealand – Jonny Tata and Ben Robb

Both players have handy A games and enjoy their chances to get on the big stage and play the big boys. Tata has played World Series matches, taking four legs off Luke Humphries, three off Gerwyn Price and four off Ross Smith. He beat Ritchie Edhouse in this year’s World Championship and took Ryan Miekle to a deciding set in round two.

Robb isn’t quite as good as Tata, but he will be up for this and New Zealand had some success before the format became pairs only. Being in Group A with the host nation, Germany and Philippines is a tough draw, however.

Japan – Motomu Sakai and Haruki Muramatsu

Japan have enjoyed some good runs in the past. Muramatsu has played in eight World Cups, reaching the quarter finals in 2013, 2018 and the semi-finals in 2019.

Japan have failed to get out of the group stage since the format became pairs only, but this is a new pairing and the two players are ranked 1st and 4th on the Asian Tour OOM. They have ended up in the very competitive Group K with Croatia and Spain.

Hong Kong – Man Lok Leung and Lok Yin Lee

Two more players riding high on the Asian Tour, ranked 6th and 7th respectively. Both have won a match at Ally Pally, with Man Lok Leung beating a certain Gian van Veen 3-2 in the 2024 World Championship. They have a puncher’s chance in Group B against the out of form Belgians and Slovenia.

2026 World Cup Of Darts Selections

To keep it simple, we shouldn’t be looking outside of the top seeded teams when looking for the winners, and runners up. England have the strongest team, by far, and are hard to oppose.

However, their weakness is not gelling as a pair. Littler and Humphries are first and foremost, rivals. They play against each other, a lot, and often in BIG matches. It is hard to be pals with a rival, and being able to get on well with your partner makes a huge difference in a pairs format.

Team Spirit

Northern Ireland won last year, not because they were the strongest team, but they played well together. They complimented eachother on and off the oche. Wales have done very well with Price and Clayton, as they are both top players, who get on. I will pass on England for the reason that they might not click as a pair.

England are in the top half of the draw, with Scotland as the other seeded team straight into the knockout phase. They have a new pairing and I don’t know how well Menzies and Anderson get on, but they are not big rivals and both good enough to have a big run.

Anderson may not play a lot of tournaments these days, but he is still ranked 4th for 12 month average, 17th for checkout % and 16th for 180s per leg. Menzies is 24th for 180s per leg and when he is running hot, he can bang. He just struggles to keep it going, but he can make a contribution.

Bottom Half

The bottom half of the draw has the Netherlands and defending champions Northern Ireland as the two seeds.

The Netherlands could be anything. MVG blows hot and cold, while van Veen has been struggling for form recently. Both are top players, both Premier League players, but still not totally convincing.

Van Veen is the second best at checking out, but MVG doesn’t make the top 32 in that department. Both make the top 20 for 180s per leg, just (20th and 19th). If both have an off day at the same time, they are vulnerable, and both have been struggling.

Well-Balanced

Northern Ireland have a well-balanced pair. Both can score well and support each other. Rock is the second biggest 180 per leg hitter (behind Littler) and that can set Gurney up to ping the doubles, where he is still amongst the best. They have a proven chemistry and are perfectly capable of another good run.

We know where the top four seeds are in the draw, but not where the twelve group winners will end up. Have we any ‘dark horses’ who could take advantage of any slip ups for the big teams and get lucky with the draw?

The two that might are Poland, and Ireland. Both teams have two full time professionals who are in good recent form. There is no real expectation on either. How well they will gel is the question. Both are new pairings.

I will back two of the top seeds, and two outsiders for very small stakes.

0.5 point e/w Northern Ireland to win the 2026 World Cup Of Darts @ 15.00 with SpreadEx, Boylesports

0.5 point e/w Scotland to win the 2026 World Cup Of Darts @ 15.00 generally available

0.25 point e/w e/w Poland to win the 2026 World Cup Of Darts @ 34.00 with Betfair, Bresbet, Skybet

0.25 point e/w Ireland to win the 2026 World Cup Of Darts @ 51.00 with Betvictor, Skybet, Betfair

2026 World Cup Of Darts: Group Betting

Group A

Germany are the 1.62 favourites with Philippines 5.00 and New Zealand 6.00.

I will have a small play on the Philippines. They have come through the group stage in two of the last three years and they have two handy players making up the team.

Germany have a problem with Ricardo Pietreczko. He is really struggling with dartitis and Schindler’s form is mixed. Yes, they are the home team, but that comes with its own pressure. They will be favourites against Philippines and New Zealand, but vulnerable. This could come down to leg difference.

2026 World Cup Of Darts Tip: 0.5 point Philippines to win Group A @ 5.00 with Betvictor

Group B 

Belgium are the 1.40 favourites, Hong Kong 4.50 and Slovenia 9.00. The Slovaks are making up the numbers.

Belgium have two players low on confidence and in poor form. Hong Kong have two players riding high on the Asian Tour and with some positive big stage experience.

2026 World Cup Of Darts Tip: 0.5 point Hong Kong to win Group B @ 4.50 with Unibet, BET365

Group I

Austria are the 1.91 favourites, with France 2.75 and China 5.50. Austria have the best player in the group in Mensur Suljovic. He loves the event and will be well prepared. His teammate will do his best and isn’t completely useless.

France look to be a weakened team. Their main man, Thiabault Tricole, comes here having lost seven of his last ten matches. He won’t be able to carry a teammate as well as Suljovic.

China are here because the PDC still dreams of Darts taking off in China, but it hasn’t. China did beat Ireland in the group stage last year but lost to Gibraltar and Ireland got through.

2026 World Cup Of Darts Tip: 1 point Austria to win Group I @ 1.91 generally available

I won’t be covering the tournament on a match-by-match basis. It is fast and furious, it has a lot of uncompetitive matches and by having the outright and group bets, we are well invested in it in any case.

I may post an update if there is any outstanding opportunities along the way, but it is rarely the case in the World Cup of Darts.

-JamesPunt