With the 2024 World Cup of Darts just a month away, there is no better time to reminisce about one of the most unique tournaments in the PDC. From crazy upsets to nail-biting victories, here's five of the most memorable moments from the competition...
The sudden death final - 2012
Where else to start, other than possibly the most nerve-wracking leg of darts ever. The 2012 final between England and Australia had absolutely everything and went down to the wire. Between Paul Nicholson, Simon Whitlock, Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis, it looked as if none of them wanted to win the match, with countless stray darts and missed doubles. Eventually, 'Jackpot' held his never to win England their first title.
Singapore shock Scotland - 2017
Scotland have produced two World Champions over the past decade, so it’s no surprise they have a decent overall record in the World Cup. That being said, the Scots have been on the wrong end of a few upsets, most notably against Singapore in 2017, when the legendary, Paul Lim and his partner Harith Lim beat them comfortably, 5-2 in the first round.
Read more: Favourites Wales storm to victory - World Cup of Darts
Spain upset England - 2010
Sticking with the upset theme, who can forget when Spain beat England in the inaugural tournament? In one of the most shocking results ever in darts, Antonio Alcinas and Carlos Rodriguez defeated 16 time World Champion, Phil Taylor and James Wade in a last leg decider. This wasn't the only the time the Spaniards won a World Cup match against the odds, as three years later Rodriguez and Alcinas triumphed against Scotland in the last 16.
Whitlock finally wins his first World Cup - 2022
Only a handful of players have featured at every World Cup since the first one in 2010, the most notable of which is Simon Whitlock. Since the agonising defeat to England in 2012, the Aussie clearly illustrated that the World Cup was a tournament he needed to win. Well, in 2022 he finally got that monkey off his back, as he and teammate, Damon Heta defeated Wales in the final for Whitlock to finally get his hands on that World Cup trophy. To make the moment even more special, they dedicated their win to Whitlock’s former World Cup teammate, Kyle Anderson, who sadly passed away at the age of 33 in 2021.
Read more: 2024 Dutch Darts Championship - Josh Rock wins first European Tour title in Netherlands
Price mimics Rodriguez - 2022
Perhaps not the most memorable World Cup moment, but a personal favourite of mine, occurred in a match between Wales and Austria in 2022. Rowby-John Rodriguez hit two treble 20s before gee-ing up the crowd, only to miss his third dart. Gerwyn Price, then decided to do the same and get the crowd involved mid-visit, but also missed his last dart. After all this, the no-nonsense Mensur Suljovic showed them how it’s done and hit a maximum. This kind of banter and camaraderie between both teams signifies what the tournament is all about.
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