Since the World Cup of Darts launched in 2010, only a select few countries have managed to lift the trophy. Now, Northern Ireland have finally barged their way into that exclusive club - and they did it in style.
Northern Ireland have at long last added their name to the roll of honour - proving that patience, power scoring, and a well-timed double eight really can pay off. Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney delivered when it mattered most, bringing the house down with a 10-9 thriller over Wales. Let’s have a glance at the club to which they have added their names
The usual suspects of England and the Netherlands treated the early years of this event like a private game of pass-the-parcel, swapping the trophy back and forth while everyone else looked on enviously.
England (2012,13,15,16 & 24):
England, led by Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis, scooped up four titles and probably felt they were doing the sport a favour by sharing it. It took a while for another duo to add to their total but 2024’s Team England, featuring Luke Humphries and Michael Smith, decided it was about time their nation got its hands on the trophy again - after all, by that point it was fast approaching a decade since the cup last had red and white ribbons on it.
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The Netherlands (2010,14,17 &18):
Not to be outdone, the Dutch pairing of Raymond van Barneveld and Michael van Gerwen took turns battering the rest of the field, as if they were playing a home game no matter where they went. Eventually, someone else decided they’d had enough of watching those two hog the limelight. Step forward Scotland.
Scotland (2019 & 21):
PDC
After years of getting close but not quite, Peter Wright and Gary Anderson finally produced the form befitting their combined talents to bag the title in 2019. A couple of years later, they did it again - this time with the Hunk of Huntly himself, John Henderson, joining Snakebite to lift the trophy.
Australia (2022):
The Aussies moment came in 2022 - the only time, up to now, that the World Cup has journeyed beyond European shores. In reality, the trophy spent that year either sat in Damon Heta’s practice room in Leicester or perched on Simon Whitlock’s mantelpiece down on the south coast in Hampshire. But what The Heat and Wizard of Oz did was exactly what Down Under darting fans had been dreaming of for years: lifting the trophy and, perhaps more importantly, ensuring they wouldn’t have to listen to another sermon about England’s dominance. Their victory was widely celebrated - mostly by everyone not English.
Wales (2020 & 23):
After a first triumph during the pandemic the remarkably successful principality struck again. The Welsh then climbed back onto the winners’ podium thanks to the deadly Red Dragon duo of Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Price, dismantling Scotland in a final the Tartan Army have already done their best to shake from their memory banks.
So, alongside England, the Netherlands, Scotland, Wales, and Australia, Northern Ireland now stand tall as World Cup winners among a very impressive six of the best club!
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(Editor's note: A full World Cup Hall of Fame is available at dartsworld.com it also includes more comprehensive list the event's history)