World Cup of Darts 2025: Can anyone upset England’s “Dream Team” in Frankfurt?
by Devesh Jaganath | by Cydias Aujard
The Lukes aiming to claim England’s sixth World Cup title
The eagerly awaited 2025 World Cup of Darts is here, and SportyTrader will be covering each stage of the tournament with our expert darts predictions, so be sure to check them out before the arrows take flight in Frankfurt.
England reclaimed their place at the top of the World Cup of Darts pyramid last year, when Luke Humphries and Michael Smith overcame surprise finalists Austria 10-6 in the final to earn the nation’s fifth title.
That victory was England’s first in the competition since the legendary Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis defeated Michael van Gerwen and Raymond van Barneveld in 2016. It also took them one clear of the Dutch, with whom they were tied on four titles apiece since 2018.
Due to a dip in form over the last year, “Bully Boy” will not be returning for England’s title defence this year, but there is a strong case to be made that the team is even more formidable in 2025, and that is because of the teenage sensation - Luke Littler.
Despite having only turned 18 this year, “The Nuke” is already a multiple-major winner and emerged triumphant in the Premier League of Darts in his first year featuring in the tournament in 2024.
This year, Littler set the record for the most nightly wins in the Premier League (6), while scoring at almost unbelievable levels, pinning 169 180s in the league phase, 68 more than the next closest in the competition, Luke Humphries.
However, the teenager was unable to defend his crown, as he came up against the meticulous "Cool Hand" in the final, who reminded everyone why he is still the number one player in the world by beating his English compatriot 11-8 at the O2 Arena.
Key stats (last 12 months):
| Stats | Luke Littler | Luke Humphries |
|---|---|---|
| Average | 100.4 | 98.37 |
| 180s | 926 | 634 |
| 140s | 1142 | 1336 |
| Leg won % | 59.86 | 58.81 |
| Checkout % | 42.05 | 40.85 |
| Highest Checkout | 170 | 170 |
| First 9 Averages | 111.43 | 108.54 |
Wales, Scotland to pose the biggest threat to England
With Littler’s incredible scoring rate and Humphries' ability to hold his nerve in crucial moments, the Lukes are clearly the team to beat at the World Cup of Darts 2025 - but that does not mean that the other teams are out of the running.
Wales will arrive in Frankfurt with the pairing of Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton, who romped to the title in 2023, beating Scotland 10-2. Price was forced to miss last year’s competition due to illness, which saw the Welsh suffer a disapointing early exit.
However, “The Iceman” is back for the 15th edition and is in excellent form, having just beaten Humphries en route to the Nordic Darts Masters semi-final over the weekend, and with "Ferret", the Welsh duo have a stunning 13-1 record in 14 matches since 2020.
Had it not been for England’s duo ranking first and second in the world, Wales would easily have been the favourite with all the best online betting sites to win the World Cup this year. However, a Wales/ England final is certainly not off the cards, given that they are on opposite ends of the draw.
Beyond Wales, Scotland’s veteran pairing of Gary Anderson and Peter Wright cannot be written off without a shout. The Scots have reached the final of the World Cup four times since 2018, which is more than any other participating nation, and during that period, this duo won the title in 2019.
Anderson recently claimed the Scotland number one ranking on the PDC Order of Merit. Wth Cameron Menzies making huge strides in the standings lately, this could be the final time we see Anderson and Wright pair up on the World Cup stage, and you wouldn’t put it past them to sign off in style.
Northern Ireland, Belgium - the lurkers in the pack
Outside of the top three on the betting boards, keep an eye on the Northern Ireland duo of Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney. Both players have plenty of World Cup experience under their belts, but this is the first time they will pair up in the competition.
Rock has been scoring with ease this year, currently averaging a sensational 98.78, which is the third-best in the world, while Gurney has an excellent 40.21% checkout rate, which is only a shade lower than Humphries' 40.85%.
Finally, we have the Belgian pairing of Dimitri Van den Bergh and the surging Mike De Decker. While Belgium have not reached the final of the World Cup since 2013, this is the first time that these two will partner up, and Belgian fans are expecting special things from this duo. Find out our Belgium vs Latvia prediction to know the key points for them.
De Decker rocketed to prominence last year when he beat Humphries to win the World Grand Prix, while Van den Bergh overcame Cool Hand to win the 2024 UK Open after knocking Wales’ Jonny Clayton out earlier in the tournament.
