The World Cup of Darts 2019 will take place from 6-9 June in Hamburg. Dartsnews introduces the competing nations ahead of the start of the event.
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We are paying attention to England and Scotland, two of the seeded teams in Germany. Both nations have been part of the World Cup of Darts since the inaugural event in 2010.
England
One change has been made to the English team compared to 2018. Michael Smith has taken the place of Dave Chisnall and is playing together with Rob Cross.
It will be Smith's debut at the World Cup of Darts. His teammate Cross also has little experience with this tournament. 'Voltage' made his first appearance last year, when England were eliminated by Belgium in the quarter-finals.
England has won the World Cup four times in the past. Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis claimed the title in 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016.
It will be Smith's debut at the World Cup of Darts. His teammate Cross also has little experience with this tournament. 'Voltage' made his first appearance last year, when England were eliminated by Belgium in the quarter-finals.
England has won the World Cup four times in the past. Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis claimed the title in 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016.
Rob Cross
Nickname: Voltage
Age: 28
World Cup participations: 2
Best performance: Quarter-Finals (2018)
First round opponent: Philippines
PDC Ranking: 2
Age: 28
World Cup participations: 2
Best performance: Quarter-Finals (2018)
First round opponent: Philippines
PDC Ranking: 2
Michael Smith
Nickname: Bullyboy Age: 28 World Cup participations: 1 Best performance: Debut (2019) First round opponent: Philippines PDC Ranking: 6
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Scotland
Rarely Scotland has been given so many chances of winning the title as this year. With Gary Anderson and Peter Wright, the Scottish nation has two absolute world class players in the team. They came close to the title twice, as 'The Flying Scotsman' and 'Snakebite' lost in the final in 2015 and 2018.
Nevertheless, there are also a number of points that speak to Scotland's disadvantage. Anderson missed a lot of tournaments this year due to several injuries, while Wright is not playing well this season. Also it is a public secret that the Scottish pair cannot get along well.
Due to multiple injuries this year, Anderson has hardly played any tournaments, while Wright is in a bad shape. Moreover, it is a public secret that the two Scottish darters can't get along well.
That does not matter for the singles, but playing as a team is important for the doubles. The first round starts with doubles and if Scotland manages to come through, they have a great chance to get far again.
Nevertheless, there are also a number of points that speak to Scotland's disadvantage. Anderson missed a lot of tournaments this year due to several injuries, while Wright is not playing well this season. Also it is a public secret that the Scottish pair cannot get along well.
Due to multiple injuries this year, Anderson has hardly played any tournaments, while Wright is in a bad shape. Moreover, it is a public secret that the two Scottish darters can't get along well.
That does not matter for the singles, but playing as a team is important for the doubles. The first round starts with doubles and if Scotland manages to come through, they have a great chance to get far again.
Gary Anderson
Nickname: The Flying Scotsman
Age: 48
World Cup participations: 8
Best performance: Final (2015 and 2018)
First round opponent: Denmark
PDC Ranking: 3
Age: 48
World Cup participations: 8
Best performance: Final (2015 and 2018)
First round opponent: Denmark
PDC Ranking: 3
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Peter Wright
Nickname: Snakebite Age: 49 World Cup participations: 6 Best performance: Final (2015 and 2018) First round opponent: Denmark PDC Ranking: 5
Previously introduced teams
I stumbled into the world of darts quite by accident back in 2013. For a Journalism School assignment, I had to produce a live sports report and as it happened, the European Tour event in Veldhoven was the only available option. That weekend, I caught the darts bug. The post-match interviews especially appealed to me, as darts players tend to be much more open and approachable than what you usually see with footballers on television.
After a few detours, I joined Dartsnieuws.com in 2017 as editor-in-chief. I don’t have much competitive experience myself, although I once entered a PDC Development Tour weekend just to experience what it’s like from a player’s perspective. I even managed to win a leg against a Tour Card holder and, quite by accident, earned £50 in prize money.
In 2022, I was also involved in the founding of the TOTO Dart Kings, a commercial darts team, where I worked as media manager for three years. Unfortunately, due to new legislation in the Netherlands, that project came to an end in 2025.
Through my work in darts, I’ve been fortunate to travel to some incredible events, from Premier League nights at Ahoy Rotterdam, to several World Championships, and even the US Darts Masters at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Beyond darts, I’m a passionate sports fan in general. You can always wake me up for a game of tennis or padel, and I love following football, tennis, padel, cycling, Formula 1, and ice skating.
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- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026
- Fair play to Fallon. But...shows the mockery when a professional players wins what was meant to be an amateur v Pro event, Littlers performance was poor, and what about the players who didn't get a game? Would have been better if the pot was split amoungst all the winners and they all got a leg.BandB31-10-2026
- Not even slightly interestedrick6730-10-2026
- And yet the PDC has decided to aggravate this problem by doubling the Players Championship Finals field from 2027. I can't imagine there will be fewer withdrawals next year with even less reason to turn up. I can only hope that a whole slew of Challenge Tour top-up players receive enough prize money in the absence of much of the elite, that some of the more complacent among them struggle to scrape into even a heavily diluted field! More semi-pro players will get to test their mettle, but the standard of competition will be much inferior. It could hardly be said that the Players Championship series will provide an opportunity for darts' second string to test their Tour Card credentials anymore, but at least it will underscore the achievements of those Challenge Tour players of current and previous years, who were able to prove themselves as more than capable of competing with, and beating, the elite of the sport on a consistent basis, and reaping the due rewards.Deduce635828-10-2026
- No point in being there? Champions want to win.Deduce635828-10-2026
- Littler lost to crabtree in the youth/junior/whatever you call it. He had no point in being there. He's unfortunately now got to the stage,he feels all he has to do is get on the stage to win. Well,I hope he realises part of his fear factor has gone. Happened to Taylor,then van gerwen,and it's causing him to realise pretty sharp,he isn't unstoppable. It's good for the sport,not 1 single player in my 60 years has ever,or will ever be, unbeatable.rick6725-10-2026
- I think it's great to see Mark Webster looking good,good ladrick6725-10-2026
- I agree,I can't believe the lack of coverage of this sad loss. Always enjoyed watching him,but I guess now it's all about littler,well it seems that way. Darts has sadly lost a good manrick6717-10-2026
- In the absence of a report regarding the death of Stefan Lord, I'll assist. An excellent player in the late 70s and early 80s, he actually won the now defunct 3rd place match at two World Championships and a couple of the News of the World Championships. A fabulous player and easily the best Swedish player ever. Rest peacefully Stefan.richieburnettrocks16-10-2026