PREVIEW World Cup of Darts - England: Can The World’s Best Pairing Go One Better Than 2025?

The World Cup of Darts started on Thursday, but England won’t play until Saturday in Frankfurt. The first seeds will enter the doubles competition in the Last 16 and will want to avoid defeat at this stage, as they did last year. 2025 was an embarrassment for the most successful nation to ever play in the World Cup of Darts, with the 5 times champions losing in Round Two for the first time since 2020, their only previous second-round exit coming in the inaugural 2010 tournament. Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis dominated this competition, together winning 4 of the 5 titles, with a runner-up in 2014 being the low point.

Part of that 2012 final, Talor and Lewis went hand in hand as the best pair and the best two players in the world between 2012 and 2016. After Taylor, different pairs have tried for England, but only Michael Smith and Luke Humphries have won the title, winning in 2024. Since then, A story of runners-up, a semi-final and 2 quarter final runs with Rob Cross appearing in both, suggesting a tricky campaign for the best darting nation. So, with just one win since Taylor’s absence after 2016, can the two best darts players in the world come together and win the 2026 edition?

After eight years of pain, England were granted a relatively easy run to the final in 2024. Beating France in the last 16, 8-3, requiring just an 86.23 average from the World Number 1 and 2, painted the picture of the tournament. A brace of 8-4 victories followed against Northern Ireland in the quarter finals, and a contentious match against Scotland following Peter Wright’s trash talk. In the final, Austria came, and so did a ton plus average, defeating Austria with ease, 10-6. With a tournament average of 95.49, England were comfortable and picked the title without breaking a sweat. Smith opened, Humphries finished; the partnership was cohesive and effective, allowing for Smith’s explosive scoring and Humphries’ special ton plus averages. Humphries had a checkout percentage of 42.08% in 2024 and came into 2026 with 40.83%. Humphries, during the 2026 Premier League, had trouble finishing, but found his finishing touch at the O2 when it mattered most, pushing the Premier League final to a deciding leg. The 2024 blueprint is clear, so can Littler replace Smith as the aggressor on the throw?

Luke Littler is currently the best darts player in the World. Every major Littler has walked into in 2026, he has picked up the title. His most beaten player in the finals in 2026 has been Luke Humphries, so how will his 2026 stats benefit Humphries and England at this World Cup? Smith’s 2024 average was 95.37, and a game built on high scoring, Smith hit 266 180s from the start of 2024 until the World Cup, with a first 9-dart average of 104.23. This proves that Smith’s power scoring lifted England to another level, expanding the gap from its competitors. With Littler in 2026, however, his average is 5.97 points higher than Smith's at 101.34, as he hit 59 more 180s and boasts a 111.64 first 9 average to triumph over Smith in the same time frame.

Every metric shows Littler is operating at a higher level than Smith in 2024. What’s most striking is that his first 3 average, the 3 darts he will throw at the start of every leg for England, sit at 115.35, 12.06 points higher than an already impressive 103.29 average for Smith that kickstarted England’s legs. Littler will score more heavily from the very start, on average, leaving a finish at 9 darts that Humphries will fancy. This cohesion between Littler’s game and Humphries' game will prove the definitive factor: 2024 worked because Smith averaged 104 in the first 3 darts; why wouldn’t 2026 work with Littler averaging 115? In finals, Littler has thrown an average of 106.01, with a high of 111.67 against his teammate at the O2 last month. The best aggressor in the World Cup is Scotland, with Gary Anderson holding a 3-dart average of 107.9. This shows the statistical gap between the closest enemy of Littler. Littler’s shown up in finals this year for himself. Can he for England?

The Upgrade: Why Littler Gives Humphries More Than Smith Ever Could

Luke Humphries has been the victim of Littler’s dominance in darts, losing 23 matches in 37 against him. Frequent Premier League matches, 2 major finals in 2026, are hurting Humphries, as it hurts with 2 major finals, losing a deciding set at the Masters and a deciding leg at the Premier League. Humphries loves England. If Luke had beaten him 37 times out of 37, he still wouldn’t turn down playing with him. “No one's going to turn down playing for England. I would never turn it down in a million years, no matter how tired I was, how ill I was,” he told Online Darts. 2025 failed through this rivalry that wasn’t addressed. Humphries was world Number 1, with Littler Number 2, and a fierce battle ensued that the World Cup was shoehorned into. Chemistry failed, and they walked into the Eissporthalle expecting to win. 2026 is different. “We're fully aware that we're going to be massive favourites and everyone's going to expect us to win. But I feel like we have to take away that pressure and just go out and enjoy it," Humphries told Online Darts. The rivalry still stands, but the flame isn’t as bright. Committed to the English cause as a team, as the two appear to have grown closer off the oche, 2026 should supply a team, not two individuals. “Luke and I are up for it,” Luke Littler told Oche 180. It’s in England’s hands but they know this. Their darts will show whether that title will be in their hands.

2025 can’t happen again for England. Humiliation, pain and booing. The latter won’t change, especially with Littler back in Germany. 2025 included booing to levels Littler has become numb to, but not Humphries. A German crowd backing their nation saw an 8-4 win, with England averaging a low 93.34. Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko will represent Germany this year, but were a different animal last year and proved a great pairing against England. "Ricardo and Martin, they definitely played a good game with each other. Luke and I had a few good moments in the game, but we just didn't really bond on that stage." Littler told Oche 180, showing the awareness that the 2025 exit, painful as it was, may have been necessary. Both players are averaging over 101 individually in 2026; the ability is not in question. The pair format of course requires chemistry and communication, with pressure all the different with the nation’s expectations on your backs. The German loss wasn’t a talent problem; it was a chemistry problem, and that showed. As a pair, the two Lukes have transcended from rivals to friends and have respect for each other. Littler hasn’t just had one tournament representing his country, with the WDF giving him countless opportunities to wear an England jersey. Therefore, with the PDC lesson learnt, England couldn’t be more ready to win.

First Seeds. Bookies Favourites. Ranked 1 and 2. Everything spells out an England triumph. But that same mistake happened last year. Closest rivals will come in the form of the Netherlands, with an in-form Van Gerwen fancied at 11/2 by the bookies, compared to ½ for England. A combined ranking money of £4,127,500, there really isn’t an excuse for England losing. No nation in the field on paper has the depth of quality and talent. The only question that remains is chemistry. Both players are publicly committed and motivated, but Humphries will know what it takes; this will need to be shared with Littler. The seeding removes group stage danger, but with even a fraction of their 2026 individual form, England should blow the field away. For me, if England win their opening match, the only remaining question is how many legs they drop along the way.