2023 World Cup of Darts O/R Betting Preview – JP
2023 World Cup of Darts Outright Betting Preview
The 2023 World Cup of Darts will be different. After listening to fans, the PDC has finally made the event a purely pairs based format. There will be no singles matches, just pairs all the way.
Will this have any bearing on the potential winners? I think it could do. I still expect one of the fancied teams to win it, but the potential for more surprises along the way should be increased. In the early years of this event it was really just a case of backing the number one or two seeds and you got the winner.
From 2010 to 2016 it was four wins for the top seeds and two for the number two. The runners up spot in the same time frame saw the number two seeds finishing second twice and only Belgium made the final as an unseeded team.
Change
Things started to change in 2017. That year the World Cup of Darts was won by 3rd seeds The Netherlands with 4th seeds Wales as runners up. Hardly a huge shock, but it signalled the end of the number one seeds domination.
Since 2016 the number 1 seeds have not won a World Cup. The seedings of the winners since 2016 have been 3rd, 3rd, 2nd, 2nd, 6th and 5th. In the same timeframe we had two unseeded teams making the final, Ireland in 2019 and Austria in 2021.
No unseeded team has ever won it, but three have been runners up, two in the last four years. The last two years have seen teams outside the top 4 in the seedings lifting the Cup. It may be too soon to call it a trend, but it does look like the competition is now more open and this new format is only likely to accelerate that trend.
Pairs Pace Problems
Playing in pairs matches is not everyone’s cup of tea. You are still throwing the same darts at the same target which is the same distance away, but you have to wait a long time before it is your go to throw again. There is no rhythm, or at least if there is, it is a slow one.
These guys are used the taking their turn, the other guy has his throw and then it is their turn again. Some players get put off if they are playing a slower player. They need to play at their preferred pace of play. Ideally, they play against a player who plays at the same pace. Just getting on with it as Gary Anderson would say.
Anderson is a good case in point. He likes to play at a brisk pace and he hates playing slow players. He thinks the other player is at it, putting him off his game by playing slowly. The Scotsman gets frustrated and performs below his best as a result. For this reason, I’ll not be backing Scotland.
Concentration Key
In the pairs format you have your go, the other team’s first player has his turn, your teammate then has his turn and the opposition’s teammate has his go. Only then do you get to throw again. Hanging around at the back of the stage, trying to stay concentrated will not come naturally for a lot of players.
Professional players play very little darts in a pairs format. In the old format there was some pairs play, but even that was mostly singles. Amateur players play much more pairs and are more familiar with the lack of rhythm and I wonder if some of the ‘lesser’ teams might just be better prepared for this event. If so, we might some surprises in the group stages at least.
Bigger Field
Not only is the format pairs only, the number of Countries represented has risen to 40. There are sixteen seeded teams. The top four all get a bye into the second round. The next 12 seeds (based on the players World Rankings) are placed into one of the twelve groups of three. Group winners then move into the second round.
The group stage matches are played in a best of seven leg format which is a great leveller. Nobody can afford a slow start. The second round, quarter and semi-finals are best of 15 and they should go more to form. The final is best of 19 legs.
Past Winners
This will be the thirteenth World Cup of Darts. It has been won by The Netherlands four times (+one runners up), England four times (+2 runners up), Scotland twice (+2 runners up), Wales once (+3 runners up) and Australia once (+1 runners up). Other nations to have made a final are Belgium, Ireland and Austria.
The Netherlands have not won a World Cup without Raymond van Barneveld in the team. England have not won with any line up other than Taylor and Lewis, but they did make a final with Smith and Cross.
The Seeded Nations
These four teams do get a big advantage. They do not have to walk through the minefield that is the group stage with its very short format pairs matches. Banana skins everywhere for the second tier seeds.
1 England
Michael Smith and Rob Cross pair up for the third time. This pairing made the final in 2020, losing 0-3 to Wales. In 2021 England went out to Austria in the semi-finals and in 2022 they lost their semi-final to Australia, but that was with different line ups.
Rob Cross comes into the tournament in great form, winning seven of his last ten matches and picking up his first ever Euro Tour title. He didn’t get going at this week’s Players Championship events but he looks in decent nick.
Smith has won eight of his last ten and won PC13 on Monday. Both are quite quick players, Smith more so, and he might struggle with the format.
Combined Seasonal Average – 95.99. 2023 World Cup of Darts Odds 4.33
3 The Netherlands
Michael van Gerwen and Danny Noppert. This will be their second time together, the last being in 2020. They lost their quarter final that year, going down to Germany.
The Netherlands have struggled since Barney lost his place in the team and MVG has been paired with Noppert, Van Duijvenbode and Wattimena. None of those pairings proved successful.
MVG’s form is very good, winning nine of his last ten matches, but his scoring is not peak MVG. Noppert is in reasonable form, winning six of his last ten, but his scoring has been under his seasonal average.
I’m not sure that these two get on that well. They have crossed swords before and it is fair to say that Michael has not thrived since Barney last played. MVG is also a fast player, Noppert one of the slower Dutch players, and it will be interesting to see how the two gel, and cope with the pairs format.
Combined Seasonal Average – 95.96. 2023 World Cup of Darts Odds 5.50
Breaking News
MVG has withdrawn from the tournament (again) as he’s got sore teef’s after some dental work. He has been replaced by Dirk van Duijvenbode. This means that Wales are promoted to second seeds and The Netherlands down to third.
This Netherlands’ B team is still going to be pretty handy, but since Van Duijvenbode injured his knee, his form has dropped and significantly so. He has lost six of his last ten matches but he did play better earlier this week. He only won two matches but his scoring was improved.
Dirk is another fast player who may not enjoy the pace of play but the larger odds actually make Netherlands B a more attractive proposition. They played together last year after MVG withdrew to have wrist surgery. Noppert and Van Duijvenbode combined well to reach the semi-final, losing to Wales.
Combined Seasonal Averages – 95.07. 2023 World Cup of Darts Odds 7.00.
2 Wales
Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton are paired for the sixth time. They are past winners and overall they have played 18 matches and won 12.
Price has won six of his last ten matches and his scoring remains very strong. The Ferret has won seven of his last ten matches and he will be happy to be playing with, rather than against Price who has given him some pain in recent matches.
The two are good friends and while both are quick players, they do not seem overly bothered by playing slower players.
Combined Seasonal Average – 97.95. 2023 World Cup of Darts Odds 2.63
4 Scotland
Gary Anderson has chosen to play in the World Cup this year. He doesn’t enjoy travelling that much and has not bothered to take his place since 2019.
These two won the title that year, were runners up in 2018, lost in the first round in 2017 and were runners up in 2015. Wright also won it with John Henderson in 2021. Wright should cope well enough with the format; Anderson will hate it.
Peter Wright won a Euro Tour title a month ago but overall, his form remains poor. He hit his lowest ever Players Championship average on Tuesday, 75.83. Anderson has won eight of his last ten matches and he was runner up in PC13 on Monday. He can be brilliant but there are poor performances in there.
Scotland have the in-form Anderson playing a format that is unlikely to suit, carrying Wright who’s form continues to be poor.
Combined Seasonal Average – 96.19. 2023 World Cup of Darts Odds 9.00
First Round Seeds
5 Belgium
Dimitri van den Bergh teams up with the ever present Kim Huybrechts for the sixth time. They have never lost a first round match and reached two semi-finals and two more quarter finals. Clearly, they gel well.
Van den Bergh should have little problem with the pace of play, Huybrechts more so. Dimitri has won five of his last ten matches but he is lacking consistency and is not at his best. Kim is in similar form, losing five of his last ten matches, having some problems on the outer ring.
Belgium have enjoyed many good World Cup runs but both players’ form is not great.
Combined Seasonal Averages – 93.31. 2023 World Cup of Darts Odds 26.00
6 Germany
Gabriel Clemens and Martin Schindler paired up for the first time last year going down to Wales in the quarter final. They have home advantage again which will be worth something.
Schindler has won five of his last ten matches and is playing quite well if lacking in some consistency. Clemens has won five of his last ten matches and he is playing pretty well.
They could have a good run in front of the home fans, but win the whole thing? If both players bring their A games, maybe. They have potential but both are not in their best form.
Combined Seasonal Averages – 94.38. 2023 World Cup of Darts Odds 23.00.
7 Australia
The defending champions and it is the same line up of Heta and Whitlock. Aussies are competitive by nature, patriotic, and no doubt will be stoked for this defence. However, the title has only been defended once before, in 2018 by MVG and Barney.
Whitlock has played in all the previous World Cups and while he is slowly slipping down the rankings, he can still make a contribution. He has won five of his last ten matches and his scoring is not what it once was, but it is very much the same as last year. He still hits a lot of maximums, ranked 5th for 180s per leg over the last 12 months.
Heta is in great form, winning nine of his last ten matches, and he reached the semi-final of PC13 on Monday and won PC14 on Tuesday. He tends to lose when he gets to quarter and semi-finals, so that win on Tuesday came at a really good time.
Heta is a consistent player and if Whitlock is hitting the 180s, they will be a potent force once again. They have played the last three World Cups together and always at least reached the quarter finals.
Combined Seasonal Averages -93.57. 2023 World Cup of Darts Odds 26.00.
8 Northern Ireland
This will be the eighth time that Dolan and Gurney have represented Northern Ireland, and with the rise and rise of Josh Rock, it will be the last time for one of them.
Dolan is another player who has played in every World Cup. They reached the quarter final for the last two years and the semi-final in 2016, but there have been three first round exits as well.
Superchin is playing some good stuff but has lacked the consistency to have long runs. Dolan is not scoring well with five of his last ten matches seeing sub 90 averages. Both players have won six of their last ten matches.
Another quarter final might be as far as they go.
Combined Seasonal Averages – 93.43. 2023 World Cup of Darts Odds 51.00.
9 Ireland
A change of line up for Ireland. Willie O’Connor is a veteran of all twelve previous World Cups but his usual partner Steve Lennon, is replaced by Keane Barry who makes his debut. Will fresh blood give Ireland a boost? It could do. Lennon has been a fading force in recent years and Keane Barry should be keen to make his mark.
Ireland made the final in 2019 in one of the biggest, if not the biggest, surprises in the World Cup. As such it’s hard to see it happening again.
O’Connor has been playing OK, winning six of his last ten matches if not doing anything eye catching. Barry has lost five of his last ten matches at senior level and he was poor at the Players Championship events earlier this week.
Combined Seasonal Averages – 91.76. 2023 World Cup of Darts Odds 67.00.
10 Austria
Like Ireland, Austria pulled off a surprise by reaching the final in 2021 and the same duo of Mensur Suljovic and Rowby-John Rodriguez line up for Austria again. Their problem is a lack of form for both players.
Suljovic’s win rate in 2023 is just 35% and he has played just 43 matches. His seasonal average is just 89.62, but he warmed up well by reaching the semi-final of PC14 on Tuesday. Rowby-John is only averaging 86.69 and a win rate of 37%. He has won five of his last ten matches.
Combined Seasonal Averages – 88.15. 2023 World Cup of Darts Odds 26.00.
11 Poland
The two Krzysztofs, Ratajski and Kciuk, have teamed up twice before and lost in the second round twice.
Ratajski won PC9 in April but his more recent form is patchy, losing five of his last ten. He is the main man in the team.
Kciuk has a decent A game but has lost six of his last ten matches, and while they have potential to worry some of the bigger teams, another second round exit would be no surprise.
Combined Seasonal Averages – 93.99. 2023 World Cup of Darts Odds 81.00.
12 Canada
Perhaps the most fancied of the outsiders.
Jeff Smith is on a roll having won the North American Championship (and a place at Ally Pally) and being runner up in the US Masters on the same day last weekend. He has won six of his last ten matches but it should be noted that his scoring was light with six sub 90 averages. He will be feeling much more confident which is more important.
However, he was brought back down to earth with two first round defeats on Monday and Tuesday. Smith beat teammate Matt Campbell in the final of the North American Championship but the Ginga Ninja is arguably the better player these days. He has relocated to live in Europe while Smith still ‘commutes’ from Nova Scotia.
Campbell has lost six of his last ten matches but is scoring better than Smith. Dark horses, but very dark. They have played together for the last three years, making the quarter final in 2020 but losing in the first round for the last two.
Combined Seasonal Averages – 90.03. 2023 World Cup of Darts Odds 81.00.
13 Czech Republic
A decent looking team on paper. Two tour card holders but neither are in good form.
Gawlas is only averaging 87.38 in 2023 and he has lost nine of his last ten senior matches. Sedláček is also in poor form, losing five of his last ten matches, but he had a decent run on Monday, making the last sixteen in PC13.
These two have represented the Czech Republic for the last three years and failed to win a match, despite a couple of good performances. Their recent form suggests that getting out of the group stage would be a surprise.
Combined Seasonal Averages – 88.88. 2023 World Cup of Darts Odds 151.00.
14 Spain
Jose Justicia and Tony Martinez are the team this year.
Justicia is in very poor form losing eight of his last ten matches. Martinez is not much better, losing six of his last ten.
Combined Seasonal Averages – 88.58. 2023 World Cup of Darts Odds 501.00.
15 Latvia
Madars Razma will be trying to carry Dmitrijs Žukovs, the Irish based Latvian. He has represented Galway at county level, he has started to play more PDC Nordic and Baltic tournaments and has reached 39 on the OOM. He has ambitions to turn pro but with an average of 80.27, he has some way to go.
Razzmatazz is a well-established pro but only averages 90.35, so this is not a team with much firepower. He has won four of his last ten.
Latvia beat Hungary in the first round last year and took England to a decider in round two. Razma was also in the team in 2020 when they beat Hong Kong before losing to Belgium.
Razma is going to have to do the heavy lifting and he is not playing well. His wife was involved in a car crash back in Latvia and while she is OK, his mind was not on his darts at the Players Championships events on Monday and Tuesday. He will definitely play and has posted that a problem with the car insurance has now been settled and he can play with a clear mind.
Combined Seasonal Averages – 85.32. 2023 World Cup of Darts Odds 301.00.
16 Switzerland
Steffan Bellmont is the talent here. He recently won his first Euro Tour match and averages a respectable 87.51. He won a Challenge Tour title in 2022. He has played six Players Championship and four Euro Tour matches in 2023 and won four matches, including a 6-3 win over European Champion Ross Smith, so he can play. He played last year but lost to New Zealand. His partner this year is Marcel Walpen, a four time winner on the Swiss pro tour. He tried and failed to qualify for a tour card in January and now plays on the Challenge Tour, making a semi-final. He qualified for a Euro Tour event but lost his first round match 3-6 to Keegan Brown. His seasonal average is 81.14.
Combined Seasonal Averages – 84.29. 2023 World Cup of Darts Odds 501.00.
2023 World Cup of Darts Groups
Group A
Belgium are the seeded team and they have drawn Finland and China.
Finland have the aging Marko Kantele who is playing better in 2023 than he has done for a while. He has picked up four Nordic and Baltic titles this season and he has put four points on his seasonal average, up to 86.73. He also has a career best win rate of 80.6%.
However, he has played in three Euro Tour events in 2023 and lost all three first round matches. His teammate is Paavo Myller who averages 80.11. He was runner up in his last Nordic and Baltic event. He qualified for one Euro Tour event but lost his first round match 3-6 to Ross Smith.
Underachievers
China are underachievers in darts. You would have thought that with a population of some 1.4 billion they could find a couple of people that can chuck a dart, but so far that has not been the case.
This year they are led by Zong Xiao Chen, the winner of the inaugural Chinese Premier League in 2022. He averaged 89 that year but that has slipped to 82 this year. He has played in two World Cups and two World Championships without success.
Xiao Chen has won twice on the 2023 Asian Tour. He is joined by Lihao Wen who is averaging just 74 in 2023. He has made an Asian Tour quarter final and was a semi-finalist in the Chinese Premier League.
Belgium To Prevail
Belgium are the 5th favourites to win the title and their biggest threat here is the format, which is true of most of the seeded teams in the groups. First to four legs in a pairs format. Slow starts are not allowed. This is Belgium’s to lose and I do not expect them to.
Belgium to Win Group A. Odds 1.14.
2023 World Cup of Darts Tip: No bet
Group B
Germany are the seeds and are playing on home turf. That will make it harder for their opponents.
Hong Kong are led by Man Lok Leung, a two time Asian tour winner in 2023. He averaged 91.6 in a 3-6 loss to Luke Humphries in a World Series event in January. He played some Development Tour matches last year as a warm up for the World Youth Championships in which he reached the quarter final, losing 0-6 to Nathan Girvan. Lok Leung beat good players like Neils Zonneveld and Owen Roelofs along the way so the boy can play.
Lee Lok Yin is averaging 79.79 in 2023. Like his teammate, he played some Development Tour matches last year before the World Youth Championship. He had two 83 averages in the championship and lost 1-5 to Josh Rock. He has reached a couple of Asian Tour semi-finals and won Asian Tour 4 in March.
Japan Have History
Japan have a history of producing decent players and getting decent results in the World Cup. They reached the semi-final in 2019 and the quarter finals in 2013 and 2018. Those teams featured the talented Seigo Asada.
Japan have featured a different line up in the last three years and only won one match. Tomoya Goto played in last year’s team that lost to Belgium in the first round. He averages 84 in 2023 and has been runner up in two Asian Tour events in 2023, hitting a 109 average in one match.
He is joined by Jun Matsuda who is averaging 79.93 in 2023. He beat his teammate in the final of Asian Tour 5 and was runner up to China’s Zong Xiao Chen in AT15 last month. Matsuda played in the 2021 Japanese team when they beat Russia 5-1 and took Germany to a deciding pairs match in round two. He lost his singles match 2-4 to Gabriel Clemens. A team capable of causing an upset.
Germany To Advance
Germany reached the semi-finals in 2020 with Hopp and Schindler and since Clemens has been in the team, Germany have reached two quarter finals and a semi. They beat The Netherlands on the way to the 2020 semi-final before going down to eventual winners, Wales.
They have drawn two dangerous teams in this format but with home advantage, you have to fancy Germany to win the group and maybe have another good run.
Germany to win Group B. Odds 1.11.
2023 World Cup of Darts Tip: No bet
Group C
Defending Champions Australia have to come through the group stage and they should do just that.
Gibraltar once again feature the lively duo of Craig Galliano and Justin Hewitt. They have paired up twice before, losing to Lithuania in 2020 and Northern Ireland last year. They gave a good account of themselves on both occasions and will be no pushovers.
Guyana make their World Cup debut having won the South American qualifier. Sudesh Fitzgerald and Norman Madhoo make up the team. Madhoo (who hopefully won’t find himself in the Mad House) averaged 77.25 in the Denver Beach Classic in March, losing 3-4 to Danny Baggish in the 3rd round. Fitzgerald has not registered on the radar as yet.
Australia to win Group C. Odds 1.06.
2023 World Cup of Darts Tip: No bet
Group D
Northern Ireland are the favourites to win the group and only France could trip them up.
France have Tour card holder Jacques Labre and the much fancied Thibault Tricole in their line-up. They are being talked up as dark horses to win the group. However, Labre is in dire form, losing his last twelve matches. Since winning his tour card in January he has won just three matches.
Tricole is the better player, but such is the nature of Q school, he failed to get his tour card. He mostly plays on the Challenge Tour but gets regular call ups to play in Players Championship events, as he did this week, reaching the last 16 on Monday.
Challenge Tour Winner
Tricole has won one Challenge Tour event, back in January, and won six Players Championship matches in 2023. His biggest scalp was a 6-5 win over Danny Noppert, averaging 101 in the process. This week he beat Gian van Veen, Krzysztof Ratajski and Scott Waites before losing 1-6 to Gerwyn Price. Both players average 88 in 2023 and they will need their very best to live with Gurney and Dolan.
Ukraine make their World Cup debut. Vladyslav Omelchenko was the first Ukrainian to play in the World Championship last December. He averaged 80 in a 0-3 loss to Luke Woodhouse. Stick on for bottom of the table.
Northern Ireland to win Group D. Odds 1.30.
2023 World Cup of Darts Tip: No bet. France make some appeal at 4.33 but just not enough.
Group E
Ireland’s refreshed line up of O’Connor and Keane Barry are favourites to top the group.
Croatia feature the imposing figure of Boris Krčmar. He is a very experienced professional player having won a fortune playing soft tip darts before turning to the steel tip game.
He reached a Euro Tour quarter final last year and also a Players Championship semi-final. Big Boris is averaging 91.93 in 2023. He has a very good A game and he has taken a lot of big scalps and has held a tour card for three years. He reached the quarter final of PC12 last month. Krčmar has lost six of his last ten matches.
Weak Link
He is joined by Romeo Grbavac who is the weak link. He averages 81.61 in 2023 and he played some Challenge tour matches last month to warm up, and won eight of his twelve played, including a win over Max Hopp. Certainly a potential banana skin for Ireland.
Thailand have not played since 2018 and in the five previous World Cups they have played, they failed to win a match. Attapol Eupakaree played in all five of Thailand’s World Cups. He is averaging 76 on the Asian Tour, reaching two quarter finals. Unlikely to trouble the other two teams.
Ireland to win Group E. Odds 1.40.
2023 World Cup of Darts Tip: No bet. Ireland are not nailed on, but the odds reflect their chances.
Group F
Austria, the 2021 runners up, are the seeded team and a seeded team that look vulnerable. Neither player is in great form and the other two teams are in with a decent chance, so long as they can cope with what will be a very slow match against Austria.
Denmark have tour card holder Vladimir Andersen on board. He holds a tour card, but you may have missed him. He averages just 82 and doesn’t play much on the pro tour and when he does, it is without much success.
Andersen has played eleven Players Championship events in 2023 and won just four matches. He won a Nordic and Baltic tour event in April but he is not good enough to be competitive on the pro tour. He is joined by Benjamin Drue Reus who averages a touch under 84. Reus has had plenty of good runs on the Nordic and Baltic tour and was a runner up in one event in March.
USA
USA are represented by Jules van Dongen and Leonard Gates. Van Dongen is having a very poor 2023, losing 65% of his matches. He possesses a good A game but it has gone AWOL in 2023. He beat Gary Anderson 6-4 last month and averaged 96 in that match, so he can play, just not on demand. Van Dongen has lost seven of his last ten matches.
Leonard Gates loves his trips across the pond. His is doing well in the seniors’ events and averages 88 in 2023. Gates is making his debut while van Dongen partnered Danny Baggish last year, losing in the first round to Poland. They have the potential to make the second round if Austria struggle.
One of the more open groups. The Austrians are the 1.53 favourites, USA 3.75 and Denmark 13.00. Mensur Suljovic’s run to the semi-final has just about put me off opposing Austria with the USA.
Austria to Win Group F. Odds 1.53.
2023 World Cup of Darts: No bet
Group G
Poland have got a relatively tough draw, grouped with Lithuania and Portugal, two teams with a tour card holder in their line-up.
Portugal have major winner Jose de Sousa, who is joined by Luis Ameixa who isn’t on the radar. De Sousa has had two different partners in his three years at the World Cup and Portugal have made the second round on all three occasions. He isn’t in great form but he has a great game in him. He showed that great game with a couple of 102 averages on Tuesday in PC14 but he remains inconsistent.
Lithuania
Lithuania have Darius Labanauskas paired with Mindaugas Barauskas. Mindaugas is very much the weak link, averaging just 75 in 2023. That was his average when he took a couple of legs off Rob Cross in 2020 and he also took a couple of legs off Gerwyn price in 2021, despite averaging just 71!
This will be their fifth year as a pair and they made the second round twice. Their problem is that Labanauskas is not the player he once was. He has won just 33% of his matches in 2023.
Darius averaged 108 in a 6-0 win over Adam Gawlas in April to remind us that he used to be good. He averaged 88.75 across his four matches this week and that is more representative of where he is right now.
It is possible that Jose de Sousa could carry his teammate to victory in at least one match, but Poland have the best balanced team and have to be fancied to go through.
Poland to win Group G. Odds 1.62.
2023 World Cup of Darts Tip: No bet
Group H
Canada look a safe bet to make the second round. They are grouped with India and Hungary.
India haven’t played in the World Cup since 2015 and 2014, going out in the first round on both occasions. They are represented by veteran Prakash Jiwa and 2014 team member Amit Gilitwala.
Jiwa is the senior partner and was a tour card holder for 12 years. He plays in Seniors’ events and the Challenge Tour these days and averages 85.89. He is still a decent player and in pretty good form.
Hungary have lost in the first round for the last six years. Patrik Kovács is making his fourth appearance and is joined by Levente Sarai who averages just 75 and plays some WDF stuff. He played in a Euro Tour event last year but lost 1-6 to Boris Krčmar.
Kovács averages 83 and we last saw him in ET8 when he lost 2-6 to Martin Lukeman and averaged 85. It is hard to see Hungary making much impression once again.
Canada to win Group H. Odds 1.25.
2023 World Cup of Darts: No bet
Group I
This group looks to be up for grabs. The Czech Republic are the seeds but Gawlas and Sedláček have been struggling of late.
Singapore have had the same line up of Paul Lim and Harith Lim for the last nine years. In that time they have only failed to make the second round twice and they made the quarter finals in 2017.
Paul Lim only averages 81.3 these days and plays exclusively on the Asian Tour. He was runner up in AT14 last month. Harith Lim only averages 71.4 in 2023. He too plays on the Asian Tour and he has made one semi-final this season. Lots of experience but not a lot of fire power.
Philippines
The Philippines have played in seven previous World Cups and only made one second round back in 2016. Christian Perez is making his fourth appearance. He is averaging 88.45 in 2023 and he won AT10 in April. We saw quite a bit of him late last year as he played in the Grand Slam, losing all three group matches and he gave Simon Whitlock a run for his money at the World Championship, losing 2-3.
Perez turned up to play in this week’s Players Championship events (he has a tour card but no UK visa, so he was able to play as the events were played in Germany), and he beat Rob Cross, Jamie Hughes, Luke Woodhouse, and most notably, Karel Sedláček 6-3 before losing the quarter final to Conor Scutt. Quite the warm up. He is a slow player and will not be put off by the pace of play.
Eighth Appearance
Lourence Ilagan is making his eighth appearance in the World Cup and he reached the second round of the World Championship in December, beating Rowby-John Rodriguez 3-2 in the first round. He has won a lot of matches on the Asian Tour, making no less than six finals and winning two. He only averages 85.7 but seems to be efficient. Definitely dark horses to win the group.
This looks closer than the odds suggest. The Czech Republic are vulnerable. Gawlas is far from his best and while Sedláček is a fine player, can he carry a teammate? The Czechs are the 1.57 favourites which is too short.
2023 World Cup of Darts Tip: 1 point The Philippines to win Group I @ 3.75 with Ladbrokes
Group J
We are into the very weak group seeds now. Spain are the seeds here but they are hardly going to put the fear into anyone. That said, they have landed on their feet draw wise.
South Africa feature the long term out of form Devon Petersen and Veron Bouwers. They previously paired up in 2019 and they made the second round that year. The problem for South Africa is that Petersen’s form has collapsed.
He was averaging over 96 in 2020 but that has fallen to 85.7 in 2023. His win rate in 2023 is just 17%. He will be hoping that the amateur can carry him, which sums up their potential. He played in the players champions this week and beat non tour card holding Conan Whitehead. That is his only win in his last ten matches.
Debutants
Iceland is making their World Cup debut. There is a bit of a darts scene in Iceland but my knowledge of Vitor Charrua and Hallgrímur Egilsson is limited. Egilsson is averaging just 66.46 on the Nordic and Baltic tour. Charrua is the talent with a seasonal average of 71.45.
Neither of the Spaniards is playing at all well, but they will have to be dire to fail to get through. Petersen is the best player by a margin, or should I say, was.
Spain to win Group J. Odds 1.57.
2023 World Cup of Darts Tip: No bet
Group K
Latvia will be relying on Madars Razma to get them past New Zealand and Bahrain.
New Zealand are my idea of potential group winners. They are represented by Ben Robb and Warren Parry. They were first paired together last year when they reached the second round, losing to Northern Ireland. This will be Parry’s sixth appearance.
Robb is averaging 86.88 in 2023. He has played in some World Series events in the past, getting a win over Simon Whitlock in 2019. He failed to win a tour card in January 2022. Robb lost 2-4 to Daryl Gurney in last year’s World Cup, took three legs off Gerwyn Price in a World Series match last August and lost 1-3 to Mickey Mansell in the World Championship. More recently he won the opening two events on the New Zealand pro tour. He averaged 115 in the quarter final and a ton in the semi.
Experienced Parry
Parry is the senior member of the team. He is only averaging 78.26 in 2023. At 57 years of age he is pushing it a bit but he is experienced. He was runner up to Robb in DPNZ pro tour 1 in February. He will need to bring his A game, but he can hold his own against the likes of Bahrain.
Bahrain is another debutant. Bassim Mahmood and Abdulnaser Yusuf make up the team and we saw a little bit of Abdulnaser Yusuf at the Bahrain Darts Masters where he lost 1-6 to Michael Smith and averaged just 63. Mahmood also played in that event, losing 0-6 to Jonny Clayton. It was a harsh lesson. The Ferret averaged 103, Mahmood 78.
Latvia vs. New Zealand decides the group winner.
New Zealand to win Group K. Odds 2.50.
2023 World Cup of Darts Tip: 1 point New Zealand to win Group K @ 2.50 with Betvictor
Group L
Switzerland are the unlikely seeds but they could be fancied to get through the group stage, such is the paucity of opposition.
Italy is represented by Massimo Dante and Michele Turetta. Dante averaged 72 in a Euro Tour qualifier in 2022 and that is the extent of my knowledge of him.
Turetta is the better player, averaging 85.42 in 2023. The only points of reference which can help place him are three defeats. He lost to Barry van Peer 0-5, lost to Jack Main 0-5 and lost 2-5 to John Henderson all in Euro Tour qualifiers.
His highest average in 2023 is 102.28 so he can play and is the key to Italy’s prospects. Italy have played in eight previous World Cups and failed to win a match.
Swedish Challenge
Sweden are the other team in the group. Dennis Nilsson and Oskar Lukasiak make up the team. Nilsson is the familiar face of Swedish darts. He is averaging 82.4. He has won seven of his last ten matches, was runner up in Nordic and Baltic tour 7 last week so he is in good form.
Lukasiak averages 80 in 2023. He qualified for Euro Tour 4 and took four legs off Gabriel Clemens. He has won six of his last ten matches and should be able to hold his own at this group stage level.
This really looks like boiling down to if Nilsson can carry Sweden through, or Bellmont to carry Switzerland through. Nilsson is the strongman and I’ll take the Swedes to get through.
2023 World Cup of Darts Tip: 1 point Sweden to win Group L @ 2.38 with Hills
2023 World Cup of Darts: Outright Tips
Who will win the 2023 World Cup of Darts?
It will be one of the big teams, or at least bigger teams. Wales are the favourites, and rightly so. However odds of just 2.63 are too short. They do have the benefit, along with England, Scotland and Netherlands B, of missing out on the group stage.
Some say that the teams who have come through the groups will have been blooded in the pairs format and there is something to be said for that, but the very short format matches in the groups is a great leveller and best missed.
Price Not Firing
Wales were favourites last year and lost out to Australia in the final. Price is not in top form right now. Clayton choose not to travel to Germany to play in the Players Championships on Monday and Tuesday, which seems a bit strange if he was going to be playing in Germany from Thursday anyway.
England made the final in 2022 with Smith and Cross and with Smith winning on Monday and Cross picking up a couple of titles recently, they make a little more appeal at 4.33. They have Scotland (9.00) with them in the top half of the draw and I’d take England over Anderson and Wright right now.
Netherlands B should have a good run but Dirk’s form of late is a worry as is Noppert’s. The other seeded team in their half of the draw is Wales and I’d have to take Wales over Noppert and Van Duijvenbode.
2023 World Cup of Darts: The Outsiders
Of the teams having to come through the first round, three teams make some appeal. Defending champions Australia, home favourites, Germany and Northern Ireland. There will be a draw to place the qualifying teams into the knockout stage, so that is a random factor which can go for, or against selections.
Australia might be a bit lopsided with Whitlock on the slide, but he isn’t finished yet and he will make a perfectly good pairs partner for the bang in-form Damon Heta. Defending the title is rarely done, however, but their odds of 26.00 are decent for an each way bet.
Home Advantage
Germany have two decent players and home advantage. It would be no surprise to see a good run if they gel, but both players are not in their best form and why they are shorter odds than Australia is a bit of a mystery to me.
Northern Ireland have two hugely experienced players who are in decent form. The pace of play should be no problem for either and with a bit of luck, they are capable of a good run. Odds of 51.00 make some appeal for a small stakes bet.
