Each week of the month, editor-in-chief Pieter Verbeek looks back on one or more things that caught his eye in the previous month. In addition, he casts a look ahead to the upcoming darts month.
This column, of course, looks back at the World Cup of Darts, the annual country tournament on the PDC calendar. In addition, the writer looks forward to the battle for the title at the prestigious World Matchplay.
As a darts follower for this website, I naturally follow all major tournaments, but the World Cup of Darts is one of the few tournaments where I am really glued to the TV. As a sports fan, last weekend was a feast anyway, with otherwise the European Football Championship, the Tour de France and the F1 race in Austria. On the main screen, however, the World Cup of Darts was on, because I don't want to miss a minute of that tournament.
Why do I like the World Cup of Darts so much? After seventeen weeks of Premier League Darts and various World Series tournaments, I was ready to see different faces on the big stage. The World Cup of Darts is the ideal tournament for that, because a total of 80 players from forty countries are competing. For many players, the World Cup of Darts is the only event in the year where they play on a big stage. Great to see teams from Guyana, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Italy and Croatia and see how they fare against the bigger darts nations and if there is any progression visible. After all, the sport of darts is becoming more and more global, as Croatia and Italy also proved this weekend with their performances.
But I can also enjoy the oft-repeated faces during such a World Cup of Darts. Because of the overcrowded PDC calendar, I often have the feeling that the top players dutifully throw their darts. A win on a Euro Tour stage or major tournament hardly brings out any emotion in some players. The World Cup of Darts does. You see emotions in players that you really only see at the World Cup of Darts. It means a lot to some players to be able to play for their country. So much so that Belgian bantams Dimitri van den Bergh and Kim Huybrechts buried their mutual feud for four days to get the maximum result for their country.
It ended up being a semifinal for the Belgians. After a spectacular 8-2 win over the Netherlands in the second round, Van den Bergh and Huybrechts crawled through the eye of the needle in the quarterfinals against Italy (8-7). A final spot beckoned, but the Belgians were floored in the last four by Austrian duo Mensur Suljovic and Rowby-John Rodriguez, where the chemistry is genuine though and both teammates will go through the fire for each other. Suljovic and Rodriguez will no doubt fistbump each other on the arm when they meet again next week on the Pro Tour. The Belgians can stop their acting and turn back onto Do Not Disturb mode when they bump into each other in Milton Keynes.
The Austrians made it to the final of the World Cup of Darts for the second time together, but had to settle for second place. England's top duo Luke Humphries and Michael Smith quite rightly took the final victory at the country tournament. If you thought this English team was already unbeatable, just wait until Humphries and Luke Littler make up the English team. Darts Is Coming Home Again in 2025.
The month of July, like every year, is all about the World Matchplay. That, like the World Cup of Darts, is a tournament I look forward to every year. The tournament is held at the iconic Winter Gardens in Blackpool. This venue is known for its unique atmosphere and beautiful setting.
The World Matchplay has been held annually since 1994, making it one of the oldest and most prestigious tournaments on the PDC calendar. Over the years, there have been countless memorable matches and moments. The audience in Blackpool will meet teenage sensation Luke Littler for the first time. I am very curious to see how "The Nuke" will fare at the World Matchplay. Along with Humphries, Littler is the big favorite to lift the Phil Taylor Trophy on Sunday, July 21.
Since Littler has qualified for the World Matchplay via the Pro Tour rankings, he will be paired with a player in the top-16 of the world rankings in the draw anyway. It is to be hoped that Littler ends up as far away from Humphries in the schedule as possible, because after a brilliant World Cup final and a spectacular Premier League final, I am already looking forward to the next big showdown between the two best darters of the moment.
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