The World Cup of Darts is only around the corner, with confirmation earlier in the year of the brand-new pairs only format for the event in Frankfurt. Australia represented by Simon Whitlock and Damon Heta will defend the title after claiming the nations first success in the World Cup last year, beating Wales 3-1 in the Final.
The popular pair will be initially trying to make the knock out stages after being drawn into Group C as the 7th Seeds along with debutants Guyana (of whom more later), as well as Gibraltar.
Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton will hope to add a second World Cup title for Wales this time around, after falling at the final hurdle 12 months ago. The duo come in as the bookmakers’ favourites to win in Frankfurt after both players’ strong start to the year, with the Red Dragon pair both claiming wins on the Euro Tour.
The Iceman beat his compatriot in the Semi Finals of the Premier League, as he recorded his first top of the table finish. The World Number 4 won 4 nights in the league format, winning Brighton with 3 successive ton plus averages in an impressive display.
Michael van Gerwen has ruled himself out of contention for the second year running after having a dental operation earlier in the week, with 3-time Pro Tour winner Dirk van Duijvenbode once again replacing the Premier League champion for the Netherlands.
The Aubergenius will partner UK Open champion Danny Noppert as the Dutch duo look to go further than their Semi Final finish last year.
Gary Anderson returns to partner Peter Wright for Scotland, as they look to deliver success for the second time as a pair. Snakebite has claimed 2 World Cups in his career, after also winning in 2021 along with fellow Red Dragon player John Henderson, after they beat Austria in the Final.
The Scottish pair will enter the competition in the Second Round as one of the 4 seeded nations along with England, Netherlands, and Wales.
Speaking of England, unusually their pairing was the subject of a nip and tuck battle all the way through until the last minute. Rob Cross earned himself the place alongside Michael Smith after a thrilling battle with Luke Humphries. The paring will be looking to reassert England’s dominance which has steadily weakened since the Taylo r& Lewis era.
Daryl Gurney and Brendan Dolan will take on debutants France in their opening match on Thursday, as the pair return once again to represent Northern Ireland in Frankfurt. Superchin included a 102+ average in the most recent Players Championship in Hildesheim, beating Maik Kuivenhoven in the 1st Round.
Gurney also reached the Semi Finals of the Austrian Darts Open earlier in the year, whilst the History Maker included the first 9 dart finish in the PDC of 2023, in beating Richard Veenstra at Players Championship 7.
Another side who could cause real trouble are the host nation, Germany. Clemens and Schindler have played well together before and have both been in excellent shape this year.
Unlike previously – as in the above picture – it can be argued that Schindler will lead the pairing this time as he probably has the edge of Gabriel currently. Can The Wall build a winning outfit?
Belgium will again field the, strong on paper, pairing of Dimitri Van den Bergh and Kim Huybrechts. Having had a year to get used to the idenew partnership many feel this pairing could go deep this time.
WDF World Finalist Thibault Tricole will make his debut in the World Cup for France along with PDC Tour Card holder Jacques Labre, with the French Touch getting some vital practise in last week after being involved in Stage 4 Week 5 of the MODUS Super Series.
Vladimir Andersen will make his third appearance at the World Cup with Benjamin Reus in representing Denmark, with the nation drawn into Group F along with Austria and the USA.
Guyana will field the pairing of Norman Madhoo who is something of a darts cult hero, now almost 60 Mahoo first appearance at the PDC World championships as far back as 2004! He will be partnered by Sudesh Fitzgerald. Could they spring a surprise or two?
The World Cup of Darts starts on Thursday from 6pm live on Sky Sports, with Switzerland taking on Italy in the 1st match of the opening session in Frankfurt.
2023 World Cup of Darts Teams and Groups:
England (1): Michael Smith and Rob Cross
Wales (2): Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton
Netherlands (3): Danny Noppert and Dirk van Duijvenbode
Scotland (4): Peter Wright and Gary Anderson
Group A:
Belgium: Dimitri van den Bergh and Kim Huybrechts
Finland: Marko Kantele and Paavo Myller
China: Xiaochen Zong and Lihao Wen
Group B:
Germany: Gabriel Clemens and Martin Schindler
Hong Kong: Man Lok Leung and Lee Lok Yin
Japan: Jun Matsuda and Tomoya Goto
Group C:
Australia: Simon Whitlock and Damon Heta
Guyana: Norman Madhoo and
Gibraltar: Craig Galliano and Justin Hewitt
Group D:
Northern Ireland: Daryl Gurney and Brendan Dolan
France: Thibault Tricole and Jacques Labre
Ukraine: Vladyslav Omelchenko and Illia Pekaruk
Group E:
Republic of Ireland: William O’Connor and Keane Barry
Thailand: Attapol Eupakaree and Yong Gaweenuntavong
Croatia: Boris Krcmar and Romeo Grbavac
Group F:
Austria: Mensur Suljovic and Rowby-John Rodriguez
Denmark: Vladimir Andersen and Benjamin Reus
USA: Jules van Dongen and Leonard Gates
Group G:
Poland: Krzysztof Ratajski and Krzysztof Kciuk
Portugal: Jose de Sousa and Luis Ameixa
Lithuania: Darius Labanauskas and Mindaugas Barauskas
Group H:
Canada: Jeff Smith and Matt Campbell
India: Prakash Jiwa and Amit Gilitawala
Hungary: Patrick Kovacs and Levente Sarai
Group I:
Czech Republic: Adam Gawlas and Karel Sedlacek
Singapore: Paul Lim and Harith Lim
Philippines: Christian Perez and Lourence Ilagan
Group J:
Spain: Jose Justicia and Tony Martinez
South Africa: Devon Petersen and Vernon Bouwers
Iceland: Hallgrimur Egilsson and Vitor Charrua
Group K:
Latvia: Madars Razma and Dmitry Zhukov
New Zealand: Ben Robb and Warren Parry
Bahrain: Basem Mahmood and Abdulnasser Yusuf
Group L:
Switzerland: Stefan Bellmont and Marcel Walpen
Italy: Michele Turetta and Massimo Dante
Sweden: Dennis Nilsson and Oskar Lukasiak
—–ENDS—–
Images: PDC
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