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PDC World Cup of Darts 2024: team-by-team guide

PDC World Cup of Darts 2024: team-by-team guide

Alex Moss |

PDC World Cup of Darts 2024: team-by-team guide to all 40 countries

The PDC World Cup of Darts is just around the corner! The 2024 World Cup of Darts takes place at the Eissporthalle, in Frankfurt, from June 27-30.

With 40 teams taking part in this year's tournament, there are plenty of nations aiming for glory. Here is Darts Corner’s guide to all you need to know about the teams, from past records and tournament odds to the players to watch out for in Frankfurt this year.

2024 PDC World Cup of Darts teams

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World Cup appearances (including this year): 14 
Best World Cup: Winners (2022) 
2024 team: Damon Heta and Simon Whitlock 
First round: vs Japan and Hong Kong
Tournament odds: 25/1

The 2022 World Cup champions Damon Heta and Simon Whitlock team up for a fifth consecutive year and will be looking to continue their 100 per cent record of making it through to the final day of play. Whitlock is one of only four World Cup ever presents, but it is Heta who is the undoubted Australian number one these days. ‘The Heat’ averaged 106 in beating Luke Littler at the UK Open back in March in one of the matches of the year and is on the cusp of a place inside the world’s top eight. Meanwhile, Whitlock has slid down the rankings in recent years and is only just inside the top 50. The World Cup could provide a welcome distraction for ‘The Wizard’, who has work to do to avoid his 15-year run of consecutive appearances in the PDC World Championship coming to an end this season.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 14 
Best World Cup: Runners-up (2021) 
2024 team: Rowby-John Rodriguez and Mensur Suljovic 
First round: vs China and Guyana
Tournament odds: 100/1

Mensur Suljovic is another World Cup stalwart but, like Australia’s Simon Whitlock, has struggled in recent times to arrest a drop down the PDC Order of Merit. Now ranked 56th, the former Champions League of Darts winner faces a fight to keep hold of his tour card, but will put those concerns to one side for one weekend as he puts on the Austrian shirt again with good friend off the oche Rowby-John Rodriguez. The duo enjoyed a memorable run to the final of the World Cup in 2021, with a demolition job of England in the semi-finals being the highlight. Suljovic averaged a stunning 109.66, and Rodriguez a cool 102.13, as the pair dropped just two legs between them in singles wins against James Wade and Dave Chisnall. The Austrian’s came unstuck in the revamped World Cup last year, as they missed out on progressing through the group stages on legs difference.

World Cup appearances (including this year): Two 
Best World Cup: Group Stage (2024) 
2024 team: Basem Mahmood and Duda Durra 
First round: vs Czech Republic and Iceland
Tournament odds: 500/1

Bahrain were one of four countries that made their World Cup debuts in 2023. The pairing of Basem Mahmood and Abdulnasser Yusuf lost to New Zealand and Latvia to finish bottom of their group, but despite those defeats the World Cup may have unearthed a hidden gem in Mahmood. Whilst Yusuf found it tough to settle under the bright lights on the big stage, posting individual averages under 40 in both games, Mahmood looked at home with averages of 84 and 99. Mahmood, nicknamed ‘The Arabian Arrow’ is back again this year, and is joined by a new partner in Duda ‘The Rebel’ Durra. Speaking to Gulf Daily News, Mahmood believes Bahrain can make their mark this year and said: “I’m so excited. You’re playing against champions, this is their living and they’re practicing eight hours a day. I’m not practicing like them, but my level is not far away from them. I can shock them.”

World Cup appearances (including this year): 14 
Best World Cup: Runners-up (2013) 
2024 team: Dimitri Van den Bergh and Kim Huybrechts 
First round: vs Singapore and Philippines
Tournament odds: 28/1

The big question surrounding Belgium in this year’s World Cup is: will Kim Huybrechts be fit to play and partner with Dimitri Van den Bergh? The Belgian number two broke two bones in his shoulder after being attacked by a group of rival football fans after watching his team Royal Antwerp play Union Saint-Gilloise in the Belgium Cup final. The incident took place on May 9, and a day later Huybrechts went in for surgery, before making his playing return on the ProTour less than five weeks later. If there was an award for ‘Most Entertaining Team of the World Cup’, Belgium would have won by a landslide in 2023, with Huybrechts and Van den Bergh serving up three last-leg thrillers in the knockout stages. The pair were on non-speaking terms at the start of the tournament, but put their differences to one side in 8-7 wins over the Netherlands and Australia, before being edged out by the eventual champions Wales in the semi-finals.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 14 
Best World Cup: Quarter-Finals/Group Stage (Last 8) (2010, 2016, 2019, 2020) 
2024 team: Matt Campbell and David Cameron 
First round: vs Croatia and Malaysia
Tournament odds: 200/1

The Matt Campbell/Jeff Smith partnership for Canada has been broken up this year, as David Cameron makes his World Cup bow and teams up with the PDC tour card holder Campbell. After Smith lost his tour card in January, the second spot in team Canada was decided by the CDC rankings after the opening two events of the season last month. Cameron and Smith met in the final of the second event, with ‘Excalibur’ prevailing 7-5 to top the rankings ahead of Smith and secure his debut in the PDC’s World Cup. This new pairing has the potential to cause some damage, with Campbell putting a disappointing start to 2024 on the ProTour behind him by winning the North American Darts Championship and then reaching a Players Championship final in the last few weeks. Cameron made the final of the CDC Cross Border Challenge in April and has proven already to be a tricky customer no matter what stage he is playing on.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 11 
Best World Cup: Last 16 (2016) 
2024 team: Xiaochen Zong and Chengan Liu 
First round: vs Austria and Guyana
Tournament odds: 500/1

After missing the 2022 edition due to travel issues, China made their World Cup return last year and came within a whisker of beating the fifth seeds Belgium. A clutch 86 finish in the decider helped Belgium to a 4-3 win, with China sat waiting behind on tops to win the match. The revamped World Cup format, which starts off with a group stage and three teams in each group, should benefit the lower-ranked nations in the long run with the extra stage time and being guaranteed a minimum of two games. China falls into this bracket and you would expect their losing run (they have not won a World Cup tie since 2016) to end sooner rather than later. Xiaochen Zong continues to fly the flag as China’s number one, successfully retaining his PDC China Premier League title in April, and he teams up with debutant Chengan Liu, who he beat 11-1 in the final of that event.

World Cup appearances (including this year): One 
Best World Cup: Debut 
2024 team: Teng-Lieh Pupo and An-Sheng Lu 
First round: vs Republic of Ireland and Lithuania
Tournament odds: 1000/1

Chinese Taipei are the only debuting nation in this year’s tournament and are somewhat of an unknown package. Teng-Lieh Pupo and An-Sheng Lu will make history as the first pairing from Chinese Taipei to compete in the competition after winning through the World Cup Asia Qualifiers last month. Pupo and Lu battled back from 3-0 and 4-2 down to beat Malaysia’s Siik Hwang Wong and Mohamad Nasir 5-4 in the final round of qualifying. Pupo is the more experienced of the duo, being 20 years older than Lu, and turns 48 next month. Both players have made inroads on the PDC Asian Tour this year, with Lu reaching a pair of quarter-finals in recent events held in Manila and Penang, whilst Pupo appeared in a semi-final during last month’s triple-header in Malaysia. He also posted a 98 average in a 4-0 win over World Championship qualifier Sandro Eric Sosing during one event in Manila back in April.                      

World Cup appearances (including this year): Five 
Best World Cup: Quarter-Finals (2013) 
2024 team: Boris Krcmar and Romeo Grbavac 
First round: vs Malaysia and Canada
Tournament odds: 150/1

After knocking out the ninth seed Ireland in a winner-takes-all group stage clash, Croatia’s Boris Krcmar and Romeo Grbavac almost pulled off another shock against the then defending champions Australia in last year’s World Cup. It was the first time Croatia had been involved in the tournament since 2013, but with Krcmar now a mainstay on the PDC tour there had long been calls for them to be recalled to the line up. It has been slow and steady progress so far for Croatia’s leading man Krcmar since winning his tour card at the start of 2020. The former soft tip world champion enjoyed his best-ever run in the PDC World Championship last December, beating Dirk van Duijvenbode on his way to the last 32. His progress in 2024 had stalled until reaching a quarter-final in Players Championship 12.

World Cup appearances (including this year): Ten 
Best World Cup: Last 24 Group Stage (2010) 
2024 team: Adam Gawlas and Karel Sedlacek 
First round: vs Bahrain and Iceland
Tournament odds: 80/1

The Czech Republic’s hunt for a first World Cup win ended last year, with PDC tour-card holders Adam Gawlas and Karel Sedlacek getting the better of Singapore in their opening group game. At the ninth attempt, the Czechs had their first taste of success in a World Cup, but it was short lived as the next day they were comfortably beaten by the Philippines and were knocked out of the tournament. The more experienced Sedlacek is undoubtedly the form player of the two heading into this year’s World Cup, reaching a Players Championship quarter-final in March and last month picking up wins over Michael van Gerwen and Raymond van Barneveld on the floor. Meanwhile, the former PDC world youth finalist Gawlas has struggled for results so far this term, losing in the first round of eight out of 12 Players Championships and has dropped out of the world’s top 64.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 14 
Best World Cup: Last 16 (2012, 2016, 2022, 2023) 
2024 team: Benjamin Drue Reus and Claus Bendix Nielsen 
First round: vs France and Latvia
Tournament odds: 300/1

As far as World Cup debuts go, the first game for Denmark’s Benjamin Drue Reus last year could not have gone much better. The Dane produced an individual average of 114.67 in their 4-2 win against Austria, a performance which saw many darts fans sit up and take notice. Drue Reus’ stock has continued to grow since, with the 25-year-old becoming only the second player from Denmark to win a PDC tour card at Q-School in January. In his first UK Open, Drue Reus made it all the way to the fifth round, beating Callan Rydz and Jose De Sousa on the way before losing out to the world number one Luke Humphries on the main stage. A last-minute change to the Danish World Cup line up for this year sees Claus Bendix Nielsen called up for his debut, with Vladimir Andersen having been suspended by the PDC Nordic & Baltic Tour for reasons still unknown.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 14 
Best World Cup: Winners (2012, 2013, 2015, 2016) 
2024 team: Luke Humphries and Michael Smith 
Second round: TBC
Tournament odds: 4/7

Some of the more casual darts fans might be wondering why the newly crowned Premier League champion Luke Littler isn’t in England’s World Cup team. The 17-year-old is still only in his first full season on the PDC tour and has risen up to #25 in the world, but is the 12th highest-ranked English player and has more players to climb above in order to make the team as one of the top two ranked players from his country. Even in the absence of the teenage sensation, this England line up is a serious contender for the title. The last two PDC world champions, 2024 winner Luke Humphries and the 2023 victor Michael Smith, world ranked #1 and #3, will be putting on the England shirt in Frankfurt this summer. It is a debut for Humphries, whilst Smith has appeared in four of the last five World Cups and reached the final with Rob Cross back in 2020.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 14 
Best World Cup: Semi-Finals (2013) 
2024 team: Marko Kantele and Teemu Harju 
First round: vs Germany and New Zealand
Tournament odds: 500/1

Debutant Teemu Harju will be the seventh different player to partner Finnish stalwart Marko Kantele in the World Cup later this month. Kantele, who turns 56 in August, has appeared in all but two World Cups for Finland, and he continues to be his country’s leading player after topping the PDC Nordic & Baltic Tour rankings last year. He opened his account for 2024 with another title on the his regional circuit in February, before appearing in the Nordic Darts Masters earlier this month, losing 6-2 to Nathan Aspinall in the first round. For his new partner Harju it will be a first appearance in front of the TV cameras, where he will hope to put on a better showing than he did for his European Tour debut last month – a 6-0 whitewash defeat to James Wade in the opening round of the Dutch Darts Championship.

World Cup appearances (including this year): Three 
Best World Cup: Quarter-Finals (2023) 
2024 team: Thibault Tricole and Jacques Labre 
First round: vs Latvia and Denmark
Tournament odds: 200/1

After a nine-year absence, France made their long-awaited return to the World Cup in 2023 and looked to make up for lost time. The French duo of Thibault Tricole and Jacques Labre dropped just one leg in the group stage, with wins against the eighth seeds Northern Ireland and Ukraine taking them through to the last 16. A fairly routine 8-4 victory over South Africa saw France progress into the final day, where their run came to a crashing halt with an 8-0 thrashing by Scotland’s Peter Wright and Gary Anderson in the quarter-finals. Tricole and Labre, now both current PDC tour card holders after the former won his tour card at Q-School this past January, team up again this year and for the first time France will enter the World Cup as one of the seeded countries – a sign of the continued development of Les Bleus as a darting nation.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 14 
Best World Cup: Semi-Finals (2020, 2023) 
2024 team: Martin Schindler and Gabriel Clemens 
First round: vs New Zealand and Finland
Tournament odds: 10/1

Euro 2024 is not the only big sporting event taking place in Germany this summer. Frankfurt’s Eissporthalle once again plays host to the PDC World Cup of Darts this month, and hopes will be high amongst the German darts fans that Martin Schindler and Gabriel Clemens can deliver success for the host nation. Germany’s leading pair looked a real contender for the World Cup title last year, breezing through the group stages without dropping a single leg before beating Poland and the top seeds England to reach the semi-finals. The hosts then came unstuck against Scotland as they missed out on a first World Cup final, but they will be buoyed by Schindler’s recent success on the European Tour. ‘The Wall’ beat Gerwyn Price 8-5 in the final of the International Darts Open, becoming only the third German player to win a senior PDC title on an emotional night in Riesa two months ago.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 14 
Best World Cup: Last 16 (2015) 
2024 team: Justin Hewitt and Craig Galliano 
First round: vs Sweden and Spain
Tournament odds: 750/1

Gibraltar will once again be represented by the young duo of Justin Hewitt and Craig Galliano. Both just 22-years-old, they will be the youngest pairing in the tournament. The switch to a group stage format last year saw Gibraltar get two bites of the cherry and pick up their first win in the competition since 2015. A 4-1 victory over debutants Guyana was Gibraltar’s second-ever World Cup win and a first for the youthful pairing of Hewitt and Galliano. This year saw six qualifiers take place under a pairs format to determine the Gibraltar World Cup team for 2024, with Hewitt and Galliano teaming up to win four of the six qualifiers to secure their places in Frankfurt again this summer.

World Cup appearances (including this year): Two 
Best World Cup: Group Stage (2023) 
2024 team: Norman Madhoo and Sudesh Fitzgerald 
First round: vs Austria and China
Tournament odds: 750/1

Guyana’s debut in the World Cup last year marked an incredible comeback story for Sudesh Fitzgerald, who was playing on the stage less than a year after a serious car crash had left him fighting for his life. In late 2022, Fitzgerald was in a coma and had sustained a host of internal injuries, including a broken jaw, broken hip and a broken foot, before recovering to play in the Latin America World Cup Qualifier less than nine months later. Fitzgerald and Norman Madhoo won through the qualifier to make history for Guyana in last year’s World Cup and are back again in 2024 after more success in the same qualifier, which was held in Costa Rica this past April. The 12-team event included nations from Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean, with the Guyanese duo beating Nicaragua’s Norwin Jimenez and Gerlad Ordenana 4-1 in the final.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 11 
Best World Cup: Quarter-Finals (2015) 
2024 team: Man Lok Leung and Lok Yin Lee 
First round: vs Australia and Japan
Tournament odds: 300/1

Man Lok Leung makes his third World Cup appearance for Hong Kong, but this one will be the most anticipated after his impressive debut at the PDC World Championship last December. ‘Hugo’ lit up Alexandra Palace as he fired in 11 180s and fought back from 2-0 down to beat the highly-fancied Gian van Veen in the first round. He partners up with Lok Yin Lee at the World Cup for a second year in a row, and the duo will be keen to snap their country’s long losing streak in the competition. Since Royden Lam and Scott MacKenzie reached the quarter-finals in 2015, Hong Kong have not won another game, losing all of their last 10 World Cup ties, including a narrow 4-3 defeat to Japan in the group stage last year. Leung heads to Frankfurt in good form after winning a title on the PDC Asian Tour earlier this month.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 13 
Best World Cup: Last 16 (2015, 2016) 
2024 team: Nandor Major and Gabor Jagicza 
First round: vs Poland and Norway
Tournament odds: 500/1

It will be a brand new line up for Hungary at the World Cup this year, as Gabor Jagicza and Nandor Major both make their debuts in the competition. The duo of Patrik Kovacs and Levente Sarai clinched Hungary’s first win at a World Cup since 2016 with a group stage win over India last year, but their hopes of reaching the last 16 were ended rather abruptly in a 4-1 defeat to Canada in what was a winner-takes-all tie. There is not much to go off for this new Hungarian pairing, with Major’s sole appearance on a big stage a 6-0 whitewash defeat to Luke Humphries at the Poland Darts Masters last July. Meanwhile, Jagicza has qualified twice for his home European Tour event, the Hungarian Darts Trophy, and lost on both occasions with a sub 80 average.

World Cup appearances (including this year): Two 
Best World Cup: Group Stage (2023) 
2024 team: Arngrimur Olafsson and Petur Gudmondsson 
First round: vs Czech Republic and Bahrain
Tournament odds: 500/1

Iceland were one of four countries to make their World Cup debuts last year, but like their other debutants in the field they also left Frankfurt empty handed with two defeats from their two games. The Icelandic pairing of Vitor Charrua and Hallgrimur Eglisson did push both of their opponents close, losing 4-2 to Spain and South Africa in the group stages. It’s another new duo putting on the Iceland shirts this time round as Arngrimur Olafsson and Petur Gudmondsson make their debuts. Going off of the PDC Nordic & Baltic Tour so far this term, the two players are very closely matched. Olafsson has a seasonal average of 71.04, only slightly ahead of his partner Gudmundsson on 70.78. Only €50 separates the two players in the Nordic & Baltic rankings too, with Olafsson on €225 and Gudmundsson on €175.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 12 
Best World Cup: Last 24 Group Stage (2013) 
2024 team: Michele Turetta and Massimo Dalla Rosa 
First round: vs USA and Portugal
Tournament odds: 500/1

This time last year Italy went into the World Cup still searching for their first win. Fast forward 12 months and the Italians have notched their maiden victory in a World Cup and also return with a PDC tour card holder in their team. Starting with last year’s World Cup, the duo of Massimo Dante and Michele Turetta held their nerve to beat Switzerland 4-3 on the opening night of the tournament, which secured Italy their first win at a World Cup at the 12th attempt. The Italians were edged out in a decider by Sweden the next day as they narrowly missed out on a place in the knockout stage, but will be hopeful of breaking new ground this year. Turetta made history in January when he became the first player from Italy to win a tour card at Q-School, and he is joined in the team by the debuting Massimo Dalla Rosa.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 14 
Best World Cup: Semi-Finals (2019) 
2024 team: Tomoya Goto and Ryusei Azemoto 
First round: vs Australia and Hong Kong
Tournament odds: 300/1

The World Cup has not been a happy hunting ground in recent years for Japan, but there are signs that a resurgence could be on the cards. In Tomoya Goto and Ryusei Azemoto, Japan have arguably got their strongest team since 2019 when the pairing of Haruki Muramatsu and Seigo Asada went all the way to the semi-finals. Goto caught the eye in the last PDC World Championship, knocking out Ian White in the first round on his debut at Ally Pally. For many people it will be a first look at his partner Azemoto, who makes his big-stage debut in the World Cup, but close observers of the PDC Asian Tour will know all about him. Azemoto has won three titles and reached another final so far on this year’s Asian Tour, runs which sees him sit third in the rankings and on course for a first World Championship appearance in December.

World Cup appearances (including this year): Four 
Best World Cup: Last 16 (2020, 2022, 2023) 
2024 team: Madars Razma and Valters Melderis 
First round: vs France and Denmark
Tournament odds: 200/1

Another year and another new partner for Latvia’s number one Madars Razma at the World Cup. Valters Melderis follows in the footsteps of Janis Mustafejevs, Nauris Gleglu and Dimitrijs Zukovs in teaming up with the nine-time Latvian national champion Razma, who has held a PDC tour card ever since 2017. His new partner Melderis has represented his country before in WDF Europe and World Cups, whilst his biggest achievements on an individual level include winning the Estonian Open and reaching a final on the Nordic & Baltic Tour. Meanwhile, Razma broke into the world’s top 32 in the PDC last year and became the first Latvian to be seeded at the PDC World Championship in December. He has since slipped out of the top 32, but showed signs of his form returning with a second career semi-final on the European Tour last month.

World Cup appearances (including this year): Six 
Best World Cup: Last 16 (2020, 2021) 
2024 team: Darius Labanauskas and Mindaugas Barauskas 
First round: vs Republic of Ireland and Chinese Taipei
Tournament odds: 250/1

The seemingly unbreakable partnership of Darius Labanauskas and Mindaugas Barauskas continue to fly the flag for Lithuania at the World Cup. The duo has represented Lithuania together every year since their country was included in the tournament for the first time in 2019. During those first five years the Lithuanian pairing have had their moments, reaching the last 16 on two occasions and coming within a single leg of the quarter-finals, when they lost in a decider to Wales back in 2021. Labanauskas has been Lithuania’s leading light on the PDC tour, holding a tour card from 2019 to 2023, and reached the quarter-finals of the PDC World Championship in 2020. ‘Lucky D’ even threw a nine-dart leg at Ally Pally in 2021, but lost his tour card after failing to qualify for the World Championship last year and finishing the season outside the world’s top 64.

World Cup appearances (including this year): Three 
Best World Cup: Last 32 (2012, 2014) 
2024 team: Mohamad Nasir and Siik Hwang Wong 
First round: vs Croatia and Canada
Tournament odds: 750/1

The last time Malaysia played in a World Cup, Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis were the defending champions and the top seeds. That was in 2014, and 10 years later Malaysia will make their World Cup return when Mohamad Nasir and Siik Hwang Wong team up to represent their country later this month. The Malaysian pair were one of three pairs to win a spot in this year’s World Cup via the Asian Qualifiers, beating Thailand’s Sarayut Ouamumpa and Wiwat Pannom 5-0 in the final round of qualifying. Whilst it will be the first time Malaysia have graced the World Cup stage in a decade, their players have caught the eye on other stages in recent times. Nasir won two titles on the same weekend on the PDC Asian Tour last summer, a feat which included wins over many of the continent’s top names such as Paul Lim, Paolo Nebrida and Man Lok Leung.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 14 
Best World Cup: Winners (2010, 2014, 2017, 2018) 
2024 team: Michael van Gerwen and Danny Noppert 
Second round: TBC
Tournament odds: 7/2

The World Cup is the only time of year you’ll see Michael van Gerwen playing darts in a shirt that isn’t green, but when he partners up with Danny Noppert later this month it will be his first appearance in the tournament since 2021. The last two years van Gerwen has withdrew from the tournament, skipping the 2022 edition due to arm surgery and missing last year’s competition for a dental operation. The world number two teams up with Danny Noppert for the second time this year, with the Dutch pair having previously represented their country together in 2020. The Netherlands, along with England, are the joint most successful nation in World Cup history, winning the title four times, but it has been six years since van Gerwen and co tasted success. Can the return of MVG spur the Dutch team to a record-breaking fifth World Cup crown?

World Cup appearances (including this year): 13 
Best World Cup: Quarter-Finals (2019) 
2024 team: Haupai Puha and Ben Robb 
First round: vs Germany and Finland
Tournament odds: 250/1

For the first time, New Zealand go into a World Cup with a PDC tour card holder in their ranks. Haupai Puha topped the European Q-School Order of Merit with nine points, a haul so impressive that he decided not to even enter the final day as the tour card had virtually been secured with a day to spare. ‘Hopes’ has not exactly set the world alight in his first six months on the PDC tour, but has shown flashes of the high levels he can reach. In the European Tour qualifiers he has posted 106 and 100 averages, whilst he has also had several high 90s averages in the Players Championship events. Meanwhile, Puha’s partner Ben Robb dominated the DPNZ Pro Tour back in New Zealand last year, winning six of the 12 events to top the rankings and qualify for the World Championship for the fourth time in five years.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 14 
Best World Cup: Semi-Finals (2014, 2016) 
2024 team: Josh Rock and Brendan Dolan 
First round: vs South Africa and Switzerland
Tournament odds: 25/1

Few races to qualify for this year’s World Cup were as close and exciting as the one to partner Josh Rock in the Northern Ireland team. Just £500 separated Brendan Dolan and Daryl Gurney on the PDC Order of Merit heading into the final event before the cut off last month. At the Dutch Darts Championship, Dolan won his first match to edge further in front, whilst the next day Gurney lost out in the second round to end his hopes of overtaking his fellow countryman. It will be the first time Dolan and Gurney have not teamed up together since 2015, as the newcomer Rock makes his debut in the tournament as the Northern Ireland number one. ‘Rocky’ went on to win the aforementioned Dutch Darts Championship, and three weeks earlier World Cup ever present Dolan hit double figures for ProTour titles with a Players Championship victory, so both players head to Frankfurt with that winning feeling.

World Cup appearances (including this year): Four 
Best World Cup: Last 16 (2016) 
2024 team: Cor Dekker and Hakon Bjorge Helling 
First round: vs Poland and Hungary
Tournament odds: 500/1

Norway make their World Cup return after an eight year absence, with Cor Dekker and Hakon Bjorge Helling set to represent the Norwegians in Frankfurt this summer. In their last appearance at a World Cup in 2016, Dekker and Robert Wagner led their country to their first-ever win, beating Gibraltar in the first round before going out to Scotland in the last 16. Fast forward to 2024 and Dekker is expected to take on the leading role in this team. ‘The Sheriff’, who is one of the tallest players in darts at 2.05m, has reached back-to-back finals on the PDC Nordic & Baltic Tour this season. He lost out to the Swedish pair of Jeffrey de Graaf and Johan Engstrom on both occasions, and currently sits in fourth place in the rankings. Meanwhile, his partner Bjorge Helling has also had some success becoming Norway's national champion just last month.

World Cup appearances (including this year): Nine 
Best World Cup: Last 16 (2016, 2023) 
2024 team: Christian Perez and Alexis Toylo 
First round: vs Belgium and Singapore
Tournament odds: 250/1

Whilst many darts fans will be disappointed not to see the charismatic Lourence Ilagan in the line up, the Philippines will still be fielding a team that could cause an upset or two at the World Cup this year. PDC tour card holder Christian Perez keeps his spot in the team and is joined by debutant Alexis Toylo, who is a player we can expect to see plenty more of on the big stage this year. The 32-year-old has won an eye-catching five titles on the PDC Asian Tour so far in 2024, and reached two more finals. He holds a strong lead at the top of the rankings and is well on course for a trip to Ally Pally in December. Perez, who won his tour card back in January 2023, only managed to play in two events on the tour last season, but has been more committed this term, missing just two of the opening 12 Players Championships.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 13 
Best World Cup: Last 16 (2013, 2014, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023) 
2024 team: Krzysztof Ratajski and Radek Szaganski 
First round: vs Norway and Hungary
Tournament odds: 50/1

Poland wrote their name in the record books at last year’s World Cup, as Krzysztof Ratajski and Krzysztof Kcuik set a new highest-ever pairs average in the tournament. The two Krzysztofs averaged an astonishing 118.10 in their win against Lithuania in the group stage, eclipsing the previous record of 117.88 set by Michael van Gerwen and Raymond van Barneveld in 2014. The Poles were looking to break new ground by reaching their first World Cup quarter-final, but fell short in the last 16 after a close defeat to the host nation Germany. Poland’s number one Ratajski is joined by a new partner this year in Radek Szaganski, who became the second Pole to win a PDC senior title last year. After ‘The Polish Eagle’ bagged his 10th ProTour title with a victory on the European Tour last September, Szaganski added his name to the roll of honour with a Players Championship victory just one month later.

World Cup appearances (including this year): Five 
Best World Cup: Last 16 (2020, 2021, 2022) 
2024 team: Jose De Sousa and David Gomes 
First round: vs USA and Italy
Tournament odds: 150/1

It has been a steady decline for Portugal’s top star Jose De Sousa in recent years, as the 2020 Grand Slam of Darts champion and 2021 Premier League finalist has fallen out of the world’s top eight, the top 16 and is now down at #30 on the PDC Order of Merit. ‘The Special One’ is joined by a new partner in the Portuguese team this year in David Gomes, who won through a qualifier earlier this year to earn a big-stage debut at the World Cup. Gomes is involved in the running of the Associação de Setas de Setúbal, a darts organisation in Portugal, but not much is known about his own playing standard. With De Sousa currently outside the spots for the World Matchplay and World Grand Prix, the World Cup could be one of the few times we see the popular Portuguese on our screens this year.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 14 
Best World Cup: Runners-up (2019) 
2024 team: Willie O'Connor and Keane Barry 
First round: vs Lithuania and Chinese Taipei
Tournament odds: 66/1

Willie O’Connor continues his ever present record at the World Cup, as he puts on the Republic of Ireland shirt for the 14th time. Keane Barry keeps his spot in the team, having made his debut last year, and the pair will be looking to quickly put the disappointment of their 2023 campaign behind them. The Irish pair were beaten 4-1 by Croatia in a winner-takes-all clash to bow out at the first hurdle, and as the second highest-ranked team to be knocked out in the group stages of the competition. O’Connor has shown flashes of brilliance so far in 2024, beating the likes of Rob Cross, Chris Dobey and James Wade on the floor. Barry has endured a tough start on the ProTour this season, losing in the first round in all of the first nine Players Championships, but has shone on the Development Tour, picking up two titles to sit in second place in the rankings.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 14 
Best World Cup: Winners (2019, 2021) 
2024 team: Peter Wright and Gary Anderson 
Second round: TBC
Tournament odds: 20/1

The Scotland dream team of multi-time world champions Peter Wright and Gary Anderson were reunited at the World Cup last year and came within one win of the title. The 2019 champions were teaming up with each other for the first time since winning that title, and beat the Philippines, France and Germany to send their country through to a fifth World Cup final. A 10-2 drubbing at the hands of Wales ended their bid for glory in 2023, but Wright and Anderson line up again this year looking for more silverware. Wright’s dip in form is a big question mark heading into the tournament, with ‘Snakebite’ finishing rock bottom of the recent Premier League, but his partner Anderson is producing some of the best darts of his career so far in 2024. He tops the Players Championship season averages on 101.03 and no one is currently averaging more than him in the PDC this term.

World Cup appearances (including this year): Ten 
Best World Cup: Quarter-Finals (2017) 
2024 team: Paul Lim and Harith Lim 
First round: vs Belgium and Philippines
Tournament odds: 300/1

The universally popular Lims team up again for Singapore at the World Cup this year after Paul and Harith Lim earned their spot in the tournament through the recent World Cup Asia Qualifiers. Paul, 70, and Harith, 54, have featured in every World Cup apart from one since making their debuts in 2014, and have enjoyed some memorable moments during their trips to Germany. In 2017, the duo dumped out the top seeds Scotland on their way to reaching the quarter-finals, and they have also given England and the Netherlands a scare over the years. The veteran Paul Lim shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon, winning the WDF-ranked Ulaanbaatar Open earlier this month. He made the first of his 26 World Championship appearances way back in 1982, and more than 40 years later is still competing in some of the biggest events darts has to offer.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 13 
Best World Cup: Quarter-Finals (2012, 2014) 
2024 team: Cameron Carolissen and Johan Geldenhuys 
First round: vs Northern Ireland and Switzerland
Tournament odds: 750/1

For just the second time ever, South Africa line up for a World Cup without their talisman Devon Petersen. ‘The African Warrior' became the first player from South Africa to win a PDC senior title with his victory on the European Tour in 2020, and also broke into the world’s top 32 that year. After a breakthrough 2020 and then a strong start to 2021, which included a quarter-final at the UK Open, Petersen’s form dropped off and by the end of 2023 he had tumbled out of the world’s top 64 and lost his PDC tour card. It’s a new look South African team this year as Cameron Carolissen and Johan Geldenhuys both make their debuts in the tournament. Carolissen finished top of the first ever African Continental Tour in 2023, whilst Geldenhuys won the South African Open earlier this year to earn his spot in the field.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 14 
Best World Cup: Semi-Finals (2010) 
2024 team: Jesus Noguera and Jose Justicia 
First round: vs Sweden and Gibraltar
Tournament odds: 300/1

Spain no longer have a PDC tour card holder in their ranks, but head to the World Cup this year still with two players who have previous experience of playing in the tournament. Jose Justicia and Jesus Noguera both won through last month’s qualifier to secure their spots in the Spanish team for 2024. The duo did partner up with each other three years ago, when they lost in a last-leg decider to South Africa in the first round. Justicia (84.93) and Noguera (85.26) have been fairly well-matched on the Challenge Tour so far this season, with just 0.33 of a point separating them in the seasonal averages. They will need to up that level if they are to replicate the heroics of their fellow countrymen Toni Alcinas and Carlos Rodriguez, who famously knocked out England on their way to the semi-finals in the inaugural World Cup back in 2010.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 14 
Best World Cup: Quarter-Finals (2023) 
2024 team: Jeffrey de Graaf and Oskar Lukasiak 
First round: vs Spain and Gibraltar
Tournament odds: 200/1

Sweden were one of the surprise packages in last year’s World Cup, as Dennis Nilsson and Oskar Lukasiak led their country to a first ever quarter-final. After a shaky first game against Switzerland, the debuting Lukasiak really found his feet with individual averages of 100, 93 and 88 as the Swedes beat Italy and Canada, before bowing out to the eventual champions Wales on the final day. Lukasiak went on to win his first PDC title on the Challenge Tour in early 2024 and has been a regular top-up player on the ProTour so far this season. His money earned in the Players Championships has earned him a second World Cup appearance, and this time he teams up with the Dutch-born Swede Jeffrey de Graaf. The PDC tour card holder, who now lives in Stockholm, received his Swedish citizenship last year and went on to regain his tour card this past January via Q-School.

World Cup appearances (including this year): Five 
Best World Cup: Last 16 (2018) 
2024 team: Stefan Bellmont and Bruno Stockli 
First round: vs Northern Ireland and South Africa
Tournament odds: 300/1

Stefan Bellmont continues to be the leading force in Swiss darts, winning his second PDC Challenge Tour title and his maiden WDF-ranking event at the Helvetia Open already in 2024. In April, ‘Belli’ also reached the quarter-finals of a Players Championship event as one of the top-up players from the Challenge Tour, beating former world champions Michael Smith and Rob Cross on his way to the last eight. Bellmont teams up with a new partner at the World Cup this year in Bruno Stockli, who won through a recent qualifier. For the German-based Stockli, who is nicknamed ‘The Beast’, it will be a first appearance on the big stage. Whilst Switzerland have only won one World Cup match in six attempts, they continue to make strides as a darts nation and will stage their first European Tour event in Basel this upcoming September.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 14 
Best World Cup: Group Stage(Last 8)/Quarter-Finals (2010, 2012) 
2024 team: Danny Lauby and Jules van Dongen 
First round: vs Portugal and Italy
Tournament odds: 150/1

Earlier this month a record crowd of 3,600 packed into New York’s Madison Square Garden for the final session of the US Darts Masters. The PDC’s annual stop in America continues to grow in popularity, with a combined attendance of 7,500 being recorded during that weekend. The Americans will have two PDC tour card holders representing them at the World Cup this year, as Danny Lauby and Jules van Dongen fly the flag for the United States. Neither player has enjoyed a particularly pleasing start to the ProTour season, with Lauby’s best run on the floor being two last 32 appearances, whilst van Dongen has lost in the first round in nine of the 12 Players Championship events so far. Both players know they have a lot more to offer and, having taken the 16th and final seeding for this World Cup, will hope to make it through the group stages and show what they can do.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 14 
Best World Cup: Winners (2020, 2023) 
2024 team: Jonny Clayton and Jim Williams
Second round: TBC
Tournament odds: 6/1

Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis. Michael van Gerwen and Raymond van Barneveld. Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton. The only three pairings to have won the World Cup on multiple occasions. Price and Clayton joined that exclusive club last year, following up their maiden success in 2020 with a second title in 2023, thumping Scotland 10-2 in the final. The change to an all-pairs format for the World Cup last year seemed to play even more into the hands of the Welsh duo, who were already a formidable pairing whenever it came to playing pairs. Since 2020, Price and Clayton have played 14 pairs matches in the World Cup and have won 13 of them. Their sole defeat in the pairs format coming in a last-leg decider to Scotland in 2021 – and even on that occasion they averaged 103. So, what we’re saying is the reigning champions are going to take some stopping again this year!

Update 26/6: Gerwyn Price has withdrawn from the tournament due to health issues and has been replaced by Jim Williams. The world number 44 is the next highest-ranked Welsh player on the PDC Order of Merit and will make his World Cup of Darts debut alongside Jonny Clayton.

Get World Cup of Darts ready!

Celebrate this year’s tournament in style with our 2024 World Cup of Darts collection! Support your favourite players during the event with a range of darts and accessories for Michael Smith, Gary Anderson, Damon Heta, Josh Rock and many more included in this range.

Tournament odds correct as of 21.06.2024

Pictures: PDC

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