The 2026 World Cup of Darts begins properly in Frankfurt tonight, and the opening group stage already looks capable of producing problems for some of the tournament’s bigger names. The Philippines, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore all arrive outside the seeded elite, but none look like soft early-round opposition. In a pairs format where rhythm can disappear quickly, the unseeded Asian nations may carry more danger than their status suggests.
That is especially true of the Philippines. Alexis Toylo and Paolo Nebrida have already shown they can trouble bigger names on the PDC stage, and Toylo’s methodical pace was singled out on the latest episode of the DartsNews Podcast as one reason they could become awkward opponents in Frankfurt. Cohosts Kieran Wood and Nicolas Gayer were joined by returning guest Finlay Williams for a full tournament preview, with the panel highlighting the Philippines as part of a wider Asian challenge that could make the group stage far less comfortable for the favourites.
The Philippines already have recent proof in this tournament. Last year, Paolo Nebrida and Lourence Ilagan came through their group after beating Latvia and then stunning Belgium, recovering from 3-0 down and surviving seven match darts before completing a 4-3 win. Nebrida returns this year with Alexis Toylo, and their first assignment is about as high profile as the group stage allows. The Philippines face host nation Germany tonight in Group A, before also meeting New Zealand.
Wood picked the Philippines as his standout nation without a PDC Tour Card holder, with the appeal built around both ability and style. “I’m going to go for Philippines with Alexis Toylo and Paolo Nebrida, simply because they’re difficult to play against because of their unique style, shall we say, but more than that, they are actually really quality players,” said Wood. “We’ve seen them take some big scalps on the PDC stage before. So I think they can actually make a run at this tournament.” Nebrida has already produced one of those moments away from the World Cup, beating Rob Cross at the Bahrain Darts Masters to become the first Filipino player to win a World Series match. Toylo gives the pairing another edge. “I just think Toylo’s style is going to make people really struggle, because they’re having to wait the extra two visits anyway,” said Wood. “With him taking so long, it’s going to feel like the start of a new leg every single time they throw it out. And I just think that could help them as well as their obvious ability.”
Japan also begin tonight against Croatia in Group K, with Spain waiting later in the section. Finlay Williams picked Japan as his own non Tour Card nation to watch, with Motomu Sakai and Haruki Muramatsu giving them another strong Asian pairing. “I was going to go for Japan, because Motomu Sakai on his day is probably tour card holder level,” said Williams. “I think we can all agree on that if it wasn’t for the travel issues and getting visas that Asian players face at the moment. And that’s why we don’t see too many players from Asia on the tour.” Sakai has already shown the level Williams was referring to on the Asian Tour and the Ally Pally stage, while Muramatsu adds years of experience and more recent success on that circuit. “He’s joined this year by Haruki Muramatsu, who’s been around for ages on the Asian scene, but he’s won a lot of Asian tour titles already this year,” Williams added. “They look like a really solid pairing for me. So Japan was my pick.” Hong Kong and Singapore add more danger to the same opening session. Hong Kong, represented by Man Lok Leung and Lok Yin Lee, face Belgium in Group B. Singapore, led again by Paul Lim, take on Ireland in Group D. Wood pointed to the wider pattern rather than treating the Philippines as a one-off. “I think most of the Asian teams are really dangerous, especially because of their unseeded status,” he said. “You’ve got Hong Kong with Man Lok Leung and Lok Yin Lee. Singapore with Paul Lim...”
