Early 2026 World Cup of Darts country/pairs predictions

Early 2026 World Cup of Darts country/pairs predictions originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . We're still a couple of months away from the 2026 World Cup of Darts , but the list of countries qualified is starting to build up, and the countdown is officially underway for the latest edition of the event.

We aren't entirely sure of what players will be representing each country, but today, we're going to take a look at the most likely scenarios for what pairs will represent their countries in June. Predicting 2026 World Cup of Darts player pairs Let's take a look first at the countries that have already confirmed their spots at the event. England Predicted pairing: Luke Littler Luke Humphries Backup player: James Wade The world number one and two will look for revenge after suffering an early loss at the event last year against Germany.

There's nothing other English players can do to challenge the Lukes for a spot on Team England, so we'll see the same pair play for the second year in a row. Even with last year's result in mind, they'll come in as the likely favorites due to their dominance in darts over the past couple of years. MORE: PDC Darts players in danger of dropping down the rankings in 2026 Netherlands Predicted pairing: Gian van Veen Michael van Gerwen Backup player: Danny Noppert MVG chose not to participate last year in the event and has only played in it once over the last four years.

We expect to see him back in action this year; however, if he chooses not to compete, Danny Noppert would pair up with Gian van Veen again, after the pair made a run to the semifinals in 2025. There's a slim chance Noppert could overtake MVG on the OoM, but it would require a huge surge in the coming months. Wales Predicted pairing: Jonny Clayton Gerwyn Price Backup player: Nick Kenny Clayton and Price are one of the most successful duos in World Cup history, as they've won the event twice and made numerous other runs, including their runner-up result last year.