Draw knockout stage World Cup of Darts 2025: England, Wales, Scotland & Northern Ireland find out last 16 opponents
PDC
The World Cup of Darts steps up a gear this weekend as the top four seeded nations — England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland — make their long-awaited entrance in the last 16, having received byes through the group stage.
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Top seeds England open their campaign against host nation Germany in what promises to be a high-quality contest. Luke Humphries and teenage sensation Luke Littler will take on Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko, who impressed in the group phase with wins over Portugal (4-2) and Singapore (4-0). With the crowd behind them, the Germans could pose a real threat to the tournament favourites.
Wales, winners in both 2020 and 2023, also begin their title charge. Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton face the dangerous Philippines pairing of Lourence Ilagan and Paolo Nebrida—who stunned Belgium in the group stage with a dramatic comeback victory. The Welsh are on the same side of the draw as Scotland, setting up a possible all-British semi-final.
Two-time champions Scotland, represented by legends Gary Anderson and Peter Wright, face a tricky opening tie against the in-form Netherlands. Danny Noppert and Gian van Veen breezed through their group without dropping a leg and will be hoping to carry that form into the knockout rounds. The winner of this clash will take on either Malaysia or Czechia in the quarter-finals.
Northern Ireland begin their campaign against South Africa, who qualified at the expense of Poland and Norway thanks to an impressive leg difference. Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney will be fancied to progress but cannot afford to underestimate the experienced duo of Devon Petersen and Cameron Carolissen.
Elsewhere in the last 16, surprise package Argentina will test their mettle against 2022 champions Australia. After edging out New Zealand and beating Finland, the debutants now face Damon Heta and Simon Whitlock, who topped their group by defeating Austria and Spain.
Sweden, featuring Jeffrey de Graaf and Oskar Lukasiak, will meet Hong Kong, while Ireland take on Switzerland in a tie that could go either way. Ireland only advanced on a statistical tiebreak after a rare three-way deadlock in Group D, edging out China and Gibraltar based on the number of breaks of throw.
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With the group stage behind us, the format now increases in intensity: matches will be played over the best of 15 legs, with eight required for victory. The winners from Saturday’s second round ties will return on Sunday afternoon for the quarter-finals, followed by the semi-finals and the final in the evening session.
Read also
Draw knockout stage World Cup of Darts 2025
England v Germany
Argentina v Australia
Northern Ireland v South Africa
Switzerland v Ireland
Wales v Philippines
Hong Kong v Sweden
Scotland v Netherlands
Malaysia v Czech Republic
If the Lukes want to win it, they probably have to do it the hard way: Germany - Australia - Northern Ireland - Wales could be the route to the title. pic.twitter.com/vRmvhMbHPu
— TheRedBit 🔴 (@TheRedBit180) June 13, 2025
Kieran WoodDarts Journalist
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He contributes to DartsNews.com, where he covers professional darts through news, match reports, analysis, and live coverage across the PDC calendar and major tournaments.
A key part of his work is on-site reporting from leading events. Kieran has covered the PDC World Darts Championship in person, reporting daily from the venue and providing first-hand insight from the tournament. During his coverage, he has conducted interviews with leading players including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Gerwyn Price.
He is also one of the leading voices of the English-language Dartsnews Podcast, contributing regular analysis and discussion on developments across the professional darts circuit.
In his reporting, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles when new, verified information becomes available.
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- He produced some impressive numbers in that qualifying campaign. I'm excited to see him compete at the World Championship once again, even if it will be difficult to replicate last year's success even with an improved performance, with the draw playing a huge role in determining his fortunes.Deduce635811-11-2026
- I often think about this very question. I think they should revive the format. They could even invite representatives from MODUS Super Series, with four series winners from the past year, and the ADC, with finalists from the Global Championship and perhaps other events. Why not throw in eligible representatives from the JDC and even the soft-tip game too?Deduce635811-11-2026
- So what if littler missed out, he doesnt have to enter everythingant10-11-2026
- Good, absolutely no loss if we never see this dancing goof ever again......no that is not fair. He absolutely cannot and has never been remotely able to dance!richieburnettrocks10-11-2026
- Yes Phil,now the money in the game is bigger than ever,you'd play littler. Well so would I! Retire on your memory Phil,and your successful careerrick6709-11-2026
- And why should he listen to you?Deduce635807-11-2026
- Ultimately it is a bye for whoever draws Barney. It will be another stroppy and sulky performance once he goes behind. Barney was excellent but really must completely call it a day now.richieburnettrocks07-11-2026
- I'm disappointed he was not able to secure a spot at the Grand Slam. With Carl Sneyd taking care of Daryl Gurney, he would have had to beat Andy Boulton before facing the winner of Sneyd vs Mensur Suljović for a Grand Slam spot. Unfortunately, after beating Filip Bereza comfortably, he succumbed to Boulton, and the board would ultimately be won by the highly inconsistent Carl Sneyd. Since he could instead have been drawn against the likes of Cristo Reyes, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Stephen Bunting, I think once Gurney was out of the picture he would have been favourite to win his board, and it seems like a massive missed opportunity to put 5 grand on his ranking and seal another major TV appearance ahead of the Worlds. The highs and lows of following Raymond van Barneveld!Deduce635806-11-2026
- Probably i will receive a lot of backlash and hate for this reaction, but well, so be it. I am more than sick and tired of those lies of you Barry Hearn. How dare you defend yourself over the back of Fallon’s son! He has a disability and not an illness, so let me correct that for you! I know because I have the exact same disability. I have tried to reach out to Fallon in the past, and offered her to help her and her son, because I was struggling with the same problems, and I understood the boy. I wanted him to have finally someone who understood him. However she told me that she did not want my help, and I have respected Fallon’s choice. I have never asked Fallon for money. They don’t need money in that case. I only ever wanted the best for Fallon and Rory, but I have to be honest about the situation. Fallon should tell the true story and not be forced to tell lies. I don’t hate Fallon, and I don’t begrudge or envy a single penny that she gets, but this situation/case is just not fair. I hate the lies and the dishonesty and injustice. I don’t want Fallon to be hated because there is an unfair disadvantage created. Don’t proclaim your false lies over the back of Rory! I only stand for integrity and justice. I am precisely the one who always sticks up for Fallon. And you don't, you don't give a damn about them. You were never there for them, and now you only want to save your own position! You are just trying to talk your way out of your own bad behavior at the expense of someone with a disability. And to Fallon, I don’t know if this may ever reach you, and you read it, but I want you to know I love you and I love your son Rory very much, I am sorry how things developed and went. I hope you and Harriet are still friends. I am sorry if I were too persistent to you, or you experienced it that way, but it was never my intention. Please understand I have autism as well. As Barry Hearn would say, I am only just a human being too, and I also make mistakes and misjudge things sometimes. I promise you I did everything out of the deepest love and care for you and Rory. If I were you, I should just keep all the money, only please never be dishonest or tell lies anymore for Barry Hearn, or anyone else. I hope you have the best life, and I wish nothing more than the best for you. I have always loved the two of you. Farewell.Hiddo05-11-2026
- She is a professional. If darts is her income, she is a professional. Same as Adrian Lewis, Martin Adams. A tour card just means someone can play on the PDC tour. You could even make a case that Clayton wasn't a professional (until recently I believe) because he had employment elsewhere.BandB04-11-2026