The full line-up for the 2026 BetVictor World Cup of Darts has now been confirmed. All participating nations have secured their pairings for next month’s tournament, which will once again be staged at Frankfurt’s Eissporthalle in Germany from June 11-14.
Now an all-pairs event, the tournament will feature forty nations competing for the title and an increased £500,000 prize fund. England, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland and Scotland – the top four seeded nations based on the lowest combined PDC ranking totals – will enter the competition in the second round.
DARTS PLAYER MERCHANDISE AND COLLECTABLES AT OUR DARTSWORLD STORE!
There are always likely to be shocks and surprises, particularly from some of the lesser-known nations who will relish the opportunity to perform on such a grand stage in front of a huge global audience. While it remains rare for a team outside the favourites to go all the way, the ever-changing landscape of the sport means you can never completely rule anything out.
Here are the main protagonists likely to be there or thereabouts at the business end of the tournament:Defending champions Northern Ireland retain the partnership of Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney, while Scotland’s pairing sees Gary Anderson joined by World Cup debutant Cameron Menzies, who takes the place of two-time tournament champion Peter Wright.
Reigning and back-to-back PDC World Champion Luke Littler and current Premier League Darts champion Luke Humphries will once again represent top seeds England, who are aiming to claim a record-extending sixth World Cup title, with their most recent success coming two years ago courtesy of Humphries and Michael Smith.
Aside from the European Championship, this remains the only piece of PDC silverware that Littler has yet to get his hands on.
The Netherlands, four-time World Cup winners, will be represented by Gian van Veen and Michael van Gerwen as they look to secure their first triumph since 2018. Should Van Gerwen make a late withdrawal, Danny Noppert would once again step in to replace the decorated Dutchman.
Hosts Germany will once again consist of Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko, assuming injury issues do not prevent Pikachu’s participation. Should that happen, Niko Springer appears set for a maiden World Cup outing.
Elsewhere, Belgium retain the pairing of Mike De Decker and Dimitri Van den Bergh for a second successive year.
Two-time World Cup winner Jonny Clayton will partner debutant Nick Kenny for Wales after Gerwyn Price made himself unavailable for selection. Price’s decision not to compete sees Wales drop out of the seeded positions, with Scotland benefitting from that change.
Republic of Ireland will feature a new partnership of William O’Connor and Mickey Mansell, with Mansell making history as the first player to compete at the World Cup for two different nations following his switch in allegiance from Northern Ireland.
MORE ELITE DARTS COVERAGE: Check Out Our Devoted PDC Area
Poland, meanwhile, boast a dangerous-looking pairing in the returning Sebastian Bialecki alongside the in-form Krzysztof Ratajski. This year’s tournament will also include Mongolia and Trinidad & Tobago for the first time, while Thailand and Slovenia return to the competition.
If selecting an outsider, the USA could prove to be a strong contender. In Adam Sevada and Stowe Buntz, the Americans possess both quality and experience. Asian darts is also continuing to develop rapidly, and in recent years a number of players from the continent have impressed on the international stage.
China, Japan and the Philippines could all prove capable of causing problems, and while no nation from outside Europe has lifted the World Cup to date, many believe that could eventually change through the rise of Asian darts.
WORLD CUP OF DARTS 2026 (National Pairings & Seedings)
Seeds 1-4 – Exempt to Round Two
(1) England – Luke Littler, Luke Humphries
(2) Netherlands – Gian van Veen, Michael van Gerwen
(3) Northern Ireland – Josh Rock, Daryl Gurney
(4) Scotland – Gary Anderson, Cameron Menzies
Seeds 5-16 – Seeded for Group Stage
(5) Germany – Martin Schindler, Ricardo Pietreczko
(6) Belgium – Mike De Decker, Dimitri Van den Bergh
(7) Wales – Jonny Clayton, Nick Kenny
8) Republic of Ireland – William O’Connor, Mickey Mansell
(9) Poland – Krzysztof Ratajski, Sebastian Bialecki
(10) Sweden – Jeffrey de Graaf, Oskar Lukasiak
(11) Australia – Damon Heta, Adam Leek
(12) Czechia – Karel Sedlacek, Adam Gawlas
(13) Austria – Mensur Suljović, Rusty-Jake Rodriguez
(14) Latvia – Madars Razma, Valters Melderis
(15) Croatia – Boris Krcmar, Pero Ljubic
(16) Finland – Jani Haavisto, Jonas Masalin
Unseeded Nations
Canada – Jim Long, David Cameron
China – Qingyu Zhan, Xiaochen Zong
Denmark – Andreas Toft Jorgensen, Jonas Graversen
France – Thibault Tricole, Nicolas Thuillier
Hong Kong – Man Lok Leung, Lok Yin Lee
Hungary – Patrik Kovacs, Pal Szekely
India – Nitin Kumar, Ankit Goenka
Italy – Michele Turetta, Riccardo Castelli
Japan – Motomu Sakai, Haruki Muramatsu
Lithuania – Darius Labanauskas, Mindaugas Barauskas
Mongolia – Altantulkhuur Myagmarsuren, Ganzorig Lkhagvasuren
New Zealand – Jonny Tata, Ben Robb
Norway – Cor Dekker, Kent Sivertsen
Philippines – Alexis Toylo, Paolo Nebrida
Portugal – Luis Camacho, Jose de Sousa
Singapore – Paul Lim, Phuay Wey Tan
Slovenia – Benjamin Pratnemer, Stefano Bozicek
South Africa – Graham Filby, Devon Petersen
Spain – Cristo Reyes, Jose Justicia
Switzerland – Stefan Bellmont, Marcel Walpen
Thailand – Sarayut Ouamumpa, Sowaris Rodman
Trinidad and Tobago – Joshua Balfour, James Walklin
Uganda – Patrick Ocheng, Juma Said
USA – Adam Sevada, Stowe Buntz
Originally published in DartsWorld 594 (Spring/Summer 2026)
Images: Kelly Deckers
Graphics: DartsWorld
