Wales began life without Gerwyn Price at the 2026 World Cup of Darts with a composed opening win in Frankfurt, while Australia and Belgium were both stunned on a dramatic first night of group-stage action. Jonny Clayton and debutant Nick Kenny beat Lithuania 4-1 in Group C, recovering from the loss of the opening leg before finishing with a perfect four from four on the doubles. Darius Labanauskas took out double 19 to give Lithuania the opening leg, but Clayton quickly settled Wales with a 180 and a 68 finish, before Kenny struck one of the key early blows of the match by pinning double 20 for a break of throw. Clayton then moved Wales to the brink with a 146 checkout and sealed the win moments later.
Germany produced the performance of the night with a 101.90 average in a 4-0 win over the Philippines. The hosts had been handed an awkward opening assignment against a Philippines pairing viewed as one of the more dangerous unseeded teams, but Schindler and Pietreczko removed any tension early. Pietreczko took out tops for the opening leg, Schindler punished a missed dart at double 16 from Alexis Toylo with a 68 finish, and the Germans moved 3-0 clear when Pietreczko sealed a 14-darter on double 10. Schindler then pressured the Philippines throw with a 180 in the fourth leg, before Pietreczko returned to close out the whitewash. The 101.90 average was the standout figure of the session and gave Germany a commanding start in front of their home crowd.
Belgium suffered the first major upset of the opening night as Hong Kong produced a fearless display in Group B. Mike De Decker and Dimitri Van den Bergh arrived as one of the highest-profile pairs in the group stage, but Man Lok Leung and Lok Yin Lee broke throw immediately and then survived a chaotic second leg in which all four players had chances at double. Lee eventually found double 10 to make it 2-0. Hong Kong then moved 3-0 ahead with a 14-dart break, leaving Belgium with almost no margin for error. De Decker dragged the Belgians back into the contest with an 80 finish and then a 100 checkout, but Hong Kong held their nerve in the sixth leg. De Decker opened the leg with a 180, only for Lee to respond with a maximum of his own to leave 41. Leung completed the job in two darts, sealing a 4-2 win.
The United States then closed the night by adding another shock, beating Australia 4-3 in Group G. Australia were without Simon Whitlock at the World Cup for the first time, with Damon Heta partnered by debutant Adam Leek. Leek missed chances in the opening leg as Stowe Buntz and Adam Sevada punished Australia to hold throw, and the United States moved 3-1 up when Buntz sealed a key break. Heta responded immediately on double 16, before Leek pinned double 10 to force a deciding leg. Buntz missed tops for an 80 checkout in the decider, but Heta could not take out a match-winning ton-plus finish. Sevada then returned to seal victory on double 10, giving the United States a major opening win despite Australia averaging 87.72 to the American pair’s 83.07.
William O’Connor’s record-extending 16th World Cup campaign began with victory as the Republic of Ireland beat Singapore 4-1 in Group D. Austria also made a strong start, beating China 4-1 with a 97.38 average. Poland justified some of their pre-tournament dark-horse status with a 4-1 win over Portugal. Japan fought back from 2-0 down to beat Croatia 4-3, and Norway also came through a last-leg shootout, beating Finland 4-3. Czechia opened the tournament with a comfortable 4-0 win over India, while Sweden beat South Africa 4-2 and Latvia recovered from early trouble to beat Italy 4-2. Germany’s demolition of the Philippines gave the hosts the performance of the night, Wales handled their first test without Price, and opening defeats for Belgium and Australia ensured the group stage began with immediate consequences in Frankfurt.