World Cup of Darts Prize Money explained: How much can Littler, Humphries earn for anchoring England to glory?

The World Cup of Darts 2026 returns to Frankfurt’s Eissporthalle from Thursday, June 11 through Sunday, June 14. During this prestigious tournament, forty countries will compete in pairs for the title and a total prize fund of £500,000. That amount is higher this year than in the previous edition.

Forty countries will appear during this tournament. The four highest-ranked nations in England, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland, and Scotland are automatically seeded into the second round. They are therefore already guaranteed £10,000 in prize money per team, equivalent to £5,000 per player, without having to come through the group stage first.

The remaining 36 countries must try to qualify for the knockout stage through the group phase. That group phase consists of twelve groups of three nations. Prize money is already available there as well. Teams finishing third receive £5,000 per pair, while runners-up go home with £6,000 per pair. The group winners then join the four seeded top nations in the last 16 and also receive £10,000 per team.

From the knockout stage onward, the amounts rise quickly. A place in the quarter-finals earns £20,000 per team, while a semi-final berth is worth £30,000. The losing finalists ultimately split £48,000, while the new world champions in the national-team event take home the top prize of £100,000.

Favorites England will once again start with Luke Humphries and Luke Littler. Humphries won the title in 2024 together with Michael Smith, but last year the English pairing of Humphries and Littler suffered a surprise second-round exit. The defending champion is Northern Ireland. Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney delivered the title for their country last year and will once again form the Northern Irish duo. Scotland has made a change: Cameron Menzies replaces Peter Wright and will partner Gary Anderson. Wales will not field its strongest possible lineup. Gerwyn Price withdrew from the event, meaning Jonny Clayton will now be paired with Nick Kenny.

Also the Netherlands will field a new combination this year with Michael van Gerwen and Gian van Veen. For Van Veen, it will be his second appearance for the Dutch team after making his debut alongside Danny Noppert last year. Host nation Germany will rely on Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko to deliver success in front of the home crowd.

The group matches are scheduled for July 11 and 12. The twelve group winners will then join the four nations that qualified automatically for the knockout stage. The second round will be played on Saturday, July 13, followed by the quarter-finals in the afternoon session on Sunday, July 14. The semi-finals and final will be played on Sunday evening.