England may have the strongest pairing at the 2026 World Cup of Darts, but the race behind Luke Littler and Luke Humphries already looks far less certain. Scotland are without Peter Wright, Wales are missing Gerwyn Price, and even reigning champions Northern Ireland return to Frankfurt with a different kind of pressure after last year's breakthrough title. On the latest episode of the DartsNews Podcast, the panel looked beyond England's favourite status and asked whether the tournament's biggest chasing nations are arriving with more doubts than usual.
Cohosts Kieran Wood and Nicolas Gayer were joined by returning guest Finlay Williams for a special World Cup preview, with Williams summing up the uncertainty around England's rivals: “A lot of the top nations have weaker squads.” Scotland are the clearest example. Wright's absence breaks up one of the country's defining World Cup pairings, with Gary Anderson now joined by Cameron Menzies. Williams, offering a Scottish perspective, admitted the change has altered the feel around Scotland's challenge. “Oh, I'm devastated, lads. I'm devastated,” he joked, before adding: “But no, in all seriousness, I think Cameron Menzies' stage form in the last month has really picked up.” Williams still viewed the Anderson-Menzies pairing as Scotland's strongest available option. “For my money, Gary Anderson and Cameron Menzies are probably the best combination we have,” said Williams. Gayer said he was “a bit worried right now about just Gary's form and everything,” but noted Anderson's strong Pro Tour and UK Open performances this year. Williams also pointed to Menzies' temperament, saying he's been impressed with his calmer demeanour on stage in recent weeks.
Wales sit in a different but equally changed position. Price's absence for 2026 has shifted Wales into a very different shape, with Jonny Clayton now partnered by Nick Kenny, drawn into Group C alongside Lithuania and Thailand. Williams added a fresh angle, looking at how quickly the Welsh depth picture could become even more complicated. “Wales, Gerwyn Price withdrawing. Nick Kenny's in. He's fighting for his Tour Card,” said Williams. “If this was next year, so this was a year later and Price was withdrawn, it could be Rhys Griffin playing for Wales because Nick Kenny and Rob Owen might have both lost their Tour Cards. So there's that aspect.” Belgium also came into Williams' wider assessment. “I've been really impressed with Dimitri Van den Bergh lately,” said Williams. “He's playing so much better than he was even two or three months ago. He's still not quite back there yet. And Mike De Decker has won only one game on the Euro Tour all year, and it was against Marvin Kraft in Poland.”
Northern Ireland are the obvious counterpoint. Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney return as defending champions with the same pairing that transformed the country's World Cup history twelve months ago. Their 2025 title came at the end of a demanding Finals Day, beating Republic of Ireland in the quarter-finals, host nation Germany in the semi-finals, then edging Wales in a last-leg final against Price and Clayton. Williams had the defending champions second in his power ranking, behind only England. “I've gone for the defending champions, Northern Ireland, at number two,” he said. “I think the dynamic Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney had last year really impressed me. I think they both pulled their socks up when they needed it. They clearly get on. They won the title last year with arguably a stronger field, having to beat Clayton and Price in the final. And so I could see them having another really deep run this year, depending on who they get in the knockouts.” Rock was also Williams' pick for tournament MVP, pointing to his wider stage season including a UK Open semi-final, a World Masters quarter-final and a European Tour title in Graz. “That Northern Ireland team, with Rock doing the scoring and Gurney hitting the doubles, it worked really well,” said Williams. “Outside of the Premier League, he's actually been really good.”
Littler and Humphries remain the clearest reason this World Cup starts with England at the front of the conversation. The pairing gives them star power, scoring power and two players already used to carrying huge expectations on major stages. The debate behind them is more complicated. Scotland are adapting without Wright. Wales are moving forward without Price. Belgium remain hard to judge. The Netherlands and Germany both have major storylines of their own. Northern Ireland return with the trophy, the chemistry and the same Rock-Gurney partnership that changed their place in World Cup history. England are favourites. The route behind them looks anything but settled.
