World Cup of Darts 2024: Sweden & Czech Republic ease into knockouts, France survive thriller as Croatia also through

Sweden, Czech Republic, France and Croatia have become the first four nations to secure their spot in the knockout rounds of the 2024 World Cup of Darts in Frankfurt this Friday night.

In a head to head showdown for top spot in Group K, Sweden's Jeffrey De Graaf and Oskar Lukasiak confidently and impressively dismantled the Gibraltar duo, 4-1. As a result, the Swedes sail through as group winners, losing just one leg in the entirety on the group stage.

For Czech Republic, things were similarly plain sailing. Thanks in part to some brilliant darts by Adam Gawlas, the Czech pairing of Gawlas and Karel Sedlacek romped to a 4-0 triumph over Iceland, securing their spot at the top of Group H with the consummate ease.

There was much more drama in the third match of the evening however. The showdown between Jacques Labre and Thibault Tricole of France, and the Danish duo of Benjamin Drue Reus and Claus Bendix Nielsen went all the way to a last leg shootout. Denmark had led 3-2 after five legs, but when they were unable to get themselves over the finishing line, France roared back and thanks to an 18-darter finished on tops in the final leg, it was victory for Labre and Tricole, 4-3.

Joining them in the knockout stages will be Croatia. The Croatian duo of Boris Krcmar and Romeo Grbavac overcame a tough challenge from the much more renowned Canadian duo of Matt Campbell and David Cameron. Sealing the 4-2 in style, with a double-double 96 checkout finished on tops.

The tournament will be broadcast in the United Kingdom by Sky Sports. Through this channel, you won't have to miss a minute of the tournament.

On Thursday, June 27 at 6 p.m. the tournament will start with the first group matches. On Friday afternoon at 11:00, the second set of group matches will get underway. The evening session then begins again at 6 p.m., when the final matches of the group stage will be played.

The first four duels of the second round will be played from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 29. The quarterfinals will take place on Sunday, June 30, from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The World Cup of Darts semifinals and final are scheduled for Sunday evening from 6:00 p.m. 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.