There are still four countries left with a chance to win the final victory at the 2024
World Cup of Darts. Sunday night is the denouement at the Eissporthalle in Frankfurt with the semifinals and final, respectively.
Which country will become Wales' successor? England can become the first country ever to win a fifth title at the World Cup of Darts, while Scotland can take the overall victory for the third time. Belgium and Austria can lift the cup for the first time at the annual nations tournament.
In advance, England is the big favorite for the title. They have the two best players with Luke Humphries and Michael Smith, and made a great impression Sunday afternoon against the Northern Irish duo of Josh Rock and Brendan Dolan. The two Englishmen withstood this test by beating Northern Ireland 8-4 with an average of 98 and a finish percentage of 57 percent.
Humphries and Smith will take on the Scottish team consisting of Peter Wright and Gary Anderson in the last four. The Scots escaped defeat against Sweden (8-7) in the afternoon. Wright in particular will have to step up a gear to stand a serious chance against the top English duo.
Belgium looks to be England's biggest challenger. After a spectacular 8-2 victory over the Netherlands, Dimitri van den Bergh and Kim Huybrechts had their hands full in the quarterfinals against Italy. The Belgians kept their nerves in check best, defeating Massimo Dalla Rosa and Michele Turetta after a decisive leg 8-7.
A clash with Austria awaits the Belgian pair. Mensur Suljovic and Rowby-John Rodriguez also needed the full fifteen legs to qualify for the semifinals. The Austrians took care of Boris Krcmar and Romeo Grbavac from Croatia after a last leg.
Format at World Cup of Darts
The revamped format, which was successfully introduced last year, will return in 2024. The tournament will begin with a group stage before moving into a knockout phase. In addition, all matches will consist of pairings.
All group matches will be played on Thursday, June 27, and Friday, June 28. The group winner of each pool advances to the last sixteen. The second round, with the last remaining sixteen countries, compete on Saturday, June 29, for a spot in the quarterfinals. These will take place on Sunday afternoon, June 30. The semifinals and finals are scheduled for Sunday evening.
The tournament was won in 2023 for the second time by Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton, after they sealed the win. However, due to health reasons, Price cannot participate in the upcoming edition of the World Cup of Darts. His place will be taken by Jim Williams. Four-time champion England will be represented by world champion Luke Humphries - making his debut at the World Cup - and world number three Michael Smith. Peter Wright and Gary Anderson make up the Scottish team. On behalf of the Netherlands, Michael van Gerwen and Danny Noppert will play at the World Cup of Darts.
TV Guide and live stream
The tournament will be broadcast on Sky Sports. On Friday afternoon at 12:00 the second series of group matches will already begin. The evening session will then start again at 19:00, when the final matches of the group stage will be played.
The 12 group stage winners will advance to the last sixteen. Then the four top nations also advance into the tournament. The first four duels of the second round will be played from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 29. Consequently, the format has gone up considerably. From best of 7 legs in the group stage to best of 15 legs in the knockout stage.
On Saturday night, June 29, from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., the last four matches of the second round will be played. After that, it will be known which eight countries will advance to the final day of the World Cup of Darts. The quarter-finals will take place on Sunday, June 30, from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The semifinals and final of the World Cup of Darts are scheduled on Sunday evening from 6 p.m.
Distribution of prize money
A total of 450,000 pounds of prize money will be distributed at the World Cup of Darts. All participants in the pool phase will receive at least 2,000 pounds per person. The players from the top four countries will receive £9,000 per person anyway.
Only after that does it get really lucrative. The quarter-finalists each receive £10,000 credited to their bank accounts. The semi-finalists each receive 15,000 pounds for their performance. The losing finalists both receive £25,000 in prize money, while the winners go home with £40,000 each. The prize money won does not count toward the world rankings, by the way.
Playing schedule World Cup of Darts 2024
Sunday, June 30
Evening session (from 6 p.m.)
Semi-final
Austria v Belgium
England v Scotland
Finale
Austria/Belgium v England/Scotland