The World Cup of Darts has well and truly heated up in Frankfurt, Germany, as Wales and the Republic of Ireland both fired their way into the second round! Jonny Clayton and Nick Kenny led the Welsh charge with an impressive 4-1 victory over Thailand, securing top spot in Group C and a date with the USA. Meanwhile, William O'Connor and Mickey Mansell took control from the off to earn a 4-2 win against Gibraltar and seal top spot in Group D – they'll now face Poland in their next outing.
The German hosts were as formidable as ever, with Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko cruising past New Zealand with a 4-2 triumph. That means they'll take on the Czech Republic next, while England's top seeds, Luke Littler and Luke Humphries, are gearing up to face Spain. The defending champions, Northern Ireland's Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney, will begin their title defence against Belgium – and with the likes of Michael van Gerwen and Gary Anderson also in action, it promises to be an explosive weekend!
The early stages have already thrown up some thrilling darts, with new pairings taking on the established names. Now, as the top-ranked nations enter the fray, the stakes are about to get a whole lot higher – can anyone stop them from reaching the quarter-finals?