2024 World Cup Of Darts Betting Preview

The 2024 World Cup Of Darts, the fourteenth renewal, takes place in the Eissporthalle in Frankfurt, Germany. Wales are the defending champions.

There are forty nations represented. The top four teams (by combined world rankings) get a bye into the knockout phase of the tournament. England are the number one seeds, Wales number two, Netherlands three and Scotland four.

All four start off with the advantage of not having to play in the group phase, but to be honest, they would be hard pushed not to get through in any case.

The next twelve highest ranked nations are the seeded nations in the twelve groups of three. The remaining twenty four nations were then draw into the twelve groups.

Group Stage

The group stage sees the three teams play each other, and in keeping with the changes made last year, all matches are played in a pairs format. All twelve group winners are then drawn into the knockout stage.

The group stage matches are short and sweet, best of seven legs. This format is a bit of a leveller. The fancied teams cannot afford a slow start because they can be beaten before they find their stride. However, the group format does give time to recover.

Last year was the first time that the format did not involve any singles matches, and that is also something of a leveller. The top pros don’t play pairs. The format is in the realms of county games and pub leagues, so the smaller nations with part time players, will be a bit more familiar with the demands of pairs play.

Slower Pace

The main difference between pairs and singles is the fact that there is more hanging about, waiting to throw. You have your throw, and then the three others have their throw. Players who like to get on with it, to play at a fast pace, will not get that pace.

In pairs play, it helps if you get on with your teammate, that you have some sort of rapport with your teammate, and that is not always the case. Your partner is picked by the rankings, not with the team captain picking their mate.

Did the move to a pairs only format make any difference? With only one year to go on, it is hard to say, but the tournament was won by Wales, the number 2 seeds, who beat Scotland, the number 4 seeds. The cream still rose to the top. On the other hand, six of the twelve seeded nations in the group stage got knocked out. That included both Irish nations and 2021 runners up, Austria.

Past Form

The first eight World Cups of Darts were won by either The Netherlands or England. The combinations of Van Gerwen and Raymond van Barneveld, and Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis were just too strong. Netherlands won the first event with RVB and Co Stompy, but after that it was all MVG and RVB.

Since RVB has not been MVG’s partner, The Netherlands have not even made a final. Since Phil Taylor retired, England have only made one final, losing to Wales in 2020 with Michael Smith and Rob Cross. Bother former giants of the World Cup have not enjoyed much in terms of continuity in terms of team make up.

Since 2019 we have seen three different nations winning the title, Scotland (x2), Wales (x2) and Australia.

Other nations that have been runners up but never won are Belgium (+6 semi-finals), Republic of Ireland and Austria. Germany and Northern Ireland have made two semi-finals, while Japan, Finland and Spain have reached one semi-final.

It is a small group of pretty well established darting nations that have been in contention.

2024 World Cup Of Darts: Top Four Seeds

1 England

Michael Smith is making his fifth World Cup appearance and this year, he gets Luke Humphries as his partner. Humphries isn’t quite at his best right now, losing five of his last ten matches. Smith has won seven of his last ten, but he too is not quite at his best, with a bit too much inconsistency.

That said, this is a potent team and a semi-final should be the minimum achievable result.

England 2024 World Cup Of Darts Odds: 1.73.

2 Wales 

Gerwyn Price* and Jonny Clayton are paired for the sixth time. In their previous five, they have won two, been runner up once and lost one semi-final. Good continuity in terms of team make up.

The two players are friends off the oche and they are strong pair. Form wise, Price has won seven of his last ten matches, but he is not in top form. Of those last ten, he has had four sub 90 averages, including three of his last four.

Jonny Clayton is on the comeback trail after losing his form just under a year ago, when his father passed away. He reached the final of the Dutch Darts Championship last time out and has won six of his last ten matches. He is not the player he was 12 months ago, but he will be feeling more positive after making that final.

Again, making a semi-final should be the bare minimum.

*Gerwyn Price has withdrawn since we originally posted this preview and will be replaced by Jim Williams.

Wales 2024 World Cup of Darts Odds: 7.00.

3 Netherlands 

Michael van Gerwen, who didn’t play in 2023 or 2022, is once again joined by Danny Noppert. They were paired in 2020, going out in the quarter finals. The two are not best buddies and that doesn’t help.

MVG is also in not great form. He has won seven of his last ten matches, but he is not firing on all cylinders and lacking confidence. His legs won percentage is 56.4% and his opponents are getting chances. His real problem is the doubles. In his last ten matches, his checkout % has been 30% or worse four times, and he lost three. His last three matches were all sub 28%, and two sub 23%.

Noppert is accumulating ranking money by winning plenty of matches, but not so many titles. He has been playing well, winning seven of his last ten, but he bombed out of the European Darts Open on Saturday with an 89.9 average. That was the weight of the Punt Pound on his back no doubt.

Two players who didn’t gel when they first played and their number 1 player is struggling with the doubles. The Netherlands have not made a final for five years. MVG was absent for the last two years, but will his return make the difference?

Netherlands 2024 World Cup Of Darts Odds: 6.50.

4 Scotland 

Their lineup has not been completely consistent, but Anderson and Wright have played together on six previous occasions, made four finals and won once. Peter Wright also won with John Henderson in 2021. They have a good record as a team and they get on fine these days. The question marks over them are purely on form.

Wright has been struggling for form for many months. His form based FDI ranking is just 54th. That puts him in the same realm as players like Boris Krcmar, Nathan Rafferty and Callan Rydz. Wright has won six of his last ten matches and has shown a few flashes of the old Wright, but he isn’t the player he was a couple of years ago.

On a more positive note, Gary Anderson is ranked 3rd in the FDI rankings, despite the fact that he hardly plays these days. Anderson last played on the 7th of April, losing a match to Ritchie Burnett. Maybe the shock of that required a long break to recover.

Highest Average

Anderson had won ET4 in April and PC2 in February. He has the highest average over the last 12 months and is playing very well, when he plays. We are halfway through the year and Anderson has only played forty seven matches in 2024.

Anderson is a great natural talent. He can not pick up a dart for weeks and still play to a high level, but surely playing in the recent Players Championship events would have been a good warm up? I guess that because they were played in Germany, that was out of the question.

With an excellent record as a pair, Scotland have to be in the frame for another final, but Wright’s dodgy form and Anderson’s lack of competitive play is a concern.

Scotland 2024 World Cup Of Darts Odds: 19.00.

Other seeded Nations

Belgium 

Regularly able to reach the semi-finals, Belgium have always punched above their weight in the World Cup. Even last year, when Van den Bergh and Huybrechts had a falling out and would not speak to each other at one point. We have the same line up again.

There was some doubt about Huybrechts’ participation. He was assaulted a few weeks ago and he required some surgery on his throwing shoulder. He declared himself fit to play by the cut-off date, and he returned to action two weeks ago at Players Championship 11 & 12, plus two Euro qualifiers.

Huybrechts played six matches, won two and had two sub 80 averages. Clearly, he was not firing on all cylinders. Has he declared himself fit for the money? A Van den Bergh – Mike de Decker pairing would have been a much more potent line up.

Van den Bergh won on the pro tour two weeks ago and he has won eight of his last ten matches. His game looks in better shape after a spell of poor form. Can he carry Huybrechts to another semi-final?

Belgium 2024 World Cup Of Darts Odds: 29.00.

Northern Ireland 

A new line up for Northern Ireland. Josh Rock is the Northern Irish number one and he is joined by World Cup veteran, Brendan Dolan. Dolan scraped past Daryl Gurney to keep his place in the team. Josh Rock had expressed his hope that he would be paired by Gurney, so a bit of a faux pas from the new skipper.

The team dynamic is interesting. Dolan is a very deliberate thrower, quite slow, while Rock is very fast, buzzing around the stage like an angry wasp. How Rock will cope with the slower pace of play in a pairs format will be interesting and Dolan’s pace isn’t going to help.

The quality of the two players means that Northern Ireland have to be respected. If they do gel, do not rule out a good run, but it is guesswork trying predict how they get on as a pair.

Rock is a recent winner on the Euro Tour and is playing near his best. Dolan won PC10 last month, so both players have shown good recent form. Definitely a dark horse. The Gurney – Dolan line up were always tipped up as dark horses, but usually underperformed. Maybe a change of line up will bring a chance of fortune.

Northern Ireland 2024 World Cup Of Darts Odds: 26.00.

Germany 

Home advantage once again for the Germans. The Clemens – Schindler line up reached the semi-finals last year and the quarter finals in 2022. Both are very experienced World Cup players and with a partisan home crowd, they could have another good run.

Schindler is a winner on the Euro Tour this season and his stage form in 2024 is good, winning ET3, plus two more semi-finals and two quarter finals. Clemens is not having a good 2024 so far, losing over 60% of his matches. His most recent form is OK and he can make a contribution.

Another dark horse team, but fourth favourites?

Germany 2024 World Cup Of Darts Odds: 12.00.

Australia 

The 2022 winners, Whitlock and Heta, join forces for the fifth time. They have made three quarter finals and won it once. A good record, and they lost last year’s quarter final in a deciding leg to Belgium.

The two players get on, have fun and while Whitlock is a fading force these days, he will be right up for this. Heta is winning a lot of matches but is losing far too often at the business end of tournaments. He lost a Euro Tour semi-final on Sunday, with a limp 1-7 loss to Chisnall.

Another quarter final would be no surprise.

Australia 2024 World Cup Of Darts Odds: 26.00.

Republic of Ireland 

Surprise runners up to Scotland in 2019, but it is a different line up this year with Keane Barry joining William O’Connor.

Barry still plays most of his darts on the Development tour and it must be said that he is struggling at senior level. He has played 25 matches in Players Championships, Euro Tours and UK Open, winning just 10. He hasn’t kicked on as well as expected. O’Connor has lost five of his last ten matches but hit four sub 90 averages.

Not an inspiring line up.

Ireland 2024 World Cup Of Darts Odds: 67.00.

Austria 

Hard to fancy these days. The 2021 runners up rely on Suljovic to carry the team and he has dropped off the radar. His seasonal average is just 89.81.

Rowby-John Rodriguez is in poor form, losing nine of his last ten matches, hitting six sub 80 averages. They have an easy looking group, but they are there for the taking.

Austria 2024 World Cup Of Darts Odds: 151.00.

Poland 

Ratajski and Szaganski could form a useful partnership, but as a nation, they have never got beyond the second round. Both players come here on the back of four straight defeats. Not a given that they will make the knockout phase.

Poland 2024 World Cup Of Darts Odds: 67.00.

Czechia

Karel Sedlacek is playing some nice stuff, not greatly consistent, but more than useful. Adam Gawlas was a player with real potential a couple of years ago, but his progress has stalled. He has won just six Players Championship matches this season.

If they can find their A games, this team has potential, but it is hard to see a deep run, beyond getting through the group stage.

Czechia 2024 World Cup Of Darts Odds: 151.00.

Croatia 

Boris Krčmar and Romeo Grbavac make up the Croatian team, as they did last year, winning their group, before giving Australia a proper game in the second round, losing 6-8. That was their debut appearance and they will have taken confidence from it.

Boris Krčmar hit a nine darter in a recent Players Championship event, and while he is never going to be a top 32 player, he is a tour card holder and used to playing against the best, and he is capable of causing an upset from time to time.

He has won seven of his last ten matches and that included wins over Nathan Aspinall and the in-form Jermaine Wattimena. There were two ton plus averages and two more 97+. Big Boris reached the quarter final of PC12 a couple of weeks ago. He made the third round at the World Championships and he loves flying the flag for Croatia.

Romeo Grbavac plays on the Challenge tour and occasionally on the Pro Tour. He beat Josh Rock in PC6. He has played three Euro Tour events but lost all three first round matches. Romeo played to a mid-80 average and in a pairs event, he can make a contribution. Another group win is not out of the question.

Croatia 2024 World Cup Of Darts Odds: 151.00.

France 

Thibault Tricole and Jacques Labre were the French team last year and they caused a big upset by beating the fancied Northern Irish team 4-1 and went on to win their group. It was a classic case of a group favourite coming out of the blocks slowly and getting caught out in the short format. All France had to do after that was to beat Ukraine, the group’s whipping boys.

This year they face a tougher task, with Latvia and Denmark in their group. Tricole is in poor form, losing seven of his last ten matches, but he is a decent player.

Labre is a tour card holder, for a while longer at least, but he has not done much since winning in 2023. His most recent form sees just one win in his last ten and his seasonal win rate is just 13%. I can’t see Tricole being able to carry the team into the knockout stage.

France 2024 World Cup Of Darts Odds: 251.00.

Sweden 

The in-form Jeffrey de Graaf leads the team, joined by Oskar Lukasiak, who played last year. He famously was the youngest player to hit a nine darter in official competition when he was just 12 years old. Lukasiak won the Winmau World Masters in 2016. He had a tour card between 2027-2018.

Sweden won their group last year, beating Italy and Switzerland. Sweden then beat Canada in the second round before going down a respectable 5-8 to eventual winners, Wales. Lukasiak now plays on the Challenge Tour and Nordic-Baltic tour, with occasional Players Championship appearances.

He has picked up one Challenge Tour title in 2024. He has had wins over Dave Chisnall and Joe Cullen in 2024. In a nutshell, he is no makeweight. This looks a decent team and have a great chance to make the knockout stage.

Sweden 2024 World Cup Of Darts Odds: 251.00.

United States 

Danny Lauby and Jules van Dongen make up the USA team this year. A USA side has not made the second round since 2021, in which Lauby hit a 170 checkout.

Lauby plays on the Pro Tour but is in poor form, losing eight of his last ten matches. Van Dongen is in worse form, losing nine of his last ten. Both players have their moments, but they are hard to fancy right now. They may struggle to make the group stage.

USA 2024 World Cup Of Darts Odds: 151.00.

The remaining 24 teams are making up the numbers in most cases, but there are a few who may upset the apple cart and make it to the knockout stage.

Canada 

No Jeff Smith this year, but tour card holder and North American Champion Matt Campbell returns for his fifth World Cup. He made the quarter finals in 2020. He was having a miserable season until he went to New York to play in the US Masters World Series event.

Campbell was thrashed 0-6 in the first round by Luke Littler but then went on to beat Jeff Smith, David Cameron and Stowe Buntz to win the North American Championship. That gave his confidence a boost and he returned to the Pro Tour and reached the final of PC12 two weeks ago, losing to Van den Bergh.

Campbell is joined by veteran, David Cameron, a solid player and Canada will not be easy opponents. They are in Croatia’s group, along with Malaysia and their match with the Croats should be the decider.

Hong Kong 

The return of Man Lok Leung to our TV screens. He was the player who beat Gian van Veen 3-2 in the World Championship, hitting eleven 180s. Since than he has made a couple of Asian Tour semi-finals. His seasonal average is 86.8, but he loved his time on the big stage and he could catch fire again. I know nothing of his teammate, which is a feature of these smaller teams.

Japan 

Never underestimate the Japanese. Tomoya Goto is a two time Asian Tour finalist in 2024 and he knocked Ian White out of the World Championship before Christmas. He has hit a 107 average this year and has a seasonal average of 87.5.

Ryusei Azemoto is his teammate and he is a two time Asian Tour winner in 2024. He doesn’t have the same big A game as his teammate but he averages 86.8 and wins a lot of matches. He sounds efficient. They are in Group D, with Australia as the seeded team and they are joined by Hong Kong. Not an easy group for the Aussies.

Latvia 

Madars Razma is the skipper and he has been beating some big names lately. He has won seven of his last ten matches and beat MVG and Josh Rock on his way to the semi-final of PC12 a couple of weeks ago. Razzmatazz also beat Gerwyn Price the day before in PC1. He beat Chizzy, Cullen and Searle to make the quarter final of ET6 last month. He is in good form.

Razma is joined by Valters Melderis, who is a weak link, his seasonal average is a lowly 83.67, but he reached a Nordic-Baltic tour final last year and his most recent event saw him reach the semi-final of Nordic Baltic Tour six earlier this month.

Latvia were seeded last year (Razma had a different partner then) and they won their group. So long as Valters Melderis isn’t dire, Razma could carry the team into the knockout stage.

New Zealand

Tour card holder, Haupai Puha, leads the team and he is joined by Ben Robb. Puha has a seasonal average of 88.91 and he is picking up good experience, playing on the Pro Tour, the Euro Tour, World Series and World Championships. He has played in two World Cups but didn’t make it out of the first round.

Puha beat Dave Chisnall, Nathan Aspinall and averaged 107 when beating Ian White on the way to the last sixteen of PC12 two weeks ago. He has a very good A game but really needs to develop a sold B game.

Robb’s seasonal average is just 82.4 and he doesn’t seem to have played since failing to get a tour card in January. He has played in four World Championships and is a multiple title winner on the New Zealand Pro Tour.

2024 World Cup Of Darts: Ante Post Selections

History screams that you should only be backing the top teams to win the title. The only marginally surprising winner was Australia in 2022, and with Heta and Whitlock, they had two very good players. They were not amongst the favourites, but certainly not big outsiders.

England are the odds on favourites which looks very short. Yes, they have the highest ranking team, but Humphries and Smith have not been paired together before. That lack of continuity must count against England, who have a relatively poor record since the end of the Taylor/Lewis combination.

The Netherlands are the 6.50 second favourites and again that looks short. MVG and Noppert didn’t click the last time they were paired, and like England, they have chopped and changed their team since the MVG/RVB dream team came to an end.

Wales A Decent Price

Wales are a reasonable price at 7.00. They have won two of the last four and been runner up in another. Price is not quite at his best. Clayton is showing better form, but they have great continuity and make a strong team. They have good team chemistry and love playing for Wales.

Germany look too short at 12.00, even with home advantage. They have made two semi-finals in the last four years and deserve respect, but shorter odds than Scotland? I’m not having that.

Scotland will be dismissed by many because Peter Wright is now just a regular Pro Tour player, standard wise. However, in Gary Anderson they have the heaviest scorer in the game for the last 12 months.

He doesn’t play much which makes judging his current form impossible, but he has won on the Euro Tour and pro tour in 2024. If he could be bothered to put a shift in, who knows what more he could have won?

World Cup Form

Their past form in the event is very good. Peter Wright has won it twice, once with Anderson and once with John Henderson. Not many fancied them to win with Hendo as a replacement for Anderson, but he was able to play his part, even as journeyman pro.

Is Wright any worse than Henderson was in 2021? I don’t think so. Having made four of the last six finals and winning two, Scotland make plenty of appeal at the odds.

Wales and Scotland are draw in different halves of the draw, so we could see a repeat of last year’s final.

1 point e/w Wales to win the 2024 World Cup Of Darts @ 7.00 with Boylesports, BET365, Betvictor**   **(Gerwyn Price WITHDREW AFTER this preview was posted, IF YOU HAVEN’T BACKED WALES YET, DON’T)

1 point e/w Scotland to win the 2024 World Cup Of Darts @ 19.00 with Boylesports, BET365, Betvictor

There will be another preview tomorrow, looking at the group betting.

-JamesPunt