"If they click and things go smoothly, then it's probably the best Dutch pairing available" – Van der Voort touts Netherlands for title challenge against England

The World Cup of Darts is just around the corner, and according to Vincent van der Voort that means one of the most special weeks of the darts year. In the podcast Darts Draait Door, the former professional darter looked extensively ahead to the nation-based tournament in Frankfurt, where not only the world’s elite will be in action, but dozens of lesser-known darting nations will also get the chance to showcase themselves on the big stage.

Van der Voort believes it is precisely that international character that makes the World Cup so appealing. “As we said the other day, it's a cult tournament. You get to see all kinds of unusual countries, unusual players, and from Saturday onwards it really starts to feel serious,” he said enthusiastically. He also notes that the level of the smaller darts nations has clearly risen in recent years. “If you look back at the first World Cups, it was mainly the traditional darting nations. Now there are many more countries involved, and increasingly we're seeing good players emerge from all over the world.”

Van der Voort expects several of the smaller darts nations to spring surprises. He mentioned the Philippines, Spain, Poland, and the Czech Republic as teams the established names would rather avoid in the draw.

He was particularly positive about Spain. With José Justicia and Cristo Reyes, the country has a dangerous duo in his view. “Justicia is a quality player and, together with Reyes, they form a partnership that nobody will want to face.” Poland also impresses the Dutchman. The form of Krzysztof Ratajski and Sebastian Białecki especially makes him optimistic. “Krzysztof Ratajski remains a very experienced, high-quality player, and Sebastian Białecki is in excellent form. That's definitely a country that other teams should be wary of."

One of the most talked-about teams in Frankfurt is Germany. Not because of Martin Schindler, but because of Ricardo Pietreczko, who in recent weeks has visibly struggled with his game due to dartitis.

Van der Voort thinks that will make the group stage particularly tricky for Germany. “They are going there with someone who is struggling. And Schindler isn't in a phase where one great result follows another either.”

He sees another factor at play. “Normally you're only concerned with your own game, but now Schindler also has to deal with his partner's situation.” With the Philippines and New Zealand in the same group, Van der Voort does not expect an easy opening phase for the Germans.

Naturally, a large part of the podcast focused on the Dutch team. Michael van Gerwen and Gian van Veen will form the Oranje duo at the World Cup for the first time. Van der Voort believes the key lies mainly in their chemistry. “If they click and things go smoothly, then it's probably the best Dutch pairing available.”

At the same time, he realises both players prepare in completely different ways. “I think they'll practise together at times, but Gian will probably arrive earlier than Michael and that's perfectly fine. Everyone should stick to their own routine. It's not like Michael and Gian never practise together. They do. They can play a few games together if they want, but they should mostly leave each other to prepare in their own way."

Van der Voort does not expect Van Gerwen and Van Veen to force doing everything together. “Each player knows what works best for him. It shouldn't become: 'Come on, let's practise together now,' or 'We have to walk to the venue together' or 'Let's set up finishes for each other and practise doubles together.' That's not how it should work."

Strikingly, Van der Voort also said that, purely based on current form, he might select different players for Team Netherlands. “Based purely on current form? Wessel Nijman and Kevin Doets..”

Yet he immediately stressed that experience at a tournament like the World Cup remains invaluable. “Michael van Gerwen still has it in him. He didn't win the Nordic Darts Masters by accident. The quality is still there, but the drop-off is often quite large.”

While many automatically look to England as the biggest favourite, Van der Voort also sees defending champions Northern Ireland as a huge threat.

He was full of praise for the duo Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney. “I know Daryl Gurney will always give 100 percent, and naturally they'll want to defend their title. I think it's simply a very good pairing, and whoever beats them will have done well."

Even so, England remains the team to beat for him. Luke Humphries and Luke Littler have a level that hardly anyone can match, in his view. “I think both of them probably learned a lot from that Premier League final as well—the way they played against each other, the level they reached. If they get anywhere near that level, the rest of the field might as well pack up and go home.”

Despite all the praise for England and Northern Ireland, Van der Voort sees plenty of opportunities for the Netherlands. In fact, he thinks Van Gerwen and Van Veen can beat any team when they hit their best level.

“If you want to beat England in the final, you'll need Van Veen's World Championship form and Van Gerwen's peak level that he still shows from time to time.".”

The former UK Open finalist therefore expects the Netherlands to go deep. “It's difficult to predict because you don't know how the draw will fall after the group stage. But I'd say England versus the Netherlands in the final. And from a Dutch perspective, let's hope that happens."