Only two players have appeared at every World Cup of Darts - and both return for a 16th time in 2026

Only two players in the 2026 World Cup of Darts field have appeared at every previous edition of the tournament. In Frankfurt, Germany, both are back to extend one of the event’s rarest records.

William O’Connor and Mensur Suljovic are the last two ever-presents left in World Cup history. Both have represented their countries 15 times at the tournament, and both are now set for a 16th appearance.

Their streaks began at the inaugural World Cup in 2010. The tournament skipped 2011, returned in 2012, expanded in later years and eventually moved into its current doubles-only format. Through every version of it, O’Connor has been there for the Republic of Ireland and Suljovic has been there for Austria.

The wider 2026 field includes bigger current names, from Luke Littler and Luke Humphries to Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson and Josh Rock. The longest active World Cup streak belongs to two players who have outlasted every format change the event has gone through.

O’Connor has been Ireland’s one constant across the full history of the World Cup of Darts. His best run came in 2019, when he partnered Steve Lennon to the final. Ireland beat England and the Netherlands during that campaign, before Scotland ended their title bid in the final.

That remains Ireland’s strongest World Cup result. O’Connor has returned every year since, through first-round exits, group-stage defeats and renewed knockout runs.

In 2025, O’Connor and Keane Barry reached the quarter-finals before losing to eventual champions Northern Ireland. The defeat came against Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney, who went on to beat Wales in the final and claim Northern Ireland’s first World Cup title.

O’Connor returns in 2026 alongside Mickey Mansell, who previously represented Northern Ireland at the tournament. Ireland have been drawn in Group D with Singapore and Uganda, with only the group winner advancing to the last 16.

For Ireland, the 2019 final remains the high point. For O’Connor, Frankfurt brings another entry in a run no other Irish player comes close to matching.

Suljovic’s ever-present record sits alongside Austria’s strongest World Cup era. The Austrian has played in every edition since 2010 and has twice helped his country reach the final. He partnered Rowby-John Rodriguez in 2021, when Austria lost to Scotland, then reached the final again with the same partner in 2024 before England won 10-6.

Those two runner-up finishes remain Austria’s best World Cup results. They also give Suljovic’s streak a different shape to O’Connor’s. Ireland have one defining final run. Austria, with Suljovic at the centre of it, have repeatedly threatened to become the next new nation to win the event.

Suljovic now returns with Rusty-Jake Rodriguez. Austria have been drawn in Group I with China and France, again starting in the group stage rather than entering directly in the knockouts.

Across the years, Suljovic has played alongside different Austrian partners, including Rowby-John Rodriguez, Zoran Lerchbacher and Rusty-Jake Rodriguez. The team around him has changed. His place in it has not.

O’Connor and Suljovic enter the 2026 World Cup with identical records and different unfinished business. Ireland are trying to recreate the run that took them to the 2019 final. Austria are trying to go one step further after final defeats in 2021 and 2024.

When the World Cup returns to Frankfurt, the tournament’s longest active streak will not belong to one of the top seeds. It will belong to O’Connor and Suljovic, the last two players who have been part of every edition from the very beginning.