With the curtain hours away from being raised, signalling the launch of the hotly anticipated 2025 BetVictor World Cup of Darts, a few of the star names in the cast have been chatting about what looks set to be an explosive event in Frankfurt.
Weighing in with a couple of World Championship crowns, a Premier League title apiece, and countless other majors between them are the English pairing of a couple of lads called Luke.
This time last year, the elder of the two, Humphries, alongside another Ally Pally assassin, Michael Smith, returned to Blighty with the cup. Now, Cool Hand teams with teenage phenomenon Luke Littler as they look to return the trophy to English soil.
Speaking ahead of the tournament, skipper Humphries said:
“We’re really looking forward to it. 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!”
You won’t get much value down at the bookies – that’s largely because Team England consists of the top two ranked players on the planet right now and, between them, hold more or less every piece of PDC silverware available. Still, if you fancy a flutter, the boys are 2/5 pre-tournament favourites with title sponsor BetVictor.
Perhaps the Luke duo’s biggest threat comes from Wales. The pairing of Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Price collectively boasts quite the darting résumé – and crucially, have won the World Cup twice together. The Ferret recently picked up the Dutch Darts Championship and Gezzy has spent most of the year giving the England chaps a lot of headaches on the oche.
Naturally, and rightly so, Clayton is in confident mood and certainly not fazed by the prospect of an Anglo-Welsh clash down the line. Speaking proudly for his nation, Jonny had this to say:
“We’re there to try and win the trophy. We’ve done it twice before and we believe we can do it again. 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.”
Another country brimming with talent and titles is Team Scotland. With four World Championships between them and a shopping list of other honours, it’s extremely naïve to believe Gary Anderson and Peter Wright won’t be in the mix. Across the water, there’s another fresh and exciting duo for Northern Ireland, with Josh Rock set to make his World Cup debut alongside the experienced Daryl Gurney. That’s a dangerous outfit right there.
Outside of the UK, many fans expect the Netherlands to hold the main threat – a nation with four wins to their name. Now another young gun who is setting the oche alight enters the fray for the first time – Gian van Veen, who teams up with Danny Noppert. For the 23-year-old Dutch starlet, it’s quite the honour, and he is keen to get cracking.
“To take part in this tournament is a dream come true, and I’m really looking forward to it. 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 Super League 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.”
Others will surely have their say and aim to ensure the heavily armoured teams run out of ammunition. In particular, Belgium who field a fresh new pairing too, with World Grand Prix champ Mike De Decker alongside Dimitri Van den Bergh.
On home soil, Martin Schindler and World Cup debutant Ricardo Pietreczko will be looking to secure Germany’s first triumph. And no one is discounting the returning Aussie pairing of Damon Heta and Simon Whitlock, who’ve done it all before.
With plenty of others proudly flying the flag for their countries, it’s set to be an unmissable four days of excitement in the Eissporthalle.
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.
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Image: PDC
