OFFICIAL: Kim Huybrechts will play alongside Dimitri van den Bergh at World Cup of Darts

Kim Huybrechts will definitely compete in the World Cup of Darts. The PDC announced the final list of participants for the country tournament and in the list Huybrechts' name appears next to Dimitri van den Bergh's.

This brings a provisional end to the darting soap opera surrounding the composition of the Belgian team at the World Cup of Darts. As the absolute number one in Belgian darts, Van den Bergh had long been certain of his spot, but for a long time it was unclear who would accompany him in Frankfurt.

The battle for the second spot was between Huybrechts and Mike de Decker. Moreover, in the background there was also a conflict between the Belgians. Decker and Van den Bergh had both filed a complaint against Huybrechts. 'The Dreammaker' felt threatened by a remark of the Antwerp player, while De Decker had reported a slap in his face after an argument had gotten out of hand. Van den Bergh and De Decker announced afterward that they would prefer to play with each other at the World Cup of Darts.

De Decker failed to pass Huybrechts in the world rankings, however, an outside chance still glimmered for 'The Real Deal,' after Huybrechts suffered a double shoulder fracture in May in a brawl following the Belgian Cup final between Royal Antwerp and Royale Union Saint-Gilloise. However, 'The Hurricane' refused to give up his spot and reported back on the darts circuit after just four weeks.

Last week, Huybrechts competed in two Players Championship tournaments and two Euro Tour qualifying tournaments. With two wins and an average of over 100, the two-time major winner certainly did well. Huybrechts at least showed with it that he is fit enough to participate in the World Cup of Darts. It will be Huybrechts' 13th time competing in the Nations Tournament. In 2013, he and his brother Ronny Huybrechts made it to the final of the World Cup of Darts, losing to top English duo Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis.

In 2012, Kurt van de Rijck was still the partner of "The Hurricane," after which Ronny Huybrechts was by his side from 2013 to 2017. Since 2018, Van den Bergh has been Huybrechts' partner at the World Cup of Darts.

It is to be hoped for the Belgians that relations between Huybrechts and Van den Bergh have improved a bit, especially after last year's fiasco. The two Belgian darters completely ignored each other in their opening match against Finland, which was nevertheless won 4-0.

Due to private problems, Huybrechts and Van den Bergh did not give each other a glance. After their match, both players gave an interview individually, instead of together, which is usual at the World Cup of Darts. It took a mediation session to get the two back "on speaking terms. After that conversation, better cooperation was clearly visible on stage. The Belgians eventually made it to the semifinals by beating the Netherlands, among others, but lost in the last four to eventual winners Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton of Wales.