The full line-up for the upcoming World Cup of Darts has been confirmed, including the replacement for the injured Michael van Gerwen.
The annual competition will take place in Frankfurt, Germany from June 16 to 19 as Peter Wright and John Henderson look to retain the title they won in memorable fashion last year. Wright and Henderson will be reunited, with the higher-ranked Gary Anderson giving his blessing to allow Henderson to try and keep the trophy.
As well as Scotland, England and Wales will be among the favourites for the title. A new-look line-up of James Wade and Michael Smith will line up for England while 2020 winners, Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Price, will again fly the flag for Wales.
Another of the favourites, the Netherlands, have suffered a blow ahead of the tournament after Michael van Gerwen pulled out due to injury. The Green Machine, who will compete at the US Masters in New York this weekend, will have an operation on his wrist immediately after the Premier League play-offs in Berlin on June 13 after being diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome. It means Danny Noppert will be partnered by Dirk van Duijvenbode instead.
Last year's runners-up Mensur Suljovic and Rowby-John Rodriguez, of Austria, will join forces once again, while Dimitri Van den Bergh and Kim Huybrechts will bring passion to the stage for Belgium.
The Republic of Ireland, the runner-up in 2019, will once again be represented by William O'Connor and Steve Lennon. Damon Heta and Simon Whitlock will look to take the trophy home to Australia for the first time, as will Daryl Gurney and Brendan Dolan for Northern Ireland.
Who will win the World Cup of Darts? Have your say in the comments section below.
Germany pair Gabriel Clemens and Martin Schindler are sure to receive vocal home backing while Daniel Larsson's run at the Dutch Championship last weekend in Zwolle saw him secure a place in the Sweden side to partner Johan Engstrom, with Dennis Nilsson missing out on qualification.
Competing Nations & Pairings
Australia – Damon Heta & Simon Whitlock
Austria – Mensur Suljovic & Rowby-John Rodriguez
Belgium – Dimitri Van den Bergh & Kim Huybrechts
Brazil – Diogo Portela & Artur Valle
Canada – Jeff Smith & Matt Campbell
Czech Republic – Adam Gawlas & Karel Sedlacek
Denmark – Vladimir Andersen & Andreas Toft Jörgensen
England – Michael Smith & James Wade
Finland – Marko Kantele & Aki Paavilainen
Germany – Gabriel Clemens & Martin Schindler
Gibraltar – Justin Hewitt & Craig Galliano
Hong Kong – Lok Yin Lee & Ho Tung Ching
Hungary – Nándor Prés & Gergely Lakatos
Italy – Guiseppe Di Rocco & Gabriel Rollo
Japan – Tomoyo Goto & Toru Suzuki
Latvia – Madars Razma & Nauris Gleglu
Lithiuania – Darius Labanauskas & Mindaugas Barauskas
Netherlands – Danny Noppert & Dirk van Duijvenbode
New Zealand – Ben Robb & Warren Parry
Northern Ireland – Daryl Gurney & Brendan Dolan
Philippines – Lourence Ilagan & RJ Escaros
Poland – Krzysztof Ratajski & Sebastian Bialecki
Portugal – Jose de Sousa & Vítor Jerónimo
Republic of Ireland – William O'Connor & Steve Lennon
Scotland – Peter Wright & John Henderson
Singapore – Paul Lim & Harith Lim
South Africa – Devon Petersen & Stefan Vermaak
Spain – Jose Justicia & Tony Martinez
Sweden – Daniel Larsson & Johan Engstrom
Switzerland – Stefan Bellmont & Thomas Junghans
USA – Danny Baggish & Jules van Dongen
Wales – Gerwyn Price & Jonny Clayton
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