The 2026 World Cup of Darts gets underway this Thursday at the Eissporthalle in Frankfurt, with Belgium seeded sixth. The Belgian duo of Mike De Decker and Dimitri Van den Bergh will represent the nation for the second consecutive year, but both arrive in questionable form. Belgium has been drawn in a group with Hong Kong and Slovenia, with only the group winner advancing to the last 16.
Van den Bergh, making his ninth World Cup appearance, has been struggling for a long time and even fears for the retention of his PDC Tour Card. The 31-year-old from Antwerp withdrew from a floor event midway through last year, took a break, and returned at the 2025 World Cup, where Belgium beat Latvia but lost to the Philippines and exited in the group stage. His form did not recover in 2025, and 2026 started disastrously with a string of defeats. Only in the last two months has Van den Bergh shown signs of recovery, having adjusted his throw and searching for the right rhythm, with confidence gradually returning. He often finds something extra when playing for his country.
De Decker, 30, is also not in his best spell. He won the World Grand Prix in 2024 but has struggled to back it up since. Consistency has been lacking, and since switching material sponsors, he has never quite recaptured the right feel. This is only his second World Cup appearance. The two Belgians get on very well, which is crucial in a pairs-only event, and they will need to lift each other in sticky moments.
Belgium's group includes Hong Kong, who reached the quarterfinals last year before losing to Wales. Lok-Yin Lee and Man Lok Leung cannot be underestimated—Leung knocked out Gian van Veen at the World Championship two years ago. Slovenia, making only their second appearance after 2010, fields PDC Tour Card holder Benjamin Pratnemer and the virtually unknown Stefano Bozicek. The group stage is played over best-of-7 legs, leaving little margin for error.
Belgium has reached the World Cup semi-finals eight times, more than any nation that has never won the tournament. In 2013, represented by brothers Kim and Ronny Huybrechts, they were runners-up. Kim Huybrechts, with 13 appearances, remains Belgium's record holder, but after being overtaken in the world rankings by De Decker, a return to the team comes a year too soon for him. Few teams line up with two former major champions, but to succeed, the Belgians must rediscover their old level. We will find out from Thursday.
