ANALYSIS: How far can home nation Germany go at the 2025 World Cup of Darts?

This Thursday, the World Cup of Darts returns to Frankfurt, bringing together 40 nations in pursuit of the sport’s only official PDC doubles title. Reigning champions England once again headline the field, this time with reigning World Champion Luke Littler joining Luke Humphries in a formidable pairing. Littler replaces Michael Smith, who alongside Humphries dominated the 2024 edition.

Germany also fields a refreshed lineup. For the first time since 2021, Gabriel Clemens will not feature. Instead, Martin Schindler teams up with Ricardo Pietreczko, who will make his World Cup debut. Nicknamed "Pikachu," Pietreczko brings both personality and power to the oche — and hopes are high that his recent uptick in form can spark a deep run in front of their fans.

Schindler arrives in Frankfurt in the best form of his career. With three European Tour titles and a Players Championship victory in the past 14 months, he has cemented his status as Germany’s most successful PDC professional to date — even eclipsing Max Hopp in terms of silverware. Hopp, however, still holds the record for most World Cup appearances by a German (seven).

In 2023, Germany’s campaign ended in the last 16 with a painful 8–7 defeat to Northern Ireland. A year earlier, Schindler and Clemens produced a historic run to the semifinals, including a stunning 8–3 win over England in the quarterfinals — Germany’s best World Cup performance to date.

Pietreczko made headlines in 2023 with a surprise European Tour title — Germany’s first in over five years. However, his 2025 season began in disappointing fashion, with few results and underwhelming statistics. That’s changed in recent weeks, with several last-16 and quarterfinal appearances on the Pro Tour. He’s also impressed on the European Tour, delivering solid performances in Rosmalen and Leverkusen. Just in time for Frankfurt, his form is trending in the right direction.

Germany enters the tournament as the 7th seed and has been drawn into Group C alongside Portugal and Singapore. It’s a group they should win — but there are potential pitfalls.

Portugal is led by Jose de Sousa, a former Grand Slam champion who has been mired in a deep slump since 2024. He failed to qualify for any European Tour events in 2025 and has won just 6 of 16 first-round matches on the Players Championship circuit this year. His partner, Bruno Nascimento, is inexperienced at the international level. On paper, Germany is the stronger team — but de Sousa’s class between 2020 and 2022 was world-beating, and he remains capable of flashes of brilliance, especially over shorter formats.

Singapore will be led once again by the ageless Paul Lim, who at 71 remains his country’s top talent. He’s joined by Phuay Wie Tan, who qualified undefeated from the Asian qualifier. While Singapore are outsiders, they nearly shocked Belgium in last year’s group stage. In doubles, anything can happen — and Germany will be wary not to underestimate them.

Last year’s group stage was no walk in the park either. Germany needed a deciding leg against New Zealand, where Gabriel Clemens’ clutch 124 finish on the bullseye secured the group win. The lesson: no opponent can be taken lightly.

Much will depend on the draw in the knockout stages. In the last 16, potential opponents range from beatable sides like Croatia, Canada or the Czech Republic to major threats such as Wales, England, or the Netherlands.

Key to Germany’s chances will be how well Schindler can translate his scoring power into the doubles format, and whether Pietreczko can deliver the clinical finishing he's known for when it counts. If the chemistry clicks, Germany is a dangerous team.

The home crowd in Frankfurt will be a significant factor, too. A passionate atmosphere can elevate performances — and 2023 showed that on a good day, even the biggest names can be beaten.

Getting out of the group is a must. A quarterfinal appearance should be the minimum target. With a favourable draw and strong performances, a semifinal run is well within reach.

Germany has the talent. Now, it’s about delivering when it matters most.