Nick Kenny is not pretending to be Gerwyn Price. That, frankly, may be the healthiest starting point Wales could have asked for.
The 2026 BetVictor World Cup of Darts begins in Frankfurt this week, and Wales arrive with a very different feel to the side that darts fans have come to expect. Jonny Clayton remains the senior figure, but Price is absent from the pairing, leaving Kenny to step into one of the most scrutinised shirts in the tournament.
It is a sizeable task. Wales are two-time World Cup winners in the Price-Clayton era and were beaten 10-9 by Northern Ireland in last year’s final. This time, they begin in Group C against Lithuania and Thailand, with only the group winners progressing to the knockout stage.
Kenny knows the size of the shirt
Kenny’s comments, reported by DartsNews from a talkSPORT interview, landed because they were honest rather than forced. He said he was “over the moon” to be selected, but did not dress the call-up as a like-for-like replacement for Price.
The line most Wales fans will remember was simple: he is “no mug either”. That is exactly the tone Clayton’s side needs. Kenny does not have Price’s major-winning aura, stage presence or World Cup history, but he is not some passenger being dragged through Frankfurt either.
He has 40 Wales caps from the WDF system, has previously shared Welsh team duty with Clayton, and spoke about having produced some of his best darts in a Welsh shirt. That matters in a pure doubles format, where rhythm, temperament and trust can count for as much as individual ranking.
PDC Europe has confirmed that all matches in Frankfurt will be played as doubles. The group stage is best of seven legs, the last 16 through to the semi-finals are best of 15, and the final is best of 19. There is not much time to ease into a match, especially for a side carrying expectation.
Clayton’s experience becomes Wales’ anchor
Clayton’s role now becomes even more important. Kenny has already pointed to the Ferret’s experience as a major help, and that feels like the key to Wales’ prospects. Clayton has been through the pressure nights, the strange rhythms of pairs darts and the emotional swings that come with representing a nation rather than just yourself.
The danger for Wales is obvious. Without Price, some fans will downgrade them before a dart is thrown. Yet the format has a habit of punishing assumptions. England, Netherlands, Northern Ireland and Scotland go straight into the last 16 as the top four seeds, but the rest have to earn their way out of the group phase. Wales cannot afford to treat Lithuania or Thailand as warm-up opposition.
That is why Kenny’s attitude is encouraging. He has said Wales do not merely want to escape the group and see what happens. They want to “go all the way”. It is ambitious, but not silly. Clayton gives them class and authority; Kenny gives them a player with something to prove and no interest in hiding behind the Price comparison.
A World Cup chance that could reshape Wales’ story
The wider tournament picture is strong. The event runs from June 11-14 at the Eissporthalle, with 40 nations chasing a £500,000 prize fund and £100,000 going to the winning pair. England’s Luke Littler and Luke Humphries will naturally dominate the British conversation, while Michael van Gerwen and Gian van Veen give the Netherlands another heavyweight pairing.
For Wales, though, the story is more intriguing than a simple absence. Price not being there changes the ceiling in many people’s minds, but it also changes the pressure inside the team. Clayton is the established hand. Kenny is the man with a point to make.
If Wales fall early, the missing Price narrative will write itself. If they get moving, Kenny could turn a difficult selection into one of the more satisfying subplots of the World Cup. The first job is Lithuania and Thailand. After that, Wales can start finding out just how heavy the shirt really is.