The World Cup of Darts is set to expand to 40 teams from the previous 32; Iceland, Ukraine and Bahrain will make their debuts at the event which will be held in Frankfurt in June
Thursday 9 March 2023 16:19, UK
The World Cup of Darts is to expand to 40 teams and a £450,000 prize fund in a revamped format which will feature a group stage and doubles matches throughout four days of action in June.
The annual World Cup of Darts will continue to see two-player teams representing their country, with this year's event to be staged at Frankfurt's Eissporthalle from June 15-18 as Australia defend the title they won in 2022.
In a radical change to previous years, the tournament will be expanded from 32 to 40 teams - which sees Iceland, Ukraine and Bahrain set to make their debuts.
The top four ranked nations, based on the lowest cumulative PDC Order of Merit ranking of the two competing players, will be seeded and will enter at the second round stage. The remaining 36 teams will be split into 12 groups of three for the round-robin first round - including 12 seeded nations - from which each group winner will progress.
The World Cup of Darts will begin on Thursday, June 15, with an afternoon session added on Friday, June 16 as the group stage concludes across two sessions on the second day of action.
The second round, featuring the last 16 nations, will be split across two sessions on Saturday, June 17 before the quarter-finals take place on Sunday afternoon, with the tournament culminating in the semi-finals and final on Sunday evening - with the eventual champions to earn a combined £80,000 in prize money.
Another change to previous years will see the World Cup of Darts feature solely doubles matches for the first time - as opposed to the combination of singles and doubles ties used in previous years.
"The World Cup of Darts is one of our most popular events and this new format will add extra excitement to an already eagerly-awaited four days," said PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter.
"The nations competing in the group stage will now be guaranteed a minimum of two matches, increasing their big-stage experience, and our global growth is also represented by being able to introduce new countries and stage a Latin America Qualifier.
"The move to feature doubles matches throughout the World Cup is another big change to previous years but one we felt was right to introduce alongside the group stage to emphasise the team element of the event.
"This new format is an important development for us in continuing to grow professional darts around the world and we look forward to a wonderful World Cup of Darts in June."
A Latin America Qualifier, which is set to feature the likes of Brazil, Costa Rica and Guyana, will be held to determine one place from May 12-14, while the Portuguese Qualifier will be held on April 1 in Setabul to determine a partner for Jose de Sousa.
Nations who will be represented by players from the PDC Order of Merit will see their teams confirmed on Monday, May 29, with the top two ranked players invited to compete for their country.
Nations with qualifiers from the PDC Asian Tour Order of Merit will see their players confirmed on May 1, while nations in the PDC Nordic & Baltic region will have a cut-off of June 5 following the PDCNB weekend in Finland.
