"One more pairs event, you’re not allowed to pick your own World Cup partner" - Josh Rock calls for change on the PDC calendar
PDCSaturday, 28 February 2026 at 09:30
Josh Rock has floated a striking idea that could seriously shake up the international darts calendar. The 24-year-old Northern Irishman, better known as ‘Rocky’, is advocating an extra pairs tournament on the PDC Tour, but with a notable twist. Players would be allowed to choose their own partner, just not their regular World Cup of Darts teammate.
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The proposal emerged when Rock was asked whether he would like to see more pairs formats on the calendar. His answer was clear: “One more pairs event where you can pick your own partner. Blind pairs," he told TalkSport. “When I said pick your own partner, I meant you’re not allowed to pick your own World Cup partner because that's a disadvantage."
That would mean the established national duos from the World Cup of Darts would be split up for this new event. Combinations like Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton, or Luke Humphries and Luke Littler, would therefore not be allowed to team up again. Rock himself also wouldn’t be able to line up with his regular Northern Irish partner Daryl Gurney.
World Cup of Darts as a springboard
Rock knows better than anyone how special a pairs tournament can be. Last year he enjoyed the biggest success of his still-young career by winning the World Cup of Darts for Northern Ireland together with Gurney. In a nerve-racking final, Wales were beaten 10-9, a historic first title for the country.
That victory marked a breakthrough at the very highest level. Since then, Rock has become a mainstay on the PDC Tour and has climbed to ninth in the world rankings. He also made his mark at the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship. He reached the fourth round, where he was eventually knocked out by Justin Hood.
Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney won the 2025 World Cup of Darts
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Tough debut in Premier League Darts
Rock is currently competing in Premier League Darts, a competition he dreamed of as a child. As an 11-year-old, he sat in the crowd in Belfast watching his idol Gary Anderson, who would later win two Premier League titles.
That moment has now become reality. Still, he endured a nerve-racking lead-up to his selection. “If I didn’t get the Prem this year, I might not have been up for it the same (in the future) because I knew I worked hard to get into the Prem," he says. “I would have been heartbroken if I didn’t get it."
His emotion was immense. “My hands and my whole body started shaking, it was a dream come true.”
Sportingly, his Premier League campaign has been difficult so far. In Newcastle, Antwerp, Glasgow, and Belfast he went out in the quarterfinals each time. Even so, he remains combative. With plenty of weeks still to play, Rock believes he can claim his first nightly win.
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Innovation for the sport?
The proposal for an extra pairs tournament fits a broader trend in which the PDC is seeking innovation and entertainment. Pairs darts captures the imagination, especially when established partnerships are broken up and new alliances emerge.
Such an event would undoubtedly appeal to Dutch and Belgian fans as well. It creates space for surprise duos and fresh storylines. Moreover, with this idea, Rock shows that he is not only ambitious on the oche but also thinking along about the sport’s future.
If the PDC seriously considers the plan, it could well become one of the most talked-about additions to the darts calendar in the coming years.
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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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- If he can be bothered? He won't play darts in Germany yet he'll go over and get an award!??rick6702-09-2026
- Why is this the main story? He chose not to compete in loads of tournaments,yes he's number 1 in the world,but he does have to turn up at tournaments! Play the next world championship in Dortmund and see if he turns up!!rick6727-08-2026
- This is exactly what I mean,littler survives the 1st round,I think you'll find a lot of other players did. Can you just report on the real sport,and not just 1 person. I like Luke,but this is getting boring now,as Kevin painter once said to Taylor!! The sport is about every player,not 1 who everyone seems to have put the sport on the map.,which he hasn't,he's just got in when the money is massive. Great as he is,it seems like what's the point in anyone trying,he's going to win everything,unless it's in Germany or Australia!!!rick6726-08-2026
- I mean look, Littler's picture is first,wattimena is second and he won! Level it up. I know littler is fantastic,but the sport was here before him,and will be when he's retired. Any player in the top 64/128 can beat each other,it's not big news. Poor Jermaine,wins it,and not even the headline!!rick6726-08-2026
- I appreciate that littler is a fantastic player,but the top 3 articles are about him. Before he'd thrown a dart in the tournament. Level it out a bit, Taylor and van gerwen soon got disliked as the media could only see them,and nobody else seemed to matterrick6725-08-2026
- The two-point Lucky Loser qualifiers are Ross Smith, Robb, Whitlock, Sakai, Ilagan and Toylo. Jermaine is not on the entries list on Dartconnect for the TCH qualifier so the four from the main OoM are probably Searle, Nijman, Dobey, Wattimena.Scoobedybop24-08-2026
- The two-point Lucky Loser qualifiers are Ross Smith, Robb, Whitlock, Sakai, Ilagan and Toylo. Jermaine is not on the entries list on Dartconnect for the TCH qualifier so the four from the main OoM are probably Searle, Nijman, Dobey, Wattimena.Scoobedybop24-08-2026
- I'd happily pay for a site free of Van der Voort's every squeak and utterance.StraightArrowNoBull19-08-2026
- I think you miss the point. It is just a poll if you are willing to pay for an ad-free site. The content stays free.SheGotLegs16-08-2026
- It's great to see Mark Webster looking well,he's a top ladrick6715-08-2026
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