The best stories from the World Cup of Darts: Exclusive list ranked & remembered

As the World Cup of Darts approaches, there is hope and optimism across all the teams competing. The annual event, taking place from the 12th to the 15th of June in Frankfurt, is expected to once again deliver drama at every turn. A sense of national pride, big prize money, and of course, a chance for both Darts’ elite and newcomers to show what they’re all about on the big stage. This event is unique in the sense that it features only doubles games, something completely different from every other PDC event. Making the change in 2023, the PDC decided that only doubles matches would be played at the event. This was part of a wider change that saw the tournament expanded to 40 teams, in part due to Darts’ global expansion in recent times.

Over the years, there have been many rivalries that have taken centre stage at the event, as national pride sometimes boils over, this creates intense affairs with emotional conclusions. Especially in the earlier years when the event included singles matches, the drama of not being able to help your partner when they were up on stage led to incredible moments of tension backstage, with cameras panning around the room to capture the reactions from both players representing their nations.

The new format allows all teams in the group stage a minimum of two games, increasing global interest in the event, as nations from all around the world have their chance to make history. All games in the group stage are singular doubles fixtures played over the best of seven legs.

Over the years, the World Cup of Darts has delivered countless classics time after time. In this list I will discuss my personal top 5 stories from the event that had fans hooked from start to finish.

list of best matches

At the inaugural World Cup of Darts, it was the favourites, England, who provided the biggest talking point of the tournament after suffering a shock loss against Spain in the first round. Heading into the event, England were expected to go all the way, as their pairing of Phil Taylor and James Wade were ranked number one and two in the world. This was, and still remains, a defining moment in showing how underdogs can pull off major upsets within the PDC.

England were 4–2 up in the deciding fixture after Phil Taylor, rather unsurprisingly, did what he always does and made light work of a 100 finish. However, the Spanish pairing of Carlos Rodriguez and Toni Alcinas were quick to respond with checkouts of 83 on the bullseye and 125 to pull themselves back into contention. The English pairing of Taylor and Wade then missed crucial doubles, which allowed Alcinas to punish those mistakes and edge Spain in front at 5–4. Taylor responded in the next leg, finishing off a 13-darter for England as the game descended into a deciding leg.

Following a steady start from both sides in the decider, the Spanish duo smacked in back-to-back 180s to leave themselves on 42, with England stuck on 166. Toni Alcinas took out the 42 in two darts, sinking the favourites in the opening round and announcing the Spanish pair on the world stage. Taylor and Wade looked nonplussed as they walked off the stage—and rightly so.

In darting circles, this is rightly considered one of the most shocking results in history. As described by legendary commentators John Gwynne and Sid Waddell: "Six darts if they want them, for a massive upset, day one of the World Cup. He’s hit double 16 to sink Taylor and Wade—can you believe what you’ve just seen? Spain have beaten England." This match was a shock to everyone and will live long in the memory.

Going into the 2019 World Cup of Darts, the Republic of Ireland were seen as outsiders — perhaps even that would be a stretch. In a tournament that featured outstanding pairs from the Netherlands, England, Wales, and Scotland, just to name a few, Ireland were not considered a team capable of mounting a serious challenge. However, their fairytale run to the final included major upsets that ensured the pair of William O’Connor and Steve Lennon will always be remembered.

In previous years, the Republic of Ireland were seen as consistent underperformers in this event. Last-leg defeats to Hong Kong and Australia were damning indictments of the team’s inability to handle pressure. However, all of that was about to be swept under the rug during the 2019 edition of the World Cup of Darts.

In their first-round match-up against Greece, the pairing of O’Connor and Lennon comfortably got past their opponents with a 5-1 victory. Throughout the tournament, it seemed as if the pair were determined to send a message of intent — and that’s exactly what they did. Representing the Republic of Ireland, the team then went on to defeat top seeds England in a stunning 2-0 triumph. Steve Lennon edged past Michael Smith 4-3 in a hard-fought and respectable win, before his partner William O’Connor completely blew Rob Cross off the stage with a sensational 115.10 average, securing a 4-1 victory and Ireland’s first-ever place in the quarter-finals.

Many expected the fairytale to end there, but the Irish duo showed no signs of slowing down. Instead, O’Connor and Lennon produced a 4-0 whitewash of the Austrian team in a deciding pairs game, once again breaking new ground by securing their place in the World Cup semi-final. They would go one step further by defeating another tournament favourite — the Dutch pairing of Michael van Gerwen and Jermaine Wattimena — winning 4-0 in yet another deciding pairs match.

With the coveted trophy now in sight, the Republic of Ireland started strongly in the final. Steve Lennon defeated former World Champion Gary Anderson in the opening singles match, averaging an impressive 98.93. However, the task ultimately proved too great for the Irish pairing, as their opponents Scotland — represented by Peter Wright and Gary Anderson — won the next three matches consecutively to end Ireland’s dream run and claim the World Cup title.

Although O’Connor and Lennon fell just short of lifting the trophy, it should not detract from what was a remarkable achievement in reaching the final. Their victories over pre-tournament favourites England and the Netherlands will live long in the memory, and for the Irish pair, this campaign remains one of the proudest moments of their careers in the PDC to date.

Over the years, there have been many pairings and nations that have won the World Cup of Darts, but none have ever been as popular as John Henderson when he teamed up with Peter Wright to deliver glory for Scotland in 2021. John ‘The Highlander’ Henderson made his debut in the event during the 2021 edition, and the crowds watching live in attendance, as well as at home, instantly took to the lovable giant. Taking the place of Gary Anderson in the Scottish team, it must have been something to do with the immense national pride that Henderson showed throughout the tournament which drew fans towards him.

Going into the event as sixth seeds, there was of course always a chance that the pairing of Wright and Henderson could go all the way, but after the withdrawal of Gary Anderson, many thought their chances were significantly diminished. The pair began their charge with victories over Poland and China, meaning they had at least made the quarter-finals. Wright and Henderson then made a controversial decision, choosing to switch their seeding order. This allowed Henderson to play the higher-ranked opponent in their next matches, while Wright could focus on ensuring they won a game to force a deciding doubles match.

This would work out incredibly well for the pair, as they advanced past the Netherlands in the last eight through a deciding pairs game, with their tactic appearing to work effectively. However, the task didn’t get any easier in the next round, as they were scheduled to take on the reigning champions, Wales. The charismatic duo of Wright and Henderson were once again able to overcome a top team, dispatching the reigning champions in another deciding pairs match and proving their incredible team cohesion. This victory set up a final against another surprise package in Austria. The final turned out to be the easiest of all their knockout games. After losing the first singles match, the Scottish pair rallied to win the next three, securing another World Cup of Darts title for Scotland and, more importantly for the fans, Henderson’s first ever PDC title.

In 2016, there were really no bigger stars in the game—especially not pairings at the World Cup—with both England and the Netherlands pairings boasting incredible pedigree. Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis versus Michael Van Gerwen and Raymond Van Barneveld: the ultimate battle of passion and ability. Adding to the spectacle, this final marked the first time two former winners of the event had met in the final stage, making the drama palpable from the outset. England had previously claimed the World Cup of Darts titles in 2012, 2013, and 2015, but their hopes of a three-peat were dashed in 2014 when the Netherlands defeated them 3-0 in the final. All of this contributed to an incredibly tense atmosphere surrounding the 2016 showdown, with no clear favourite in sight.

The four darting icons met once again in the final. This time, it wouldn’t be a whitewash. Phil Taylor got England off to the perfect start, defeating Michael Van Gerwen 4-3 in the opening match with an impressive 102.94 average. However, it wouldn’t be long before the Dutch levelled the scores, as Raymond Van Barneveld produced a superb 107.83 average in a 4-3 win over Adrian Lewis.

The Netherlands took the advantage in the pairs game, winning 4-2 against Taylor and Lewis to lead the final 2-1 in a race to three. As ever, Phil Taylor stepped up with an important win for England, defeating his old rival Raymond Van Barneveld 4-1 in a match where both players averaged just over 105. This levelled the scores and left Adrian Lewis to face Michael Van Gerwen in a decisive final singles match. Riding the wave of home crowd support, Lewis comfortably dispatched Van Gerwen 4-1 to clinch the World Cup for England. This marked England's fourth triumph in the event and firmly cemented Taylor and Lewis’s place at the summit of world darts.

The World Cup of Darts in 2012 was expected by many to be just another edition of the tournament, with nothing particularly historic anticipated. However, the final is now widely considered—by many, myself included—to be the greatest in the event’s history. Not just because of the pride that comes with representing your nation, but for the sheer, crazy drama that unfolded throughout. Once again, it was England taking on their old rivals Australia, represented by Simon Whitlock and Paul Nicholson. This match went right down to the wire, with all four players getting the opportunity to win it in a sudden-death leg. Yes, you read that correctly—each player had a dart to win the World Cup.

Following their heartbreaking loss to Spain (as mentioned in number five on this list) in the inaugural World Cup, England returned two years later with Phil Taylor now joined by a new partner: the back-to-back World Champion, Adrian Lewis. Many expected this new-look English duo to cruise through the tournament. However, after narrow victories over Canada and the United States in the early rounds, it became clear they’d need to raise their game, and raise it they did. The pair moved past Wales 5–1 in the semi-finals, setting up a mouth-watering final against the hardworking Australian duo of Whitlock and Nicholson.

England appeared to be cruising in the final after securing three consecutive points that took them to a 3-0 lead and just one win away from claiming their first World Cup. Australia, however, knew their capabilities and mounted a remarkable comeback, levelling the tie in one of the most unexpected near-comebacks in PDC history. It all began with the enigmatic Paul Nicholson defeating Adrian Lewis to keep the tie alive in the final singles match. The Australian pair then went on to beat Taylor and Lewis in the first pairs match of the tie, piling on the pressure for what was sure to be a thrilling finale.

The match ultimately came down to a sudden-death doubles decider, where every player on the oche had a chance to win it for their country. First, Nicholson missed two darts at double from a 56 checkout to seal it, followed by Taylor who also missed two from 56. Whitlock then missed two darts at double 10 before busting his score by going inside on double 5. Finally, Adrian Lewis held his nerve and pinned double 5 to win England their first World Cup of Darts. Emotions were running high, and both sides felt they had done enough to win—but unfortunately, there are no draws in darts.

As the World Cup of Darts in 2025 draws close, starting on the 12th of June, every pair will be hoping to create more stories that can be remembered for years to come.