World Cup of Darts opens with Wales under pressure and hosts Germany in the spotlight
The World Cup of Darts begins in Frankfurt tonight, and the opening session already carries more intrigue than a routine group-stage warm-up.
The 2026 BetVictor World Cup of Darts runs from Thursday 11 June to Sunday 14 June at the Eissporthalle, with 40 nations chasing a record £500,000 prize fund in the PDC’s pairs showpiece. England, the Netherlands, defending champions Northern Ireland and Scotland enter at the last-16 stage, but the first two days are where the rest of the field have to earn their way into the weekend.
That gives Thursday night’s session a sharp edge. Wales, Germany, Australia, Belgium and Ireland are all on stage from 18:00 BST, with every leg in the best-of-seven doubles format carrying real weight in three-team groups where only the winners move on.
Wales begin a different kind of campaign
For UK fans, Wales against Lithuania is the headline with the most emotional pull. Jonny Clayton is back in the red shirt, but this is not the familiar Clayton-Gerwyn Price axis that has shaped so much of Wales’ World Cup identity.
Price is unavailable for selection, leaving Clayton to begin a new partnership with Nick Kenny. That changes the feel of Wales’ campaign immediately. Clayton was part of the Welsh title wins in 2020 and 2023, as well as runner-up finishes in 2022 and 2025, but this is a different test: less proven chemistry, more responsibility, and no time to feel their way in.
Lithuania, led by Darius Labanauskas, are exactly the kind of opposition that can make a seeded group-stage nation uncomfortable if the rhythm is not there early. In this format, a poor opening spell can become a full-blown problem very quickly.
Germany carry the noise, Australia and Belgium carry pedigree
The home crowd will have Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko to get behind when Germany face the Philippines. Germany reached the semi-finals last year, and with Frankfurt staging the event again, their opening night will be watched closely. They are not among the four nations protected until Saturday, so their route still has to be built from the group stage.
Australia also bring major-event credibility into day one, even with a new look. Damon Heta partners Adam Leek against the United States, rather than the old Heta-Simon Whitlock combination that became so associated with Australia’s World Cup story. Belgium, with Mike De Decker and Dimitri Van den Bergh, face Hong Kong in another match that should tell us quickly how dangerous they might be this week.
Ireland’s meeting with Singapore brings its own subplot too, with William O’Connor joined by Mickey Mansell. Paul Lim remains a name that carries enormous affection around the sport, and Singapore have enough experience to make that opener awkward if Ireland leave the door open.
Opening night order of play
The Thursday 11 June session starts at 18:00 BST, 19:00 local time, and features Czechia v India, Croatia v Japan, Finland v Norway, Ireland v Singapore, Poland v Portugal, Sweden v South Africa, Latvia v Italy, Belgium v Hong Kong, Germany v Philippines, Wales v Lithuania, Austria v China and Australia v USA.
The format is unforgiving. The top four seeds can wait for Saturday, but everyone else has to get through the group stage first. Northern Ireland’s 10-9 win over Wales in the 2025 final is still the standard the field are chasing, and the early question in Frankfurt is which pairs can look like a team rather than simply two strong singles players sharing a stage.
Suggested internal links: World Cup of Darts news hub; Luke Littler and Luke Humphries England coverage.
Sources: PDC official World Cup preview; PDC Europe tournament guide; Live Darts day-one order of play.