England off the mark at the last 16 delivers at the World Cup

England’s star-studded pairing of Luke Littler and Luke Humphries secured their first victory together on the World Cup stage on Saturday, while reigning champions Northern Ireland came through a dramatic battle with Belgium to keep their title defence alive in Frankfurt.

The knockout phase of the 2026 BetVictor World Cup of Darts got underway at the Eissporthalle with a packed last-16 schedule, as the tournament’s top four seeds entered the competition alongside the 12 group winners.

With a place in Sunday’s quarter-finals at stake, the action delivered plenty of drama, high-quality finishing and several tense finishes as the race for World Cup glory intensified.

England Overcome Spain Test

Top seeds England arrived in Frankfurt under pressure after last year’s disappointing early exit, and although Luke Littler and Luke Humphries were far from their brilliant best, they did enough to defeat Spain 8-5 and reach the quarter-finals.

The English duo made a flying start, racing into a 3-0 lead and seemingly taking complete control of the contest. However, Spain’s experienced pairing of Cristo Reyes and Jose Justicia responded superbly, reeling off three consecutive legs to level the match and put thoughts of a major upset into the minds of the Frankfurt crowd.

Reyes was particularly impressive, producing the highest individual average of the match at 102.48 and helping Spain match England for large periods of the encounter.

Nevertheless, the world’s top two players eventually found another gear. Littler and Humphries responded with a crucial burst of scoring power to move 7-4 ahead and put one foot in the last eight.

Although England squandered five match darts in the 12th leg, the result was finally secured when Littler pinned double five to complete a clinical 89 finish and end Spain’s resistance.

The victory was particularly significant given England’s struggles in this event a year ago, when they suffered a surprise defeat to Germany at the same stage.

Despite averaging just over 94 as a team and missing 20 darts at doubles, England’s relentless scoring proved decisive. Littler and Humphries produced individual scoring averages above 109 and 110 respectively, underlining why they remain among the favourites for the title.

England’s reward is a quarter-final showdown with rivals Wales.

Wales Continue Impressive Run

Last year’s runners-up maintained their impressive form with an 8-5 victory over the United States.

Jonny Clayton once again led from the front alongside debutant Nick Kenny, producing some trademark finishing brilliance when it mattered most.

With the Americans threatening to force a deciding-leg shootout, Clayton delivered two spectacular 141 checkouts to wrestle momentum back in Wales’ favour.

The former Premier League champion then helped Kenny complete the job with a composed 15-dart leg as Wales booked their place in the last eight.

The victory sets up one of the standout ties of Sunday’s schedule, with Wales preparing to take on England for a place in the semi-finals.

Northern Ireland Show Champion Qualities

Defending champions Northern Ireland were pushed to the limit before eventually overcoming Belgium in one of the matches of the day.

Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney found themselves under serious pressure after Mike De Decker and Dimitri Van den Bergh surged into a 5-2 lead.

The Belgian pair were producing some outstanding darts, combining for five maximums and threatening to eliminate the holders at the first hurdle.

However, Rock and Gurney demonstrated exactly why they are the reigning champions.

The Northern Irish duo gradually worked their way back into contention, winning six of the final eight legs and refusing to panic despite trailing for much of the contest.

The decisive moment arrived in the final leg when Gurney produced a superb 102 checkout to seal an 8-7 victory and spark celebrations among the defending champions.

Their reward is a quarter-final clash against Latvia.

Latvia Make History

Latvia created a piece of national darts history by reaching the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time.

Madars Razma and Valters Melderis edged out France in a thrilling contest that went all the way to a deciding leg.

The Latvian duo produced back-to-back 110 checkouts to establish a 6-5 advantage before France fought back once more to force a final-leg decider.

With the pressure at its highest, Razma held his nerve to complete an unusual double-double finish and send Latvia into uncharted territory.

Dutch and Germans Survive Scares

The Netherlands also had to dig deep to keep their title hopes alive.

Michael van Gerwen and Gian van Veen were making their first World Cup appearance together and appeared in complete control after storming into a 3-0 lead against Sweden.

However, Jeffrey de Graaf and Oskar Lukasiak responded brilliantly, winning four consecutive legs to move ahead and put the Dutch under serious pressure.

Lukasiak produced one of the finishes of the tournament with a stunning 155 checkout, but Van Gerwen and Van Veen eventually steadied themselves and battled through for an 8-6 victory.

Van Gerwen sealed progression with a crucial 15-dart leg, setting up a blockbuster quarter-final against hosts Germany.

The home favourites were also forced to overcome a major challenge before defeating Czechia 8-6.

Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko looked set for a comfortable evening when they opened up a commanding 6-1 lead. Yet Czech pair Karel Sedlacek and Adam Gawlas launched an inspired comeback, winning five of the next six legs to cut the deficit to just one.

With momentum shifting dramatically, Germany responded at exactly the right moment. Leaving 44 after only nine darts in the final leg, Schindler completed an excellent 11-darter to send the home crowd into raptures.

Scotland and Republic of Ireland Impress

Scotland delivered arguably the most complete performance of the day, producing an emphatic 8-0 whitewash of Norway.

Gary Anderson and World Cup debutant Cameron Menzies were clinical from start to finish, opening up a 5-0 lead while maintaining a perfect record on doubles.

The Scottish pair eventually completed the shutout having missed only four darts at double throughout the entire match.

Their team average of 99.37 highlighted the quality of the performance as Scotland marched confidently into the quarter-finals.

Awaiting them are Republic of Ireland, who produced another impressive display to eliminate Poland.

William O’Connor and Mickey Mansell appeared comfortable at 5-2 ahead before Krzysztof Ratajski and Sebastian Bialecki fought back with a three-leg surge to level the contest.

The Irish pair responded brilliantly, immediately winning the next three legs to complete an 8-5 victory and continue their quest for a first World Cup title.

With England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Latvia, Netherlands, Germany, Scotland and Republic of Ireland all progressing, Sunday’s final day promises a thrilling conclusion to the 2026 BetVictor World Cup of Darts.

The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final will all take place across a bumper double session, with just three victories now separating one nation from lifting the coveted World Cup trophy in Frankfurt.

England off the mark at the last 16 delivers at the World Cup 

2026 BetVictor World Cup of Darts

Round Two

Saturday June 13

Afternoon Session

Republic of Ireland 8-5 Poland

Latvia 8-7 France

(4) Scotland 8-0 Norway

Wales 8-5 USA

Evening Session

(3) Northern Ireland 8-7 Belgium

Germany 8-6 Czechia

(1) England 8-5 Spain

(2) Netherlands 8-6 Sweden

Sunday June 14

Afternoon Session (1300 local time)

Quarter-Finals

Scotland v Republic of Ireland

England v Wales

Northern Ireland v Latvia

Netherlands v Germany

Evening Session (1900 local time)

Semi Finals

England/Wales v Scotland/Republic of Ireland

Netherlands/Germany v Northern Ireland/Latvia

Final

v

All matches best of 15 legs except the final, which is best of 21 legs