The World Cup of Darts kicks off in Frankfurt on Thursday with an initial group stage which excludes the top four seeded nations in Scotland, Netherlands, England and Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland duo Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney will be looking to defend their title after beating Wales in the final - a Wales outfit who are notably without Gerwyn Price this time around, significantly impact their chances of going deep at this tournament.

England are the clear favourites again, as they were last year, priced as short as 1.44 with some bookmakers to claim the title. It’s obvious why England are the favourites, but i’m not too sure they’ll be able to perform as expected again.

The format is truly unique, the players throw in turns as a pair so it’s as much about the chemistry between two players as it is their individual quality. I’m not sure that Luke Humphries and Luke Littler have this chemistry to play together, it’s hard to switch into a collaborative mode in such an individualised sport when the rest of the time you’re trying to beat the other star.

I fancy Poland to top their qualifying group and go on a bit of a run. They’re in with Switzerland and Portugal, both sides that they are better than, and in Krzysztof Ratajski they have a very experienced and consistent operator paired with an emerging talent in Sebastien Bialecki who has been throwing some impressive stuff on the Development Tour. They’re 28/1 to go all the way; I’d say they are the ‘Dark Horse’ in the pack.

Scotland are another duo who interest me, they have a history of success in the World Cup of Darts - mainly through Peter Wright and Gary Anderson, with the latter having a new pairing here in Cameron Menzies. The last image many people have of Menzies is him punching the table at the World Championships, but he’s managed to put that to one side in recent European Tours with some decent runs over the last few months.

Gary Anderson still has the quality that led him to the title in 2019 and 2021, he’s got a different partner here which could have an effect on Scotland’s overall chances but a run to at least the semi-finals seems right with the talent they’ve got. I also think Anderson can help to settle the nerves of Menzies, which is often why he falls short in major tournaments.

The Netherlands also have a rock-solid duo in Gian van Veen and Michael van Gerwen. It’s a new-look partnership for the Netherlands, but one that could bring success with a mix of youth and experience. Gian really admires MvG and I think their chemistry will work well as a pairing.