World Cup of Darts 2026 schedule: Wales kick group-stage off as NI defend crown

Wales begin their World Cup of Darts bid on opening night as 40 nations compete in Frankfurt from June 11-14; Northern Ireland - 2025 champions - England, Netherlands and Scotland seeded through to second round of tournament

>Wales will begin their bid for a third BetVictor World Cup of Darts title on the tournament's opening night, with hosts Germany and former champions Australia also in action as the 40-nation event gets under way on June 11.

>The 2026 World Cup takes place in Frankfurt from June 11-14, with every match broadcast live on Sky Sports.

>The top four ranked nations - England, Netherlands, reigning champions Northern Ireland and Scotland - are seeded and enter at the last-16 stage.

>England's Luke Littler and Luke Humphries headline the seeded teams aiming for glory, while Michael van Gerwen joins Gian van Veen for the Netherlands.

>Northern Ireland's Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney chase back-to-back titles, and Gary Anderson partners debutant Cameron Menzies for Scotland.

>The remaining 36 teams are split into 12 round-robin groups of three, with each group winner progressing.

>Jonny Clayton partners debutant Nick Kenny for Wales in Group C alongside Lithuania and Thailand. Germany, semi-finalists last year, see Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko face the Philippines and New Zealand on home soil.

>Australia's Damon Heta teams up with Adam Leek against USA and Canada, while Republic of Ireland - with William O'Connor and Mickey Mansell - meet Singapore, led by 72-year-old Paul Lim, and debutants Uganda.

>Opening matches take place on Thursday, with losing teams returning on Friday afternoon before decisive group games on Friday evening. The last-16 draw follows that night, with the knockout phase beginning on Saturday, with finals day set for Sunday June 14.

>Seeded to Round Two (1) England (2) Netherlands (3) Northern Ireland (4) Scotland

>Seeded Nation v Team 2 Czechia v India (H) Croatia v Japan (K) Finland v Norway (L) Ireland v Singapore (D) Poland v Portugal (E) Sweden v South Africa (F) Latvia v Italy (J) Belgium v Hong Kong (B) Germany v Philippines (A) Wales v Lithuania (C) Austria v China (I) Australia v USA (G)

>Afternoon Session (11am) Thursday's losing nation v Team 3 Same Group Order

>Evening Session (6pm) Thursday's winning nation v Team 3 Same Group Order

>Watch the 2026 BetVictor World Cup of Darts from June 11 to June 14, live on Sky Sports. Get Sky Sports or stream darts with no contract.