World Cup of Darts 2026 nations confirmed: English dream team Littler & Humphries headline with point to prove on return

The nations competing at the World Cup of Darts 2026 have been officially confirmed, with England once again represented by Luke Littler and Luke Humphries, the world numbers one and two.

Despite arriving as the sport’s dominant individual forces, the pair head into this year’s event with unfinished business after a turbulent debut together twelve months ago.

The tournament will take place from 11 to 14 June at the Eissporthalle in Frankfurt. Forty nations will compete, each represented by two players, with a total prize fund of £500,000. The winning team will share £100,000, an increase on previous editions.

Last year’s event served as a reminder of how unforgiving the doubles format can be. England were eliminated in their opening match by host nation Germany, with Littler and Humphries struggling to find rhythm or cohesion under pressure. That early exit came despite their status at the time as the sport’s clear leading figures, and it remains one of the more striking results in recent World Cup history.

Defending champions Northern Ireland will return to defend their title, while Slovenia are back on the world stage for the first time in more than a decade. Benjamin Pratnemer will lead the Slovenian team after earning his PDC Tour Card earlier this year at European Q-School.

Spain will also welcome back Cristo Reyes following the recovery of his Tour Card, while Jose de Sousa remains part of the Portuguese pairing. Australia, meanwhile, arrive with a notable change, as Damon Heta is joined by new Tour Card holder Adam Leek. Simon Whitlock will miss the tournament for the first time since its inception.

Among the other leading nations, the Netherlands could again play a central role. While not yet formally confirmed, Michael van Gerwen and Gian van Veen have both indicated they would be open to competing together, which would give the Dutch a pairing ranked third and fourth in the world as they look to reclaim the title for the first time since 2018.

With several nations fielding established partnerships rather than star pairings, the World Cup’s unique format continues to challenge assumptions built on individual rankings alone.

Player selection varies by country. Some nations select their pairings based on the PDC Order of Merit, while others use the Winmau Challenge Tour or affiliate tour rankings.

Asian teams such as Hong Kong, Japan and the Philippines qualify through the PDC Asian Tour, while the United States and Canada select players via the CDC rankings. New Zealand uses the DPNZ rankings, with two further nations qualifying through the PDCNB. South Africa will be represented by leading player Graham Filby alongside a qualifier, with a second African nation determined through a qualifying event in Nairobi.

All matches at the tournament are played exclusively as doubles across four days of competition. The top four nations based on the lowest combined PDC ranking are seeded and enter at the second round.

The remaining 36 teams are divided into 12 groups of three for a round robin phase. Group winners advance to the last sixteen on Saturday 13 June, with the quarter finals taking place on Sunday afternoon. The semi finals and final will follow later that evening.

With the full list of nations now confirmed, attention turns to whether established partnerships or star pairings will prevail. For Littler and Humphries, Frankfurt represents a chance to reset the narrative and demonstrate that individual dominance can still translate on the sport’s most demanding team stage.