THE teams have been confirmed for the 2016 Betway World Cup of Darts, with Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis set to represent England in Frankfurt next month as they bid to defend their title.
The £250,000 tournament will see 32 nations competing in a Pairs format from June 2-5 at the Eissporthalle in Frankfurt, Germany, with matches throughout the Sky Sports-televised event featuring a mixture of Singles and Doubles games.
Reigning champions England will be represented by Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis for a fifth successive year as they bid to add to their three previous triumphs in the tournament, with sponsors Betway making them 2/1 to lift the title.
2015 finalists Scotland will be represented by World Champion Gary Anderson and reigning World Grand Prix champion Robert Thornton as the second seeds, while the triumphant 2014 Netherlands team of Michael van Gerwen and Raymond van Barneveld will team up once again in Frankfurt as the number three seeds and pre-tournament 6/4 favourites with Betway.
Fourth seeds Northern Ireland will be represented by Brendan Dolan and debutant Daryl Gurney, while recent Players Championship winner Gerwyn Price will compete for Wales for the first time alongside Mark Webster as the number five seeds.
Australia's Kyle Anderson makes his World Cup debut alongside Simon Whitlock for the sixth seeds, while 2013 finalists Belgium - represented once again by brothers Kim and Ronny Huybrechts - are seeded seventh and Austria, whose team comprises Mensur Suljovic and Rowby-John Rodriguez, complete the eight seeds.
The unseeded nations include hosts Germany, who will face Australia in the first round as teenager Max Hopp and Jyhan Artut team up in front of their home crowd, while 2015 quarter-finalists Hong Kong - represented again by Ting Chi Royden Lam & Scott Mackenzie - meet Ireland's William O'Connor and Mick McGowan.
Spain's Cristo Reyes and Antonio Alcinas will kick off the tournament against England, while New Zealand's Warren Parry and debutant Cody Harris face Scotland and Russia's Aleksandr Oreshkin and Boris Koltsov take on the Netherlands.
Japan's Keita Ono and Haruki Muramatsu open up against Northern Ireland, while Finland's Kim Viljanen and Marko Kantele meet Wales, Poland's Krzysztof Ratajski and Mariusz Paul play Belgium and Italian duo Daniele Petri and Michel Furlanis take on Austria.
2016 World Championship qualifier Alex Tagarao will now compete for the Philippines as a replacement for Lourence Ilagan, who has withdrawn through illness. Tagarao finished in third place in the Philippines' qualifier and now lines up alongside Gilbert Ulang for their first round tie with American pair Darin Young and Larry Butler.
Greece's debut in the World Cup will see John Michael and Ioannis Selachoglou face experienced Canadian duo John Part and Ken MacNeil, while South Africa's Devon Petersen and Graham Filby will take on Singapore's Paul Lim - who has over three decades of top-level experience - and Harith Lim.
Norway's Robert Wagner and debutant Cor Dekker will face Gibraltar's Dyson Parody and Manuel Vilerio in round one, with Denmark's Per Laursen and Daniel Jensen playing Scandinavian rivals Sweden, who are represented by Magnus Caris and Daniel Larsson.
Thailand's Thanawat Gaweenuntawong and Attapol Eupakaree take on Hungary's Nandor Bezzeg and Patrik Kovaks, and the Czech Republic's Michal Kocik and Pavel Drtil play China's Yuanjun Liu and Wenge Xie.
Tickets for the Betway World Cup of Darts are available through www.pdc-europe.tv.
The schedule of play will be announced in due course.
Betway World Cup of Darts
Seeded Nations
1 - England - Phil Taylor & Adrian Lewis
2 - Scotland - Gary Anderson & Robert Thornton
3 - Netherlands - Michael van Gerwen & Raymond van Barneveld
4 - Northern Ireland - Brendan Dolan & Daryl Gurney
5 - Wales - Mark Webster & Gerwyn Price
6 - Australia - Simon Whitlock & Kyle Anderson
7 - Belgium - Kim Huybrechts & Ronny Huybrechts
8 - Austria - Mensur Suljovic & Rowby-John Rodriguez
NB: The Order of Merit totals for Northern Ireland & Wales were identical (49) and therefore the team with the highest-ranked individual (Brendan Dolan) received the higher seeding. Scotland's Peter Wright and Netherlands' Jelle Klaasen made themselves unavailable for selection.
Unseeded Nations
Canada - John Part & Ken MacNeil
China - Yuanjun Liu & Wenge Xie
Czech Republic - Michal Kocik & Pavel Drtil
Denmark - Per Laursen & Daniel Jensen
Finland - Kim Viljanen & Marko Kantele
Germany - Max Hopp & Jyhan Artut
Gibraltar - Dyson Parody & Manuel Vilerio
Greece - John Michael & Ioannis Selachoglou
Hong Kong - Ting Chi Royden Lam & Scott MacKenzie
Hungary - Nandor Bezzeg & Patrik Kovacs
Italy - Daniele Petri & Michel Furlanis
Japan - Keita Ono & Haruki Muramatsu
New Zealand - Warren Parry & Cody Harris
Norway - Robert Wagner & Cor Dekker
Philippines - Gilbert Ulang & Alex Tagarao
Poland - Krzysztof Ratajski & Mariusz Paul
Republic of Ireland - William O'Connor & Mick McGowan
Russia - Aleksandr Oreshkin & Boris Koltsov
Singapore - Paul Lim & Harith Lim
South Africa - Devon Petersen & Graham Filby
Spain - Cristo Reyes & Antonio Alcinas
Sweden - Magnus Caris & Daniel Larsson
Thailand - Thanawat Gaweenuntawong & Attapol Eupakaree
USA - Darin Young & Larry Butler
First Round Draw & Tournament Draw Bracket
England (1) Spain
Czech Republic v China
Austria (8) v Italy
South Africa v Singapore
Wales (5) v Finland
Greece v Canada
Northern Ireland (4) v Japan
Republic of Ireland v Hong Kong
Scotland (2) v New Zealand
Norway v Gibraltar
Belgium (7) v Poland
Hungary v Thailand
Australia (6) v Germany
Denmark v Sweden
Netherlands (3) v Russia
USA v Philippines
Betway Outright Winner Odds
6/4 Netherlands
2/1 England
9/2 Scotland
20/1 Belgium
25/1 Australia, Austria, Wales
33/1 Northern Ireland
66/1 Germany
80/1 Spain
Full odds available at www.betway.com. Odds subject to fluctuation and correct at time of writing.