World Cup of Darts Saturday Evening Session Preview | Luke Littler and Luke Humphries face Spain as Van Gerwen returns and Northern Ireland defend crown

Luke Littler and Luke Humphries return to the World Cup of Darts stage against Spain on Saturday evening, 12 months after England’s title defence was ended by Germany in an 8-4 last-16 defeat in Frankfurt.

The England pairing arrive back at the same stage where last year’s campaign fell apart, with Cristo Reyes and Jose Justicia waiting after Spain topped Group K. Northern Ireland open the evening session against Belgium as Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney begin their title defence, while Michael van Gerwen and Gian van Veen close the night for the Netherlands against Sweden.

Germany also continue their home campaign against Czech Republic after topping Group A. Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko produced the standout average of the group stage with 101.90 against the Philippines, then completed the job with a 4-2 win over New Zealand.

England remain the headline act, but the evening draw has depth across all four ties: the reigning champions, the Dutch, the hosts, and the most scrutinised pairing in the tournament all enter the same session.

England’s 2025 World Cup ended before Littler and Humphries had time to build momentum. Schindler and Pietreczko beat them 8-4 in the second round, sending the defending champions out in their opening match and giving Germany one of the wins of the tournament.

Littler and Humphries now return against a Spain team already through two matches in Frankfurt. Spain edged Croatia 4-3 in their opener, then beat Japan 4-1 with a 90.18 average to win Group K.

Reyes and Justicia arrive with a deciding-leg win and a more controlled second performance behind them. Littler and Humphries arrive with last year’s exit still attached to the partnership and a clear favourite’s tag once again.

Australia and Austria have already gone. Belgium only survived Group B because Slovenia beat Hong Kong in the final match. England’s first match comes in a session where several established names have already been reminded how quickly the World Cup can turn.

Northern Ireland start the evening against Belgium at 18:15. Rock and Gurney return as defending champions after their 2025 title, while Belgium arrive through a far messier route. Mike De Decker and Dimitri Van den Bergh lost 4-2 to Hong Kong in their opening match, then beat Slovenia 4-1 to stay alive.

Belgium’s place in the last 16 was only secured when Slovenia beat Hong Kong 4-2. Their reward is a meeting with the reigning champions before the evening has properly settled.

Germany follow against Czech Republic at 19:00. Schindler and Pietreczko opened with a 4-0 win over the Philippines, averaging 101.90, before seeing off New Zealand 4-2 to top Group A. Czech Republic also arrive unbeaten. Karel Sedlacek and Adam Gawlas beat India 4-0 before defeating Denmark 4-1 with an 89.29 average to win Group H.

Netherlands enter in the final match of the evening, with Van Gerwen and Van Veen facing Sweden at 20:45.

Van Gerwen returns to the World Cup stage alongside a new Dutch partner, with Van Veen stepping into the team after his rise through the PDC rankings. Sweden arrive after topping Group F with wins over South Africa and Mongolia.

Jeffrey de Graaf and Oskar Lukasiak beat South Africa 4-2, then raised their level in a 4-1 win over Mongolia, averaging 96.08 to reach the last 16.