The World Cup of Darts 2026 returns to Frankfurt’s Eissporthalle from Thursday, June 11 through Sunday, June 14, with forty countries competing in pairs for a total prize fund of £500,000 — higher than in the previous edition.
The four highest-ranked nations — England, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland, and Scotland — are automatically seeded into the second round, guaranteeing them £10,000 per team (£5,000 per player) without having to play the group stage. The remaining 36 countries must qualify through the group phase, which consists of twelve groups of three nations. Prize money is already available there: teams finishing third receive £5,000 per pair, runners-up get £6,000 per pair, and group winners join the seeded nations in the last 16, earning £10,000 per team.
From the knockout stage onward, the amounts rise quickly. A quarter-final place earns £20,000 per team, a semi-final berth is worth £30,000, the losing finalists split £48,000, and the new world champions 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 with Michael Smith, but last year the English pairing of Humphries and Littler suffered a surprise second-round exit. Defending champion Northern Ireland fields Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney, who delivered the title last year. Scotland has made a change: Cameron Menzies replaces Peter Wright and will partner Gary Anderson. Wales will not field its strongest lineup as Gerwyn Price withdrew, meaning Jonny Clayton will now be paired with Nick Kenny. The Netherlands will field a new combination with Michael van Gerwen and Gian van Veen — Van Veen’s second appearance for the Dutch team after debuting alongside Danny Noppert last year. Host nation Germany will rely on Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko.
Group matches are scheduled for July 11 and 12. The twelve group winners join the four automatically qualified nations for the knockout stage. The second round is on Saturday, July 13, followed by quarter-finals in the afternoon session on Sunday, July 14. The semi-finals and final will be played on Sunday evening.
