On Friday afternoon, the second round of matches were played in the group stage of the 2024 World Cup of Darts. Tonight the last group games will be played, after which the 12 group winners will advance to the knockout phase.
In most of the groups, the situation is simple; one country is already eliminated, while the other two countries will fight out Friday night in a mutual duel to see who advances to the next round.
Singapore has already been eliminated in Group A, while Belgium and Philippines will battle for group victory in the evening session. In Group D, former winner Australia gets to play against Hong Kong. Both countries won against Japan, but Hong Kong's game looked a lot more convincing than the level the Australians showed against Japan.
In Group E, Ireland and Taiwan face each other. They both already won from Lithuania. Iceland won 4-0 against Bahrain in Group H, after the Czech Republic's 4-3 win over Bahrain. The loser of the match between the Czech Republic and Iceland can pack his bags in Frankfurt. The situation is the same in Group I (Croatia and Canada), Group K (Sweden and Gibraltar) and Group L (Portugal and Italy). The winning country advances to the knockout stage of this event.
In Group C, the proportions are slightly different. In that pool, New Zealand is on top with two points and a leg balance, but they have already played two matches. Germany won 4-3 over New Zealand on Thursday, which then did win 4-0 over Finland. The New Zealanders must therefore hope that Finland manages to shock against the host country. With each German victory, Martin Schindler and Gabriel Clemens are through.
Northern Ireland and Switzerland still have a chance to win the group stage in Group B. The two countries still face each other, but due to a poor leg balance, Switzerland will have to win at least 4-1 against Northern Ireland to advance. In Group F, Austria is very likely to advance through the group stage, although they still have a game against Guyana ahead of them. Mensur Suljovic and Rowby-John Rodriguez had earlier won 4-0 from Guyana, while China then won 4-2 from the Guyanese duo of Sudesh Fitzgerald and Norman Madhoo. Austria only needs to win two legs against Guyana to secure the group win.
Hungary can still dream of advancing in Group G. The Hungarians will need to win at least 4-2 against Poland in their final group match. Krzysztof Ratajski and Radek Szaganski need three legs to win the group anyway. In Group J, France and Denmark still take on each other. The French had earlier won 4-1 against Latvia. Denmark lost the first match 4-1 to the Latvians. Latvia must therefore win at least 4-1 against France to advance through the pool.
Four countries, by the way, are already certain of a spot in the last sixteen. Top nations England, Wales, the Netherlands and Scotland were allowed to skip the group stage and are directly admitted to the knockout phase.
Standings World Cup of Darts 2024
Group A
| Pos. | Team | Played | Points | Lay +/- |
| 1 | Philippines | 1 | 2 | +3 |
| 2 | Belgium | 1 | 2 | +2 |
| 3 | Singapore | 2 | 0 | -5 |
Group B
| Pos. | Team | Played | Points | Lay +/- |
| 1 | Northern Ireland | 1 | 2 | +3 |
| 2 | South Africa | 2 | 2 | -1 |
| 3 | Switzerland | 1 | 0 | -2 |
Group C
| Pos. | Team | Played | Points | Lay +/- |
| 1 | New Zealand | 2 | 2 | +3 |
| 2 | Germany | 1 | 1 | +1 |
| 3 | Finland | 1 | 0 | -4 |
Group D
| Pos. | Team | Played | Points | Lay +/- |
| 1 | Hong Kong | 1 | 2 | +3 |
| 2 | Australia | 1 | 2 | +1 |
| 3 | Japan | 2 | 0 | -4 |
Group E
| Pos. | Team | Played | Points | Lay +/- |
| 1 | Ireland | 1 | 2 | +2 |
| 2 | Taiwan | 1 | 2 | +2 |
| 3 | Lithuania | 2 | 0 | -4 |
Group F
| Pos. | Team | Played | Points | Lay +/- |
| 1 | Austria | 1 | 2 | +4 |
| 2 | China | 2 | 2 | -2 |
| 3 | Guyana | 1 | 0 | -2 |
Group G
| Pos. | Team | Played | Points | Lay +/- |
| 1 | Poland | 1 | 2 | +2 |
| 2 | Norway | 2 | 2 | -1 |
| 3 | Hungary | 1 | 0 | -1 |
Group H
| Pos. | Team | Played | Points | Lay +/- |
| 1 | Iceland | 1 | 2 | +4 |
| 2 | Czech Republic | 1 | 2 | +1 |
| 3 | Bahrain | 2 | 0 | -5 |
Group I
| Pos. | Team | Played | Points | Lay +/- |
| 1 | Croatia | 1 | 2 | +4 |
| 2 | Canada | 1 | 2 | +1 |
| 3 | Malaysia | 2 | 0 | -5 |
Group J
| Pos. | Team | Played | Points | Lay +/- |
| 1 | France | 1 | 2 | +3 |
| 2 | Latvia | 2 | 2 | -1 |
| 3 | Denmark | 1 | 0 | -2 |
Group K
| Pos. | Team | Played | Points | Lay +/- |
| 1 | Sweden | 1 | 2 | +4 |
| 2 | Gibraltar | 1 | 2 | +1 |
| 3 | Spain | 2 | 0 | -5 |
Group L
| Pos. | Team | Played | Points | Lay +/- |
| 1 | Portugal | 1 | 2 | +2 |
| 2 | Italy | 1 | 2 | +2 |
| 3 | United States | 2 | 0 | -4 |
