ANALYSIS | The stats behind Northern Ireland's historic World Cup of Darts win

Northern Ireland were not among the pre-tournament favourites heading into the 2025 World Cup of Darts in Frankfurt — far from it. One of their two players posted a tournament average of just 81, a number that usually isn’t enough to survive a Pro Tour floor event, let alone capture one of the PDC’s biggest televised titles.

Statistically, it was baffling. Daryl Gurney hit just three 180s and six 140+ scores across the entire weekend — figures that wouldn’t raise an eyebrow in a first-round loss, let alone a run to the title. But as the saying goes, the numbers don’t always tell the full story. In the World Cup’s revised format, introduced in 2023 and built entirely around pairs play, it’s not about big averages or flashy finishes. It’s about timing, chemistry, and knowing your role. And that’s where Northern Ireland got it absolutely spot on.

With no singles matches and every leg played as a pairs contest, the format demands complete synergy. There’s nowhere to hide. You can’t ride one player’s form — it’s about functioning as a true team. And that’s what Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney delivered in spades.

Josh Rock played the anchor role brilliantly. As the player who threw first in every leg, his job was to set the tone — and he did so relentlessly. Across 51 legs, Rock left Gurney with 401 or fewer after his first visit in all but a handful. Only 20% of his opening turns didn’t feature a treble. His second visits were just as vital — in half of them, he hit at least two trebles, creating 20 checkout chances for his partner.

Rock’s overall tournament average was an impressive 99, and without it, Northern Ireland might not have made it beyond the quarter-finals. Compare that to Wales, whose team average was marginally higher, but who produced just 19 checkout attempts in 54 legs. The stats tell us that Rock wasn’t just scoring well — he was creating real chances, and doing it consistently.

While Rock set them up, Gurney knocked them down. His modest average of 81 masked his importance. He finished 17 of his 22 checkouts on scores under 60 — short, clinical shots that don’t boost averages, but win matches. They require nerve, especially under pressure, and Gurney had plenty of it.

He also delivered in the biggest moments. A 130 checkout in the opening leg of the final. Two of his three 180s came when Northern Ireland were 4–5 down — once in the quarter-finals, and again in the final. And the third? In the deciding leg of the tournament, where he threw an 11-darter against the throw to clinch victory, cancelling out a maximum from Gerwyn Price in the process. You can’t teach that sort of timing.

Unlike past World Cup-winning teams packed with world champions and headline names, Northern Ireland didn’t arrive with that kind of reputation. But they understood the format better than anyone.

Rock shouldered the scoring burden, Gurney kept his nerve on the outs, and together they formed a unit greater than the sum of its parts. No egos, no flashy stats — just a clever, committed team who made the format work in their favour.

In Frankfurt, the title didn’t go to the team with the highest average or the most 180s. It went to the smartest pairing. And in a tournament that demanded unity, precision, and poise, Northern Ireland were worthy World Cup champions.