World Cup of Darts 2024: Preview and best bets

Germany truly is the place to be for major sporting events at the moment, with Frankfurt’s Eissporthalle Arena playing host to the 2024 World Cup of Darts this week.

The popular tournament kicks off on Thursday, June 27 and runs for four days, with the semi-finals and final taking place on the evening of Sunday, June 30.

Check out our in-depth preview and best bets ahead of the action.

What is the World Cup of Darts?

This year’s renewal will be the fourteenth edition of darts’ international showpiece, which allows PDC professionals to pair up with their compatriots and represent their nation in a unique format.

40 countries take part in the annual tournament, with the four leading nations — England, Netherlands, Scotland and Wales — entering in the second round while the other 36 take part in an initial group stage. 

There are 12 groups each consisting of three countries and once each have played their allocated opponents once, the 12 group winners advance to the knockouts.

Traditionally one of the most individual sports around, the World Cup’s charm largely revolves around its pairs format — no other PDC tournament sees players operate as a team.

Up until last year, pairs games had only been used as deciding rubbers to settle clashes tied after two singles matches. However, following long-standing demand from fans, the governing body opted to make all matches “pairs only” from 2023 onwards.

So now, every match simply consists of a two vs two match with teammates alternating turns. This unusual format can throw even the best players off their game, making it a tournament ripe for upsets!

Group stage matches are a quickfire best of seven legs. Last 16, quarter-final and semi-final contests are best of 15 legs, while the final is played over a best of 19 legs.

Who are the favourites to win the World Cup of Darts 2024?

Above: World champion Luke Humphries is making his World Cup of Darts debut for England (Photo: Alamy)

As of Wednesday June 26 at 2pm, these were the best betting odds available for each of the market-leading teams:

England 17/20

Netherlands 5/1

Germany 9/1

Wales 11/1

Scotland 18/1

Northern Ireland 25/1

Australia 28/1

Belgium 30/1

66/1 BAR

*Odds correct as of 8pm on June 26, 2024

Who is the best bet to win the World Cup of Darts 2024?

Unsurprisingly, England are odds-on favourites to lift this year’s title due to boasting the supreme pairing of the most two recent world champions in Luke Humphries and Michael Smith. 

Many casual followers of the sport may have expected to see teenage sensation Luke Littler pairing with Humphries but the youngster misses out due to the sport’s two-year ranking system, which means he is still to surpass the likes of Smith, Rob Cross and Nathan Aspinall in the standings despite his sensational exploits over the last six months.

Littler will no doubt pull on an England shirt many times in the coming years but for now, Smith is an experienced and able alternative.

For Humphries, who is unquestionably the most consistent performer around at the moment, this will have been a tournament he has long dreamed of featuring in and it is fair to expect Cool Hand to fire on all cylinders.

However, the major concern for the English pairing would be the electric pace both like to operate at. In pairs darts, not only are you throwing 50% less often but the gaps in between throws are huge.

If England are still in the mix come the semi-finals, they will be an extremely tough nut to crack. However, the very genuine possibility of them being caught cold in one of their first two matches against a team fully warmed up to the unusual format cannot be overlooked.

Above: Danny Noppert and Michael van Gerwen will pair up for the Netherlands (Photo: Alamy)

That is exactly what happened to second-favourites Netherlands in 2023. They came up against a Belgium pairing in Kim Huybrechts and Dimitri van Den Bergh who managed to put their personal differences aside to produce an excellent performance and grind out a surprise 8-7 success over Danny Noppert and Dirk van Duijvenbode.

Undoubtedly, the fact the Dutch were playing their opening match while the Belgians had already eased into affairs with two comfortable group stage wins contributed to the final result.

This year, the Netherlands are hugely boosted by the return of star man Michael van Gerwen, who has missed the last two editions of this tournament due to injury. He pairs up with Noppert, who himself is a very capable operator indeed.

One issue with this pairing has been the lack of chemistry. The pair have had well-documented disagreements in previous clashes and have both freely admitted they are very different personalities.

While it is not the be all and end all to be best friends with your colleague, it certainly helps in a format where both players will have to drag the other through at times.

They don’t make much appeal at a skinny 9/2 as a result, though if both bring 75% of their best level, expect them to make the final four.

Hosts Germany are arguably the most rapidly developing nation in the world of darts and it is no surprise to see them well backed at 9/1 third-favourites for glory in 2024, despite entering at the group stage.

Represented by 2023 World Championship semi-finalist Gabriel Clemens and one of this year’s form men in the diminutive but dangerous Martin Schindler, they have a duo who know and love each other and have now amassed plenty of experience in this format with two quarter-final and two semi-final runs in the last four years.

Home advantage should once again bolster their prospects, as it did 12 months ago when a vociferous crowd roared them to wins over Hong Kong, Japan, Poland and England before losing a tense final-four showdown to Scotland 8-5.

Schindler has always threatened a breakthrough at the highest level but this year has finally seen him turn promise into action. His International Darts Open win on the European Tour was earned in memorable fashion — beating the likes of Dave Chisnall, Noppert, Chris Dobey and then Gerwyn Price in a fantastic final. 

Two further semi-final runs on the Euro Tour have shown that triumph to be no flash in the pan and there are few heading to Frankfurt in greater nick than The Wall.

While it would be no surprise to see the Germans finally take that decisive step in this tournament, I feel any juice has now gone from their price.

Above: Jonny Clayton will line up for Wales without usual playing partner Gerwyn Price (Photo: Alamy)

The massive drifters in the betting are reigning champions Wales, who have flown out to as big as 20/1 on betting exchanges (12/1 with most sportsbooks) after news broke on Wednesday of Gerwyn Price’s unfortunate late withdrawal due to injury.

The Iceman loves nothing more than representing his country and as a two-time winner of the event, will have been doing all he possibly could to once again pair up with good pal Jonny Clayton.

Alas, it has proved in vain and the man replacing the former world champ is the less heralded, but still hugely capable, Jim Williams. It will be a tournament bow for the former BDO stalwart who is perhaps being a tad underestimated with the size of the market drift.

Williams, who still juggles his darts with running a busy business away from the oche, has not been in peak form this year but did win a Pro Tour title two years ago and on a going day, can throw with the very best around.

His slower pace will be no bad thing in this tournament, where waiting around between turns is more extreme than ever, and he should have no problems clicking with his partner Clayton — one of the nicest men in the sport.

Being written off in most quarters should suit this pairing fine and I am more than happy to take my chances with the 20/1 available on betting exchanges for them to go close.

Scotland are the final pairing who will skip the group stage and with a duo of Gary Anderson and Peter Wright flying the flag, they top the charts when it comes to experience.

Anderson has enjoyed a stunning renaissance in the last 18 months or so, having seemingly been on course to bow out of the sport he lit up for so many years with a whimper.

Instead, fans were treated to plenty of vintage Flying Scotsman performances in 2023. He almost topped the PDC averages charts last term, taking two Pro Tour titles along the way and has followed that up already in 2024 with another floor success and a lesser-spotted Euro Tour title in Germany — remarkably his first in over a decade.

Wright, meanwhile, is suffering a similar type of malaise to what his teammate did two years ago. Snakebite endured a disastrous Premier League campaign, finishing bottom of the pile having been on the back-end of several comprehensive beatings.

Given his selection for the eight-man tournament was widely questioned in the first place, it seemed to affirm the fears of many darts fans that the 54-year-old is a player on the wane.

And yet, there are occasional flashes of promise from the two-time world champion, who made the final of this tournament with Anderson last year despite some similarly patchy form coming in.

It is not beyond the realms for these two to lift the trophy come Sunday, though the wild inconsistencies of Wright make it challenging to back them with any confidence.

Of the other runners, Belgium have obvious talent but the disconnect between Kim Huybrechts and Dimitri van Den Bergh has only worsened in recent times. That does not make for a winning recipe. Nor does the form of Simon Whitlock bode well for Australia. The Wizard is capable of pulling a rabbit from the hat in this format, just as he did two years ago when helping the boys Down Under to a famous success. Damon Heta remains one of the most reliable operators around but having won this title before, the fire may not burn as brightly in his ageing compatriots belly as it did when they were chasing an elusive maiden success.

Of the remainder, it is in fact Northern Ireland who appeal greatest. 

Above: Josh Rock could make a memorable World Cup of Darts debut for Northern Ireland (Photo: Alamy)

Daryl Gurney and Brendan Dolan have been representing their nation here since what feels like the beginning of time but that experienced pairing has finally been broken up due to the excellence of young Josh Rock.

Instead, the old teammates have been battling for the last two months over ranking position to try and partner Rock and it was Dolan who eventually won that back-and-forth, thanks to an impressive run of form which includes a recent Players Championship win.

The chemistry between this new pair may give Northern Ireland a much-needed rejuvenation. Rock has previously described Dolan as an inspiration and guide to him in his formative darting years, while Dolan has made no bones of the talent the youngster possesses — frequently purring over him in post-match interviews.

Rock’s recent form is excellent, too. The 23-year-old suffered a bit of a dip in late 2023 after his explosive arrival onto the scene but was very much the “next big thing” before the emergence of Littler.

It may just prove that stint out of the limelight did him the world of good and he now feels ready to truly establish himself among the game’s leading lights.

Placed in a group with capable nations in Switzerland and South Africa, the Norn Iron duo should have to work just hard enough to blow off some cobwebs before the knockout phase.

All this gives credence to the idea that quotes of 25/1 with each way terms may be a little too big.

Odds Now’s World Cup of Darts 2024 best outright bets

Wales - 2pt win @ 20/1 (Betfair Exchange)

Northern Ireland - 1pt each-way @ 25/1 (BoyleSports)