Gibraltar and Italy’s pairings have been confirmed for next month’s My Diesel Claim World Cup of Darts, following the latest set of qualification events.
Development Tour duo Craig Galliano and Justin Hewitt will team up to represent Gibraltar for the third time in four years, after Hewitt overcame Dyson Parody in Monday’s decisive qualifier to seal his spot in the new-look event.
Hewitt – who also defeated Juan Carlos Munoz in the semi-finals – will make his fourth consecutive appearance in the unique Pairs competition alongside his compatriot Galliano, who topped the domestic rankings after six qualification events.
Elsewhere, Michele Turetta will team up alongside debutant Massimo Dante for Italy, after both players won through separate qualifiers last weekend.
Turetta, who made his World Cup debut in 2021, sealed his return with a 6-4 success against Giovanni Stecconi, while Dante will make his big stage bow after edging out Matteo Ogbeni in a last-leg decider.
Nations who will be represented by players from the PDC Order of Merit will see their teams confirmed on Monday May 29, with the top two ranked players invited to compete for their country.
The 2023 World Cup of Darts will be staged at Frankfurt’s Eissporthalle from June 15-18, with an expanded tournament featuring 40 teams and a £450,000 prize fund.
The revamped format will feature a group and knockout stage – consisting solely of Doubles matches across four days of competition, as Australian duo Damon Heta and Simon Whitlock aim to defend their title.
The top four ranked nations, based on the lowest cumulative PDC Order of Merit ranking of the two competing players, will be seeded and will enter at the second round stage.
The remaining 36 teams will be split into 12 groups of three for the round-robin first round – including 12 seeded nations – from which each group winner will progress.
The second round – featuring the last 16 nations – will be split across two sessions on Saturday June 17 before the quarter-finals take place on Sunday afternoon.
The tournament will then culminate with the semi-finals and final in a bumper evening session on Sunday June 18, with the eventual champions set to earn a combined £80,000 in prize money.
Tickets for the World Cup of Darts are available now through PDC Europe.
2023 My Diesel Claim World Cup of Darts
Thursday June 15 (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Group Stage – Opening Matches
Friday June 16
Afternoon Session (1200 local time, 1100 BST)
Group Stage – Second Matches
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Group Stage – Final Matches
Saturday June 17
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)
Second Round x4
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Second Round x4
Sunday June 18
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)
Quarter-Finals
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Semi-Finals
Final
Competing Nations
Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Guyana, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Ukraine, USA, Wales.
Prize Fund (Per Team)
Winners – £80,000
Runners-Up – £50,000
Semi-Final Losers – £30,000
Quarter-Final Losers – £20,000
Last 16 Losers – £9,000
Second in Group – £5,000
Third in Group – £4,000
Total – £450,000
Format
Group Stage – Best of seven legs
Second Round – Best of 15 legs
Quarter-Finals – Best of 15 legs
Semi-Finals – Best of 15 legs
Final – Best of 19 legs
All games will be played in a Doubles format
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