The World Cup of Darts heads to Frankfurt at the end of the month and England enter as big tournament favourites.
The four-time champions haven’t lifted the trophy since 2016 when Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis wore red and white.
This year, World Champion Luke Humphries debuts alongside Michael Smith who is making his fifth appearance for England.
Despite the fearsome duo, there are some dangerous dark horses lurking in the field who could pose a threat to the big boys.
3. Czechia – Karel Sedlacek and Adam Gawlas
Both players from Czechia hold PDC Tour Cards and won’t be phased by the bright lights of the big stage.
Sedlacek competed last week in the Poland Darts Masters in a losing effort to Michael van Gerwen.
Gawlas also competed in Gliwice and lost to Luke Littler 6-4 despite a valiant comeback.
Though the duo haven’t had the best year to date, they have both shown the quality they can possess and over the short format of the World Cup can cause real damage.
The two have been Czechia’s pairing for the last four years and this experience could give them an edge.
2. Philippines – Christian Perez and Alexis Toylo
No matter the pairing, the Philippines always seem to be earmarked as a potential danger.
In the past, Noel Malicdem and Lourence Ilagan have been a regular duo in representing their country without success.
This year Tour Card holder Perez and the PDC Asian Number One Toylo take to the oche.
Perez has had big stage experience in the World Championship and Grand Slam so won’t be phased by the TV cameras.
Though this experience will be new for Toylo, he has captured five titles on the PDC’s Asian Tour in 2024 so will head into the tournament full of confidence.
Expect the Philippines to pose a serious threat to whichever group they are drawn in.
1. Poland – Krzysztof Ratajski and Radek Szaganski
On paper, this pairing gives Poland the best chance they’ve ever had of success at the World Cup.
For the ninth year in a row, Ratajski will captain his side and his title haul speaks for itself.
‘The Polish Eagle’ has lifted an incredible 10 titles throughout his PDC career and is currently at World Number 26 in the rankings.
Szaganski is making his debut in this tournament but is also no stranger to success in the PDC, picking up his maiden PDC title last year.
Neither player will fear any opponent they face which poses a threat to the rest of the field.
If any team is going to disturb the status quo and upset the big boys, Poland has the firepower to do so.
If Ratajski plays somewhere near his A-game and Szaganski replicates his title-winning form of last year, it’s feasible Poland could go all the way to World Cup glory.