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.
2025 BetVictor World Cup of Darts
June 12-15 2025, Eissporthalle, Frankfurt, Germany
Seeded through to Second Round
(1) England
(2) Wales
(3) Scotland
(4) Northern Ireland
Group Stage Draw
Group A
(5) Netherlands
Italy
Hungary
Group B
(6) Belgium
Latvia
Philippines
Group C
(7) Germany
Portugal
Singapore
Group D
(8) Republic of Ireland
Gibraltar
China
Group E
(9) Poland
South Africa
Norway
Group F
(10) Canada
Malaysia
Denmark
Group G
(11) Sweden
Lithuania
France
Group H
(12) Austria
Spain
Australia
Group I
(13) USA
Hong Kong
Bahrain
Group J
(14) Czechia
Chinese Taipei
India
Group K
(15) Croatia
Japan
Switzerland
Group L
(16) Finland
New Zealand
Argentina
Draw Bracket – Second Round onwards
(1) England v
v
(4) Northern Ireland v
v
(2) Wales v
v
(3) Scotland v
v
Session Schedule
Thursday June 12 (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
First Group Matches (Seeded Nation v Nation 2)
Sweden v Lithuania (G)
Czechia v Chinese Taipei (J)
Croatia v Japan (K)
Republic of Ireland v Gibraltar (D)
Canada v Malaysia (F)
USA v Hong Kong (I)
Poland v South Africa (E)
Belgium v Latvia (B)
Netherlands v Italy (A)
Germany v Portugal (C)
Austria v Spain (H)
Finland v New Zealand (L)
Friday June 13
Afternoon Session (1200 local time, 1100 BST)
Second Group Matches
(Thursday's Losing Team v Nation 3)
Schedule in same group order as Thursday's evening session
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Third Group Matches
(Thursday's Winning Team v Nation 3)
Schedule in same group order as Thursday's evening session
Saturday June 14
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)
Second Round x4
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Second Round x4
Sunday June 15
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)
Quarter-Finals
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Semi-Finals
Final
Match Format
First Round (Group Stage) - Best of seven legs
Second Round - Best of 15 legs
Quarter-Finals - Best of 15 legs
Semi-Finals - Best of 15 legs
Final - Best of 19 legs
All games will be played in a Doubles format, 501 with straight start and double finish.
Competing Nations & Pairings
(1) England - Luke Humphries & Luke Littler
(2) Wales - Jonny Clayton & Gerwyn Price
(3) Scotland - Gary Anderson & Peter Wright
(4) Northern Ireland - Josh Rock & Daryl Gurney
Argentina - Jesus Salate & Victor Guillin
Australia - Damon Heta & Simon Whitlock
Austria - Mensur Suljovic & Rusty-Jake Rodriguez
Bahrain - Sadeq Mohamed & Hasan Bucheeri
Belgium - Mike De Decker & Dimitri Van den Bergh
Canada - Matt Campbell & Jim Long
China - Xiaochen Zong & Lihao Wen
Chinese Taipei - Pupo Teng-Lieh & An-Sheng Lu
Croatia - Pero Ljubic & Boris Krcmar
Czechia - Karel Sedlacek & Petr Krivka
Denmark - Benjamin Reus & Andreas Hyllgaardhus
Finland - Teemu Harju & Marko Kantele
France - Thibault Tricole & Jacques Labre
Germany - Martin Schindler & Ricardo Pietreczko
Gibraltar - Craig Galliano & Justin Hewitt
Hong Kong - Man Lok Leung & Lok Yin Lee
Hungary - György Jehirszki & Gergely Lakatos
India - Nitin Kumar & Mohan Goel
Italy - Michele Turetta & Massimo Dalla Rosa
Japan - Ryusei Azemoto & Tomoya Goto
Latvia - Madars Razma & Valters Melderis
Lithuania - Darius Labanauskas & Mindaugas Barauskas
Malaysia - Tengku Shah & Tan Jenn Ming
Netherlands - Danny Noppert & Gian van Veen
New Zealand - Haupai Puha & Mark Cleaver
Norway - Cor Dekker & Kent Joran Sivertsen
Philippines - Lourence Ilagan & Paolo Nebrida
Poland - Krzysztof Ratajski & Radek Szaganski
Portugal - Jose de Sousa & Bruno Nascimento
Republic of Ireland - William O'Connor & Keane Barry
Singapore - Paul Lim & Phuay Wei Tan
South Africa - Cameron Carolissen & Devon Petersen
Spain - Daniel Zapata & Ricardo Fernandez
Sweden - Jeffrey de Graaf & Oskar Lukasiak
Switzerland - Stefan Bellmont & Alex Fehlmann
USA - Danny Lauby & Jules van Dongen
Prize Fund (Per Team)
Winners - £80,000
Runners-Up - £50,000
Semi-Finalists - £30,000
Quarter-Finalists - £20,000
Last 16 Losers - £9,000
Second in Group - £5,000
Third in Group - £4,000
Total £450,000