Historic dream shattered: Uganda miss the World Cup of Darts due to visa issues and are replaced by Gibraltar

Sad news from Africa: Uganda will not be active at the World Cup of Darts this week after all, which starts on Thursday at the Eissporthalle in Frankfurt.

Patrick Ocheng and Juma Said were initially set to represent their country in Uganda’s very first appearance at the national team tournament. The duo had qualified via the African Darts Group qualifier, but will now see that historic participation pass them by.

The two Ugandan darters were denied visas for Germany, and an appeal against that decision was unsuccessful. As a result, they are forced to withdraw from the World Cup.

Malawi, which as runner-up at the qualifier was in line to take the vacant spot, also failed to obtain the required visa in time. That leaves Gibraltar, which has already participated in the World Cup of Darts several times before. The nation now joins Group D.

Craig Galliano and Justin Hewitt once again form the pairing for Gibraltar. They will face Ireland and Singapore in the group stage.

With this late inclusion, Gibraltar also extends its impressive streak as a permanent World Cup of Darts participant, as the nation has never missed an edition of the prestigious national team tournament.