The PDC World Cup of Darts is just around the corner! The 2026 edition of the World Cup of Darts will be held at the Eissporthalle, in Frankfurt, Germany, from June 11-14.

This year’s tournament features 40 nations with the 2025 champions Northern Ireland, Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney, bidding to become just the third team to defend the title.

Here is Darts Corner’s in-depth 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.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 16
Best World Cup: Winners (2022)
2026 team: Damon Heta and Adam Leek
First round: vs USA and Canada
Tournament odds: 70/1

Australia’s 2022 World Cup-winning team has been broken up this year, with Simon Whitlock, an ever-present in the Aussie line up, absent from the tournament for the first time. ‘The Wizard’ lost his PDC tour card at the end of 2024, leaving his spot alongside Damon Heta in the Australian team in doubt for last year. Whilst New Zealand’s vacant spots went to the top performers on their affiliate tour, the PDC announced that Whitlock would keep his place in the team for 2025. This time round, Whitlock has been replaced in the team by the 27-year-old Adam Leek, from Adelaide, who clinched his first tour card at UK Q-School in January. Leek’s run saw him beat former Lakeside champions Scott Mitchell and Steve Beaton, as he became just the sixth Australian to earn a tour card at Q-School. Heta is appearing in his seventh consecutive World Cup and on the main tour has become a regular fixture in the majors. For Leek, it will be a big-stage debut in the PDC, but the newcomer has caught the eye on the ProTour this season with wins against the likes of Josh Rock, Ryan Searle and Martin Schindler.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 16
Best World Cup: Runners-up (2021 and 2024)
2026 team: Mensur Suljovic and Rusty-Jake Rodriguez
First round: vs China and France
Tournament odds: 80/1

Mensur Suljovic is just one of two remaining World Cup ever presents, alongside the Republic of Ireland’s Willie O’Connor, with the duo having represented their respective countries in every edition of the tournament since 2010. Suljovic has appeared in two World Cup finals, in 2021 and 2024, with Rowby-John Rodriguez as his partner, but for the second year running will team up with Rusty-Jake Rodriguez, the younger brother of Rowby-John. In their debut outing as a partnership last year, the Austrian pair averaged 99 in a 4-1 win over Spain, before bowing out of the competition after losing 4-1 to Australia in a winner-takes-all group game. Eight years ago, Suljovic was in the world’s top eight and regularly going deep in the majors, but these days finds himself ranked in the mid-50s and missing out on a lot of the big events. A run to the third round at Ally Pally last December brought a welcome £35,000 injection to Suljovic’s ranking, and he has followed that up with some strong performances on the ProTour, including a semi-final and quarter-final in back-to-back days on the floor.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 16
Best World Cup: Runners-up (2013)
2026 team: Mike De Decker and Dimitri Van den Bergh
First round: vs Hong Kong and Slovenia
Tournament odds: 28/1

Belgium have been one of the great entertainers in the World Cup of Darts over the years, reaching the final in 2013 along with no fewer than seven semi-final appearances. Twelve months ago, the Belgians suffered their earliest exit in a World Cup, as the major-winning pair of Mike De Decker and Dimitri Van den Bergh were dumped out in the group stages by the Philippines. The duo remain the Belgian number one and two on the world rankings, but you could make a compelling argument that the best player from Belgium right now is Kim Huybrechts, Belgium’s current number three. ‘The Hurricane’ saw his 13-year run in the World Cup come to an end in 2025, as he tumbled down the rankings and almost out of the tour card trap door, finishing last season 60th on the PDC Werner Rankings Ladder. It has been quite the resurgence for Huybrechts in 2026, with no real deep runs of note but he has earned more than his two compatriots combined so far this term and is in the hunt for a World Matchplay return this summer.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 16
Best World Cup: Quarter-Finals/Group Stage (Last 8) (2010, 2016, 2019, 2020)
2026 team: Jim Long and David Cameron
First round: vs Australia and USA
Tournament odds: 100/1

Canada head into this year’s World Cup with second-year PDC tour card holder Jim Long and the returning David Cameron. ‘The Gentlemen’ reached the quarter-finals on his World Cup debut alongside Dawson Murschell back in 2019, but his return to the team after a six-year absence in 2025 ended prematurely, with Long and Matt Campbell suffering a pair of 4-1 defeats against Malaysia and Denmark. It would prove to be Campbell’s World Cup swansong, for now, as the ‘Ginger Ninja’ went on to lose his PDC tour card at the end of last season, ending the Canadian’s four-year stint on the professional circuit. The 58-year-old Long is North America’s sole PDC tour card holder in 2026, with the vacant spot in Canada’s team filled by the 56-year-old Cameron. ‘Excalibur’ debuted for Canada alongside Campbell two years ago, and also tasted an early exit in the group stages, but returns to the line up based on his performances on the CDC tour. On North America’s leading steel tip circuit, Cameron has racked up 10 career titles on the Pro Tour, and in April this year he lifted the Cross-Border Challenge for the first time.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 13
Best World Cup: Last 16 (2016)
2026 team: Xiaochen Zong and Qingyu Zhan
First round: vs Austria and France
Tournament odds: 500/1

Xiaochen Zong remains the clear number one player in China, having retained both the PDC China Premier League and PDC China Championship titles in 2025. ‘The Pandaman’ took a set off Chris Dobey in his latest appearance at the PDC World Darts Championship last December, losing 3-1 in an encouraging display against the former Masters champion. Zong has played a prominent role in China’s last two match wins in the World Cup, a 4-2 victory over Guyana in 2024 and an eye-catching win against the Republic of Ireland by the same scoreline last year. In a razor-close group which also included Gibraltar, the three nations finished with the same points and legs difference, but it was Ireland that progressed on legs won against the throw. It feels like China are getting closer to a breakthrough in the World Cup, with Zong joined by the debuting Qingqu Zhan this time round. This debut is seven years in the making for Zhan, who had to withdraw from the 2019 tournament due to a passport issue, and comes into this long-awaited World Cup bow in some decent form having won a pair of titles on the PDC China Pro Tour in April.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 12
Best World Cup: Quarter-Finals (2025)
2026 team: Karel Sedlacek and Adam Gawlas
First round: vs India and Denmark
Tournament odds: 50/1

The Czech Republic have made steady progress in the World Cup over the last three years, with a first ever win in 2023, and a first appearance in the last 16 in 2024, followed by a maiden quarter-final in last year’s tournament. PDC tour card holder Karel Sedlacek, a stalwart in the Czech team since 2017, teamed up with the newcomer Petr Krivka 12 months ago, and the duo picked up wins over Chinese Taipei, India and Malaysia to reach the last eight, where they were dumped out by the Netherlands 8-2. Adam Gawlas (pictured below) makes his World Cup return this year, having won back his tour card at European Q-School in January. Meanwhile, his partner Sedlacek has quietly gone about his business during his third run with a tour card, and broke into the world’s top 64 earlier this year. A pair of semi-finals on the floor this term has put ‘Evil Charlie’ in contention for a World Matchplay debut, and he has also become an automatic qualifier for European Tour events for the first time via the ProTour rankings.

World Cup appearances (including this year): Five
Best World Cup: Quarter-Finals (2023)
2026 team: Thibault Tricole and Nicolas Thuillier
First round: vs Austria and China
Tournament odds: 150/1

Thibault Tricole continues to blaze a trail for French darts and last year broke into the top 64 on the PDC Werner Rankings Ladder for the first time. Despite ending the season with a lacklustre showing at Ally Pally, where he lost in straight sets to the enigmatic Motomu Sakai in the first round, ‘The French Touch’ earned a third year on his PDC tour card, as he finished 60th on the rankings following the World Championship. In February this year, Tricole broke new ground with a run to his first semi-final on the ProTour, narrowly losing out 7-6 to Andrew Gilding in the last four of Players Championship 6. The undisputed French number one has a new World Cup partner this summer, as Nicolas Thuillier makes his big-stage debut. Thuillier has represented his country in other tournaments away from the PDC, and also captained the team in 2016, before taking a six-year break to focus on his young family. He has earned his spot alongside Tricole via his performances on the Challenge Tour this year, where he currently sits in 40th place on the Order of Merit after 15 events.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 16
Best World Cup: Semi-Finals (2020, 2023, 2025)
2026 team: Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko
First round: vs Philippines and New Zealand
Tournament odds: 20/1

Twelve months ago, hosts Germany produced one of the biggest giant-killings in World Cup history, as Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko knocked out the pre-tournament favourites England, Luke Humphries and Luke Littler, in the last 16. It was a World Cup debut to forget for the reigning PDC world champion Littler, as the English dream team were sent home early after playing just one match, and it blew the tournament wide open. Schindler and the debutant Pietreczko followed up their high-profile win over the top seeds England with a nail-biting 8-7 victory against Australia in the last eight, which sent Germany into their third World Cup semi-final. However, the Germans would fall at the last four hurdle for a third time in as many appearances, losing 8-1 to the eventual champions Northern Ireland. Schindler and Pietreczko remain Germany’s top two ranked players, but there are question marks around the latter’s game right now. ‘Pikachu’ forfeited a match after just two legs on the Players Championship circuit last month, when he was reportedly averaging below 60. The former European Tour winner is trying to rediscover his throw again and only a few weeks ago was seen adapting a Co Stompe-style throwing action in his most recent appearance on a PDC stage.

World Cup appearances (including this year): Five
Best World Cup: Last 32 (2014, 2015)
2026 team:  Nitin Kumar and Ankit Goenka
First round: vs Czech Republic and Denmark
Tournament odds: 500/1

Nitin Kumar wrote his name into India’s darts history books when he became the first player from his country to win a match in the PDC World Darts Championship last December. In his fifth appearance at Alexandra Palace, ‘The Royal Bengal’ produced a finishing clinic to upset Richard Veenstra in a last-set decider in the first round. Kumar hit an impressive 75 per cent of his doubles to beat the PDC tour card holder Veenstra in what was a landmark moment for darts in India. In April, Kumar clinched his spot in India’s World Cup team for a fourth time, winning the first two qualifying events and dropping just seven legs in his 12 matches. Kumar is joined by a fourth different partner with Anit Goenka securing his World Cup debut after making two finals and a semi-final in the three qualifiers. The duo are tasked with ending India’s wait for a first World Cup win, with their win-loss record standing at 0-6 in their four previous appearances.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 14
Best World Cup: Quarter-Finals (2024)
2026 team: Michele Turetta and Riccardo Castelli
First round: vs Latvia and Trinidad & Tobago
Tournament odds: 250/1

Italy’s premier player Michele Turetta suffered heartbreak at the start of 2026, missing match darts to win back his PDC tour card at European Q-School. ‘Il Ture’ had made history two years earlier with a deep run on the final day at Q-School seeing him become the first Italian to win a tour card. On his return to Q-School in January, Turetta faced Jeffrey Sparidaans in the final round with a tour card on offer to the winner. The Italian rallied from 5-1 down, checking out a 170 finish to level at 5-5, but would miss match darts in the deciding leg and on the last day of Q-School dropped out of the tour card spots on the Order of Merit. Turetta has looked to regroup on the Challenge Tour this season, reaching three quarter-finals on the PDC secondary tour, which has earned him his spot in Italy’s World Cup team for a fifth time. He is joined by newcomer Riccardo Castelli, who qualifies as the second highest ranked Italian on the Challenge Tour rankings this year.

World Cup appearances (including this year): Six
Best World Cup: Last 16 (2020, 2022, 2023)
2026 team: Madars Razma and Valters Melderis
First round: vs Italy and Trinidad & Tobago
Tournament odds: 150/1

There is consistency in Latvia’s World Cup team as established PDC tour card holder Madars Razma is joined by Valters Melderis for a third year in a row. The ‘Latvian Razmatazz’ has held a tour card since 2017, and reached the last 16 of the World Cup with three different partners in Latvia’s first three World Cup appearances. The pairing of Razma and Melderis bowed out in the group stages in 2024 and 2025, and for the first time finished without a win last year after tasting defeats against Belgium and the Philippines. In April, Melderis became the 600th different player to compete on the European Tour, after winning through the PDC Nordic & Baltic Qualifiers to earn a spot in the European Darts Grand Prix. It was a debut to remember for the Latvian, beating Karel Sedlacek 6-5 in the first round, before walking into a 106 average from Premier League star Jonny Clayton the next day. That European Tour debut helped seal Melderis his spot in Latvia’s World Cup team this summer, and they will be aiming to make it past the group stages as a duo at the third time of asking.

World Cup appearances (including this year): One
Best World Cup: Debut
2026 team: Ganzorig Lkhagvasüren and Altantülkhüür Myagmarsüren
First round: vs Sweden and South Africa
Tournament odds: 1000/1

This writer thought he had things tough trying to pronounce some of the names whilst commentating on the PDC Nordic & Baltic Tour, but good luck to whoever ends up commentating on Mongolia’s matches in their first World Cup appearance this summer. The duo of Ganzorig Lkhagvasüren and Altantülkhüür Myagmarsüren made history for their country after winning through the PDC World Cup Asia Qualifier last month. The Mongolian pair defeated Chinese Taipei and Malaysia to earn their country a debut in the World Cup, with Singapore and Thailand the other two successful nations in the qualifier. Mongolia’s World Cup team have made their mark in individual competitions this year too, with Myagmarsüren reaching a final on the Asian Tour in January, and Lkhagvasüren going one better and winning an Asian Tour title in April, becoming the first Mongolian to win on Asia’s premier steel tip circuit. Argentina were the sole debutants in last year’s World Cup and caught the eye with a run to the knockout stages. In 2026, Mongolia will share the newcomer spotlight with fellow debutants Uganda and Trinidad & Tobago.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 16
Best World Cup: Winners (2010, 2014, 2017, 2018)
2026 team: Gian van Veen and Michael van Gerwen
Second round: vs TBC
Tournament odds: 7/1

Three-time World Cup champion Michael van Gerwen makes his return to the Dutch team this summer, having skipped the tournament for three of the last four years. The duo of Gian van Veen and Danny Noppert enjoyed a run to the semi-finals in Frankfurt 12 months ago, which included an 8-0 win over Scotland’s Gary Anderson and Peter Wright in the last 16. The Netherlands averaged 100 in that whitewash victory over the Scots, and they looked like genuine title contenders until they were beaten 8-5 by Wales in the semi-finals. Van Gerwen returns to the team as the Dutch number two, with the 2025 European champion van Veen having climbed above him in the world rankings following his run to the PDC World Darts Championship final in January. The Dutch head into the tournament as the number two seed, their highest seeding since 2014, and world number three van Veen and world number four van Gerwen could be on a collision course to face the world’s top two players, England’s Luke Littler and Luke Humphries, in the final.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 16
Best World Cup: Winners (2025)
2026 team: Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney
Second round: vs TBC
Tournament odds: 16/1

Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney are back as the defending champions after making history for Northern Ireland at the World Cup 12 months ago. In their first World Cup as a pairing, Rock and Gurney went all the way to the title, beating South Africa (8-2), Republic of Ireland (8-5), Germany (8-1) and Wales (10-9) in a classic final. Last year’s finale was only the second time in World Cup history that the final has come down to a last-leg shootout - the previous occasion was in 2012 when England’s Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis pipped Simon Whitlock and Paul Nicholson, of Australia, in a nerve-shredding sudden-death leg. The final leg of the 2025 final against Wales didn’t quite have the same amount of drama as 2012, when all four players on stage had match darts, but Rock and Gurney produced a world class last leg, finishing 501 in just 11 darts to clinch their country’s first World Cup crown. They enter this year’s World Cup with their highest ever seeding as the no. 3 seeds and will be determined to become just the third team ever to go back-to-back and successfully defend the title.

World Cup appearances (including this year): Six
Best World Cup: Last 16 (2016)
2026 team: Cor Dekker and Kent Jøran Sivertsen
First round: vs Finland and Hungary
Tournament odds: 250/1

The PDC tour card holder Cor Dekker leads Norway’s World Cup charge again this year, as they look to make it through to the last 16 for the first time since 2016. ‘The Sheriff’ is now into his second year on the PDC ProTour, after making history as the first Norwegian to win a tour card at Q-School at the start of 2025. Dekker signed off his first season with a debut at the PDC World Darts Championship in December, where he was beaten in straight sets by the former world champion Rob Cross. So far in 2026, the Norwegian number one has been the top player on the PDC Nordic & Baltic Tour, winning two titles and reaching another two finals to sit at the summit of the tour’s rankings. Kent Jøran Sivertsen links up with Dekker for the second year in a row, qualifying as the next best player from Norway on the PDCNB tour. The pair did have some success 12 months ago, beating Poland 4-2 in their second group game, but still finished bottom of their group based on legs won against the throw.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 11
Best World Cup: Last 16 (2016, 2023, 2025)
2026 team: Alexis Toylo and Paolo Nebrida
First round: vs Germany and New Zealand
Tournament odds: 150/1

The Philippines were one of three Asian countries to progress through to the last 16 of the World Cup last year, alongside Malaysia and Hong Kong. It was a joint record for Asian teams in the World Cup, matching the efforts of 2014 and 2016. Lourence Ilagan and Paolo Nebrida defied the odds to beat Latvia and Belgium on the same day to top their group, but then ran into an in-form Wales, with Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton averaging 96 in an 8-2 mauling in the last 16. Nebrida keeps his spot in the team this year, whilst Alexis Toylo returns after a one-year absence. Toylo topped the 2025 PDC Asian Tour Order of Merit, winning five titles, and also reached the final of the PDC Asian Championship. Meanwhile, Nebrida bagged two titles last season to finish seventh, which was enough to earn a spot at Ally Pally. In 2026, Nebrida (pictured below) has already won another pair of titles and sits in fourth on the Order of Merit, whilst last year’s table-topper Toylo is currently down in 13th and has work to do to ensure he will be in the World Championship again this year.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 15
Best World Cup: Last 16 (2013, 2014, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)
2026 team: Krzysztof Ratajski and Sebastian Bialecki
First round: vs Portugal and Switzerland
Tournament odds: 33/1

If you are looking for a dark horse in this year’s World Cup, Poland could be the answer. Krzysztof Ratajski has been Poland’s leading light for a number of years now and made the quarter-finals of the PDC World Darts Championship last season, before backing that up with a run to the last eight of the UK Open in March. After dropping out of the world’s top 32 around this time last year, ‘The Polish Eagle’ has surged back up the rankings to no. 23 and is making a push towards a return to the top 16. The returning Sebastian Bialecki made his World Cup debut as an 18-year-old back in 2022, but pulls on the Polish shirt again now as a 22-year-old with a Players Championship title under his belt. ‘The Bolt’ bagged his first ProTour title last July and has continued to climb the rankings since then. Now on the cusp of the world’s top 64, Bialecki is also top of this year’s Development Tour with three titles this season, and may soon become ineligible to play on that circuit with players ranked in the top 64 of the world rankings not allowed to play in the PDC’s affiliate tour.

World Cup appearances (including this year): Seven
Best World Cup: Last 16 (2020, 2021, 2022)
2026 team: Luis Camacho and Jose De Sousa
First round: vs Poland and Switzerland
Tournament odds: 200/1

Jose De Sousa lost his PDC tour card at the end of last season, bringing to an end a seven-year run of Portuguese representation on the ProTour. ‘The Special One’ reached some impressive heights during those seven years on the tour, winning the Grand Slam of Darts in 2020 and making the Premier League final on debut in 2021. For the six-time title winner on the ProTour, it was a slow decline in both form and the world rankings, going from a top eight player to finishing last season at no. 82 in the world. Despite a heroic effort to come through the last chance tour card holder qualifiers to earn a spot at the World Championship, De Sousa was unable to progress past the first round at Ally Pally, and as a result lost his tour-card status. He goes into his seventh World Cup campaign with a sixth different partner, this time with debutant Luis Camacho, who earned his spot based on his performances on the Challenge Tour in 2026. The newcomer has made runs to the last 32 and last 64 on the PDC secondary tour to qualify for the World Cup as the top-ranked Portuguese player.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 16
Best World Cup: Runners-up (2019)
2026 team: Willie O'Connor and Mickey Mansell
First round: vs Singapore and Uganda
Tournament odds: 50/1

World Matchplay-bound Willie O’Connor continues his ever-present record at the World Cup with this year marking the 16th time putting on the Republic of Ireland shirt. ‘The Magpie’ (pictured below) is joined by a fifth different partner although it will not be a player with zero World Cup experience. Fellow ProTour stalwart Mickey Mansell will become the first player in the tournament’s history to represent two different countries, having played alongside Brendan Dolan for Northern Ireland from 2012 to 2015. Mansell’s inclusion in the Republic of Ireland team raised a few eyebrows amongst darts fans, but the former Grand Slam semi-finalist and one of the most entertaining players on X (formerly Twitter) posted in response: ‘In 1994 I went to the World Cup in America going to Irelands 1st 3 group games. A fantastic experience! PDC asked did I want to represent Ireland? “Yes” Delighted to get the opportunity to play in a World Cup again and now with Willie representing Ireland.’ 

World Cup appearances (including this year): 16
Best World Cup: Winners (2019, 2021)
2026 team: Gary Anderson and Cameron Menzies
Second round: vs TBC
Tournament odds: 16/1

In last year’s team-by-team guide we started off our preview for Scotland with the question: could 2025 be the last year we see the two-time world champions Gary Anderson and Peter Wright teaming up together at a World Cup? The answer could be yes as Cameron Menzies has climbed above Wright in the world rankings to become the new Scottish no. 2 and with it earn himself a debut in the tournament, teaming up with his idol Anderson to represent the two-time World Cup champions. Those two World Cups for the Scots came in 2019 and 2021, with Wright part of both successes alongside Anderson and John Henderson, with the dream-team duo of Wright and Anderson also reaching a further three finals in 2015, 2018 and 2023. Last year, the pair were thrashed 8-0 by the Netherlands in their opening game of the tournament. The Scots will be hoping for a much better showing this time round, with the enigmatic Menzies (pictured below) joining forces with Anderson, who reached the semi-finals at Ally Pally at the start of this year and is still a joy to watch when in full flow on the oche.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 15
Best World Cup: Quarter-Finals (2012, 2014)
2026 team: Graham Filby and Devon Petersen
First round: vs Sweden and Mongolia
Tournament odds: 400/1

South African darts trailblazer Devon Petersen makes his 12th World Cup appearance this year, and teams up with one of his eight former partners in the tournament as Graham Filby returns to the line up for the first time in a decade. The Petersen-Filby combination flew the flag for South Africa in three World Cups from 2014 to 2016, and most notably reached the quarter-finals in their first year as a pair, beating the host nation Germany and Singapore before bowing out to England’s Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis in the last eight. Filby has been in some good form on the African Continental Tour over the last 12 months, winning a title and reaching another two finals, which has helped earn him a recall to the South Africa team. Meanwhile, Petersen had to battle through the African Dart Group World Cup Qualifier to clinch his place. ‘The African Warrior’ survived an almighty scare in his first game, facing match darts and overturning a 4-2 deficit to beat Dean Naude 5-4. The former European Tour winner didn’t look back from there, reeling off four more wins to ensure he keeps his World Cup spot for 2026.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 16
Best World Cup: Semi-Finals (2010)
2026 team: Cristo Reyes and José Justicia
First round: vs Croatia and Japan
Tournament odds: 125/1

Be honest, this time last year would you have predicted Cristo Reyes lining up for Spain in the 2026 World Cup? I don’t believe you... The return of ‘The Spartan’ to the world of darts has been a surprising, but welcome, one and he makes his first World Cup appearance since 2019 arguably playing some of the best darts of his career. Reyes held a PDC tour card from 2015 to 2021 before dropping off the ProTour and then seemingly vanishing from the darts scene. But late last year, Reyes returned and in some style, winning through the PDCE Mediterranean Qualifier to secure a spot in the PDC World Darts Championship. A brutal first-round draw paired the Spaniard up with the European champion Gian van Veen, but despite losing 3-1 in sets, Reyes more than held his own, averaging 96 in his first match on the Ally Pally stage in six years. Around a month later, Reyes was back at European Q-School and regained his PDC tour card, sealing his place on the ProTour for the first time in five years. That five-year absence hasn’t appeared to have affected his game, with Reyes reaching quarter-finals on both the Players Championship and European Tour circuits, and in Graz last month he threw a nine-dart leg on stage against Damon Heta.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 16
Best World Cup: Quarter-Finals (2023 and 2024)
2026 team: Jeffrey de Graaf and Oskar Lukasiak
First round: vs South Africa and Mongolia
Tournament odds: 150/1

Since the re-introduction of a group stage in the World Cup in 2023, only three teams have successfully topped their groups in each of the last three years: Germany, Australia and Sweden. Oskar Lukasiak and Dennis Nilsson were the surprise package in 2023, going all the way to the quarter-finals, before the Dutch-born Swede Jefffrey de Graaf teamed up with Lukasiak to reach the quarter-finals and last 16 in 2024 and 2025. Such has been the progression of darts in Sweden, their World Cup team in 2023 featured two non-PDC tour card holders and now this year will see the Swede’s line up with two players on the professional circuit for the second year in a row. De Graaf comes into this year’s event having just grabbed his second ProTour title, winning Players Championship 19 just a few days ago in Milton Keynes. Meanwhile, Lukasiak has a lot of work to do in order to preserve his tour-card status at the end of the season. The former World Youth Master did make his World Championship debut last December, so comes into this World Cup with more big-stage experience under his belt.

World Cup appearances (including this year): Seven
Best World Cup: Last 16 (2018, 2025)
2026 team: Stefan Bellmont and Marcel Walpen
First round: vs Poland and Portugal
Tournament odds: 500/1

Another World Cup and another year that Stefan Bellmont returns having ticked off more milestones for his country in the PDC. Since the 2025 World Cup, Switzerland’s number one became the first player to win a match in the PDC World Darts Championship, whitewashing the legendary Raymond van Barneveld 3-0 in the first round at Ally Pally last December. ‘Belli’ very nearly made it through to the post-Christmas festivities too, but narrowly lost out in a five-setter to Damon Heta in the second round. However, Bellmont went into 2026 with a PDC tour card in his back pocket, having topped last year’s Challenge Tour Order of Merit, earning him the distinction of being the first Swiss player to hold tour-card status. Last year’s World Cup saw Switzerland enjoy their joint best-ever run in the tournament, as Bellmont and Alex Fehlmann topped their group on legs difference, ahead of Croatia and Japan, before suffering a one-sided defeat to the Republic of Ireland in their second-ever appearance in the last 16.

World Cup appearances (including this year): Seven
Best World Cup: Last 32 (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018)
2026 team: Sarayut Ouamuapa and Sorawis Rodman
First round: vs Wales and Lithuania
Tournament odds: 500/1

After missing out on the last two editions of the World Cup, Thailand make their return to the tournament this year and with a brand-new pairing. Sarayut Ouamuapa and Sorawis Rodman (pictured bottom left) were one of three nations to win through the PDC World Cup Asia Qualifier last month, alongside Singapore and debutants Mongolia. Thailand’s return was sealed in a winner-takes-all match against Chinese Taipei, which came down to a last-leg decider. With the match locked at 3-3, it was Thailand that held their nerve in the decider to book their first appearance in the World Cup since 2023. Ouamuapa and Rodman are tasked with bringing their country a first-ever win at the World Cup, with their previous six campaigns yielding seven defeats from their seven matches. The two big-stage debutants face a tough task against teams with PDC tour card holders and experienced players in their ranks, going up against Wales and Lithuania, but they should not be written off completely. In their match against Macao in the qualifiers, Ouamuapa and Rodman averaged 93 in a 4-0 win. A similar performance like that would surely give them a chance of making history for Thailand this summer.

World Cup appearances (including this year): One
Best World Cup: Debut
2026 team: Joshua Balfour and James Walklin
First round: vs Latvia and Italy
Tournament odds: 1000/1

One of three new nations to compete in this year’s World Cup, Trinidad & Tobago secured an historic debut in the 2026 tournament after winning through the CDLC World Cup Qualifier. The duo of Joshua Balfour and James Walklin made history for their country, beating last year’s CDLC qualifiers Argentina 5-4 in the quarter-finals, Chile 8-4 in the semi-finals, and then thumping a Bahamas side featuring Ally Pally cult hero Rashad Sweeting 10-1 in the final. Speaking to the Weekly Dartscast ahead of the tournament, Walklin revealed the relatively small darts scene in his country, with around 200 players competing in the same venue in a league on a Tuesday night. The English-born Walklin has previously represented Trinidad & Tobago in WDF events, as well as in another sport, rugby sevens, at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. For his partner Balfour, it will be his first time leaving the continent to play a sport that he only started playing during breaks working as a police officer. Balfour and his colleagues would play darts to give out exercises, like push ups and sit ups, now he is representing his country at darts on one of the biggest stages and competing against the world’s best players.

World Cup appearances (including this year): One
Best World Cup: Debut
2026 team: Patrick Ocheng and Juma Said
First round: vs Republic of Ireland and Singapore
Tournament odds: 1000/1

The 2026 World Cup marks the first time that two African nations will compete in the tournament, as South Africa are joined by debutants Uganda in the field this year. The pairing of Patrick Ocheng and Juma Said won through the inaugural African Darts Group World Cup Qualifier in March, which featured 40 teams including most notably the PDC World Darts Championship sensation David Munyua and Peter Wachuiri. The Kenyans were surprisingly knocked out in the last 32, leaving the door open for Ocheng and Said to write their names into the history books. The Ugandan pair defeated four teams from Kenya before seeing off the Malawi duo of Carnage Mkandawire and Rodgers Zako 8-3 in the final to book their spot in the World Cup for the first time ever. Said, the younger player of the Ugandan pairing at 35, only started playing darts four years ago, whilst the more experienced Ocheng, 45, has been playing since he was a teenager. Said spends a lot of time training young players in Uganda and hopes that his country’s first appearance in the World Cup will help to grow the interest in darts back home.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 16
Best World Cup: Group Stage(Last 8)/Quarter-Finals (2010, 2012)
2026 team: Adam Sevada and Stowe Buntz
First round: vs Australia and Canada
Tournament odds: 200/1

The United States plays host to the FIFA World Cup final on July 19, but hopes will be high of World Cup success before then as Adam Sevada and Stowe Buntz team up to represent the USA in the World Cup of Darts. You could make a strong case that Sevada and Buntz are the current top two American players, and the duo have got their chance to play in the World Cup for the first time with the team decided based on performances on the CDC tour. Sevada (pictured below) topped the CDC rankings last year, winning four titles and reaching a further two finals, before beating Canada’s Matt Campbell in the first round of his Ally Pally debut. Former Grand Slam of Darts quarter-finalist Buntz is 0-3 now on the World Championship stage, but is still a dominant force on North America’s leading steel tip circuit, winning four titles and making three other finals during the 2025 CDC campaign. Since the group stage was re-introduced in the World Cup in 2023, the USA have not made it through to the knockouts. It’s a tricky group with Australia and Canada, but Sevada and Buntz will fancy their chances of going on a deep run.

World Cup appearances (including this year): 16
Best World Cup: Winners (2020, 2023)
2026 team: Jonny Clayton and Nick Kenny
First round: vs Lithuania and Thailand
Tournament odds: 25/1

One of the most formidable partnerships in World Cup history has been broken up again this year, as Gerwyn Price has made himself unavailable for selection for Wales. Price and Jonny Clayton won two World Cups for Wales in 2020 and 2023, along with a pair of finals in 2022 and 2025. After skipping the 2024 tournament due to health issues, Price returned to the World Cup last year and the Welsh powerhouses looked on course for title no. 3 after picking up wins over the Philippines, Hong Kong and the Netherlands. However, their bid fell just short as Northern Ireland won the final in a last-leg decider 10-9 to claim their first World Cup title. Price’s absence again this year opens the door for the Welsh-ranked no. 3 Nick Kenny to make an unexpected debut in the tournament. The 33-year-old has tasted success representing his country in the past, winning the 2010 WDF Europe Youth Cup boys’ singles and the 2019 WDF World Cup men’s team events, and is now in his second stint with a PDC tour card. The world number 61 has a crucial second half of the season coming up to preserve his tour-card status, but first will relish this opportunity to pull on the Welsh shirt again.

Tournament odds correct as of 05.06.2026

Pictures: PDC