Wales Look Good for a Second World Cup of Darts Victory
Defending champions Wales meet Finland and minnows Gibraltar play Singapore in the opening round of the Cazoo World Cup of Darts which starts on Thursday evening. The unique two-man team event takes place inside the Sparkassen Arena in Jena, central Germany. There will be an audience inside the venue and the action will be broadcast live on SKY Sports’ Arena channel.
In winning last week’s Hungarian Darts Trophy Welshman Gerwyn Price advertised his wellbeing ahead of the Cazoo World Cup of Darts.
©/Lawrence Lustig/PDC
Doubling up on the Format
The World Cup of Darts is a 32-team competition. The top eight teams are seeded meaning they cannot meet a fellow seeded country until the third round. The remaining 24 teams are in a pre-determined draw.
In the first round, the action is ‘best of nine legs’ doubles matches. The second and third rounds plus the semi-finals will be determined by two ‘best of seven legs’ singles matches. If the scores are tied after both games are played a ‘best of seven legs’ doubles match will be played to determine the country that progresses to the next round.
In the final, which is scheduled to be played on Sunday evening, the winning team is decided by the first country to win three matches. The action starts with two ‘best of seven legs’ singles matches. This will be followed by a ‘best of seven legs’ doubles match.
If necessary, one or two best of seven legs’ singles matches – in reverse order to the opening matches – will be played to finally declare a winning country.
Wales Have the Form
Wales took the World Cup of Darts title for the first time in 2020. Fielding an unchanged pairing of Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton, they are favorites to land the title for a second consecutive year.
Price became William Hill World Darts Champion at the turn of the year and proved his current wellbeing by taking the Hungarian Darts Trophy last weekend. The 36-year-old world-ranked number one beat Michael Smith 8-2 in the decider.
Clayton won the Ladbrokes Masters in January and the Unibet Premier League in May. Ten years Prices’ senior, he’s currently in the form of his life.
The Dutch and the English Have History
England and the Netherlands have won this competition four times apiece. All four of England’s victories came with the pairing of Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis.
Taylor retired at the start of 2018 and Lewis has lost his form, so the country is represented by James Wade and Dave Chisnall. They are scheduled to play the Brazilian team on Friday evening.
Third seeds, the Netherlands, are represented by Michael van Gerwen and debutant Dirk van Duijvenbode. Their bid for a fifth World Cup title sees them face-off against Denmark’s Andreas Toft Jørgensen and Niels Heinsøe in the first round.
Scotland appears to be another strong team. Peter Wright, who was one half of the 2019 World Cup-winning side, is now partnered with John Henderson and they will play Chinese debutants Jianfeng Lu and Wenqing Liu.
First Round Shocks?
There has never been a huge upset winner of the World Cup of Darts. However, Ireland was 150/1 in the outright betting before finishing runner-up to Scotland two years ago. Their star players from that year, Steve Lennon and William O’Connor, are back as a team once again.
Things could change in 2021 and Colin Lloyd, the former world number one darts player who now works for Sky Sports told Online-Casinos.com he is expecting some of the lesser-known darting nations to prosper.
“There is guaranteed to be a number of turn-ups in the first round,” said Lloyd. “Quite simply not enough countries play pairs anymore. North America is an exception and the Canadian pairing of Jeff Smith and Matt Campbell know the format inside out.
“I’m fully expecting them to beat Germany in their first-round match on Friday. Smith is playing well, and Campbell recently won a European tour card qualifier. This means he is on the main tour for two years. He also has a guaranteed place in the Grand Slam and automatic entry into the World Championship.”
Deep Runs
Another of the smaller countries that Lloyd predicts will do well is Northern Ireland. “Brendan Dollan has been playing some great stuff and Daryl Gurney was brilliant last weekend in the Hungarian Darts Trophy.”
“He may not have won but he had a thrilling match against Michael van Gerwen where they both averaged over 100. Daryl has told me he is back to his best and if he is I could see himself and Brendan carry the Northern Irish flag deep into the competition,” Lloyd explained.
But it is Belgium – 13/2 shots according to William Hill sportsbook – that two-time major winner Colin Lloyd believes will win the competition.
Scotland’s Peter Wright, part of the 2019 World Cup-winning team, is now partnered with John Henderson.
©/Lawrence Lustig/PDC
“Dimitri Van den Bergh and Kim Huybrechts are a very strong pairing. They are confident as team players and they know they are capable of beating the big guns. Their ‘no fear’ attitude will serve them well at the weekend. They are the ones for me.”
Seeded number four, Belgium is in the same draw bracket as Northern Ireland and England. However, they cannot meet 15/8 outright favorites, Wales, Scotland, or the Netherlands until the final.
World Cup of Darts Schedule
A 32-country competition means the World Cup of Darts will comprise of 31 matches to watch and bet on. There are eight first-round games on Thursday and Friday. The second round will be split across two sessions on Saturday, September 11. Sunday’s afternoon session will feature the quarter-finals and both semi-finals. The final will be played in the evening.
In addition to SKY Sports, the Cazoo World Cup of Darts will be broadcast on RTL7, DAZN, and worldwide broadcast partners. You can also watch the action on a bookmaker stream at many of the top sports betting sites or via matchroom.live.
