The English duo of Luke Humphries and Michael Smith will set out to deliver England’s first World Cup title since 2016. Given that ‘Cool Hand Luke’ has cemented his place as one the best players on the planet, it’s easy to see why England are such strong favourites to take top honours in Germany.

Humphries‘ average over the last 12 months sits at a shade under a ton (99.22) which is only topped by Gary Anderson’s 99.46. The world no. 1 has also been a prolific 180-hitter during that period, with his return of 723 bettered only by Luke Littler’s 756.

Of course, Humphries’ World Cup partner Michael Smith isn’t too shabby either. ‘Bully Boy’ is a big maximum-hitter himself, having hit 445 over the last year, while his average sits at a very solid 95.47.

While this will be the first time that Humphries and Smith have paired up in pursuit of the World Cup, they are the highest ranked team in the tournament. They certainly look the most potent pair on paper, and if they can quickly strike up a partnership then they will take some stopping.

If anyone can upstage the top seeds at the head of the outright market, it could be Germany at 9.0.

Gabriel Clemens and Martin Schindler will be flying the flag for the host nation as they go in search of a maiden World Cup crown.

Both Clemens and Schindler are housed in the top-24 of the PDC’s Order of Merit, highlighting just how dangerous a double act they could prove to be.

Having claimed his first PDC title of his career at the International Darts Open back in April, the aforementioned Martin Schindler is threatening a breakout year.

Schindler’s progress is further evidenced by the fact that he ranks 13th for averages (95.39) over the last 12 months, sitting above Josh Rock, Nathan Aspinall and Peter Wright to name just a few.

Ranked 24th in the world, Schindler’s sidekick Clemens has also been on a steady upward curve in recent years, most notably dumping Gerwyn Price out at the quarter-final stage of the 2023 World Darts Championship.

Of course, another factor to take into account is home advantage, which could really begin to ramp up if the duo can bag a pair of confidence-boosting wins during the group stages.

Northern Ireland could give punters a good run for their money at a whopping 23.0. Brendan Dolan, who has represented his country at each of the previous 13 World Cups, will double up with rising star Josh Rock for the first time in Frankfurt. That blend of youth and experience could make Northern Ireland lively outsiders to go deep in the tournament.

Dolan exceeded expectations by reaching the quarter-final stages of this year’s World Darts Championship, claiming the scalp of both Gerwyn Price and Gary Anderson along the way. ‘The History Maker’ has long been a steady hand at the oche, as evidenced by the fact that he has averaged 93.16 across the last 12 months.

Josh Rock, meanwhile, is widely regarded as one of the ‘next big things’ on the darting circuit, and his recent Euro Tour triumph at the Dutch Darts Championship reinforced that viewpoint. The Antrim ace has averaged a very healthy 95.15 over the last year, racking up 311 maximums for good measure.

With Wales’ chances of retaining the World Cup under severe threat following Gerwyn Price’s withdrawal, Northern Ireland could capitalise on those circumstances by making a surprise splash at the Eissporthalle.