The sixth Betway World Cup Of Darts takes place at the Eissporthalle in Frankfurt next week with increased prize money. The winning pair will share £50,000 this year with the overall purse worth £1/4million. Even first-round losers will share £3,000, more than enough to cover the air fare to Germany.
Like last year, it’s a straight knockout with only eight of the 32 countries being seeded. Best-of-nine legs doubles matches will decide the first-round matches then the second round, quarter-finals and semi-finals go to two best-of-seven singles matches with a doubles match only played if the scores are tied. Two best-of-seven legs singles matches are played in the final followed by a best-of-seven doubles match.
Stoke duo Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis will team up for the fifth successive year for England and are bidding to win the World Cup Of Darts for the fourth time in five years. A best 9/4 with bwin, top seeds England will face Spain in the opening round. Taylor won’t have happy memories of the Spanish in this tournament as he was part of the England team surprisingly dumped out by Antonio Alcinas and Carlos Rodriguez in the inaugural event in 2010. Alcinas and Cristo Reyes are a top-priced 150/1 this year however.
World number one Michael van Gerwen has won six ranking tournaments in 2016 and will again join forces with Raymond van Barneveld for third seeds the Netherlands. The Dutch are 13/8 favourites and start off against 1000/1 outsiders Russia having beaten England to the title in 2014. It is only a best 6/5 for another Netherlands/England final, though Scotland may have something to say about that.
Scotland were beaten finalists last year but Gary Anderson has become a world champion since then and his team-mate Robert Thornton is no mug. The Scots are seeded to meet the Netherlands in the semi-finals and are a best 11/8 to reach the final again and a general 5/1 to grab a first-ever win. It’s almost impossible to look beyond the top three seeds with fifth seeds Wales (Mark Webster and Gerwyn Price) next best in most lists at a best 28/1.
World Cup Of Darts Best Odds
Netherlands (13/8), England (9/4),Scotland (5/1), Wales (28/1), Australia (40/1), Austria, Northern Ireland and Belgium (50/1), Germany (125/1), Spain (150/1)
