.jpg)
1 hour ago
3
The 2026 World Cup of Darts group stage is completed, meaning the 16 countries and 8 matches to be played on Saturday in the second round are set.
The group stage winners join the top-four seeds, who had byes into the second round.
2026 World Cup of Darts second round winner predictions and previews
With a day full of action, let's take a look at what to look forward to on Saturday.
MORE: 2026 World Cup of Darts: Draw, schedule, prize money and format explained
(1) England vs. Spain
Winner: England, 8-4
Spain isn't the most difficult opponent England could have gotten in the open draw, but they're definitely not a duo to mess around with.
Led by Cristo Reyes, Spain took care of Croatia and Japan in the group stage, going 2-0 in one of the hardest groups at the 2026 World Cup.
England failed to advance past this stage last year, and although Spain could give them a quality contest, I don't see England failing to make it to the quarterfinals this year.
MORE: 5 countries that can upset England's Luke Littler & Luke Humphries at 2026 World Cup of Darts
(7) Wales vs. USA
Winner: Wales, 8-4
Wales' win against Thailand wasn't as impressive as their win over Lithuania in the group stage, but we can expect their next match to be an effort between the two they had in the group stage.
The same story will be relevant for Wales in the second round, which is what Wales can get from Nick Kenny.
The Americans had two wins with averages in the low 80s, so we can expect a similar type of performance from them.
If Clayton can do a lot of the heavy lifting, and Wales doesn't make a mess on their doubles, it should be a fairly easy win for them over a less-experienced American team.
(4) Scotland vs. Norway
Winner: Scotland, 8-3
Scotland is set to debut a new duo, as Cameron Menzies will join Gary Anderson.
Norway escaped with wins in each of their two matches so far, but Scotland's scoring will force Norway to have to make very few mistakes if they want a shot at keeping the match close.
(8) Ireland vs. (9) Poland
Winner: Poland, 8-7
This is a match that can really go either way, as both teams are entering this game with a ton of momentum.
They've both excelled on the PDC circuit and in the group stage recently.
This feels like a match guaranteed to be 13-15 legs, and Poland should have the slight edge here.
(2) Netherlands vs. (10) Sweden
Winner: Netherlands, 8-2
The Netherlands will debut their duo of Michael van Gerwen and Gian van Veen on Saturday.
Sweden had two very different performances in the group stage, and it's safe to say the Netherlands duo's A and B games are much better than Sweden's.
Jeffrey de Graaf has played well recently and even earned a Pro Tour event title last week, but the Netherlands one-two punch will be tough to slow down.
MORE: Luke Littler contract details: Teenage phenom signs richest endorsement deal in darts history
(5) Germany vs. (12) Czech Republic
Winner: Czech Republic, 8-7
Germany might appear as the favorite, as they'll play in front of their home fans, and are also coming off a quality group stage stretch, but their opponent had a great last two days as well.
The underrated duo of Karel Sedlacek and Adam Gawlas isn't one to be overlooked, as even Germany may struggle against them.
This will be a much more difficult match for the Germans than the ones they had prior, so expect to see the Germans be put under pressure from the first dart.
MORE: Top 10 players competing at the 2026 World Cup of Darts: From Luke Littler to Michael van Gerwen
(3) Northern Ireland vs. (6) Belgium
Winner: Belgium, 8-6
Northern Ireland will look to defend their title, but already have a tough match set for their opening game.
Belgium has been a little erratic, but Mike De Decker has played great this week.
Belgium will need Dimitri Van den Bergh to put up a respectable display, but De Decker should be able to help his teammate across the line, as long as he continues to steadily progress from match to match this tournament.
(14) Latvia vs. France
Winner: France, 8-6
France is the unseeded team in this match, but will be up for the task, as they'll have momentum from a 0-3 comeback on Friday.
This is another that can be won by either country, but I like what I saw from France, and they won't back down against Latvia after living to see another day, which seemed unlikely when they trailed during their final match on Friday.
More Darts articles:
- How much prize money did Luke Littler earn in the 2026 Premier League of Darts season?
- Gerwyn Price proposes intriguing Premier League Darts format change, with royal rumble component
- 7 darts players who could be in Premier League Darts one day
- PDC announces darts schedule for 2026: World Championship, Premier League and more
English (US)