ENGLAND will begin their defence of the Betway World Cup of Darts title against Gibraltar when the seventh staging of the annual Pairs event is held in Frankfurt next month.
The new-look England team of Adrian Lewis and Dave Chisnall will be amongst 32 nations competing in the £300,000 tournament, which is held from June 1-4 live on Sky Sports.
Having won four of the last five World Cup of Darts titles, England will begin their bid for a fifth triumph when they take on Gibraltar pair Dyson Parody and Dylan Duo in the first round.
Top seeds Scotland will meet Singapore in the first round on the opening night of the event on Thursday June 1, while two-time winners Netherlands drew the Czech Republic and will commence their challenge for a third title on Friday June 2.
Number four seeds Wales drew Finland, while number five seeds Australia take on Denmark in their opening clash on Thursday evening, and former finalists Belgium take on New Zealand in their first round tie.
The opening night will also see Japan take on Spain, while Thailand face Greece, Hong Kong play Russia and the Republic of Ireland meet Poland.
Alongside England and the Netherlands, host nation Germany enter the tournament on Friday June 2 as they play number six seeds Northern Ireland, while Austria meet China.
The two countries making their World Cup debuts, Brazil and Switzerland, were drawn together in another first round tie, South Africa will play Sweden, Hungary play Canada and the USA will face Italy.
The tournament then continues with the second round split across two sessions on Saturday June 3, with Sunday's play then featuring the quarter-finals in the afternoon session and the semi-finals and final in the evening session.
For tickets, visit www.pdc-europe.tv.
Betway World Cup of Darts
First Round Draw & Tournament Bracket
(1) Scotland v Singapore
Japan v Spain
(8) Belgium v New Zealand
Thailand v Greece
(5) Australia v Denmark
Hong Kong v Russia
(4) Wales v Finland
Republic of Ireland v Poland
(2) England v Gibraltar
South Africa v Sweden
(7) Austria v China
Hungary v Canada
(6) Northern Ireland v Germany
Brazil v Switzerland
(3) Netherlands v Czech Republic
United States of America v Italy
The draw was broadcast on Facebook LIve through the OfficialPDC Facebook page and can be watched at THIS LINK.
Schedule of Play
Thursday June 1 (8pm local time, 7pm BST)
First Round
Thailand v Greece
Hong Kong v Russia
Republic of Ireland v Poland
Japan v Spain
Belgium v New Zealand
Australia v Denmark
Scotland v Singapore
Wales v Finland
Friday June 2 (8pm local time, 7pm BST)
First Round
United States of America v Italy
Hungary v Canada
Austria v China
South Africa v Sweden
Brazil v Switzerland
Northern Ireland v Germany
England v Gibraltar
Netherlands v Czech Republic
Saturday June 3
Second Round
Afternoon Session (2pm local time, 1pm BST)
Belgium/New Zealand v Thailand/Greece
Wales/Finland v Republic of Ireland/Poland
Australia/Denmark v Hong Kong/Russia
Scotland/Singapore v Japan/Spain
Evening Session (8pm local time, 7pm BST)
Austria/China v Hungary/Canada
Northern Ireland/Germany v Brazil/Switzerland
England/Gibraltar v South Africa/Sweden
Netherlands/Czech Republic v United Staes of America/Italy
Sunday June 4
Afternoon Session (2pm local time, 1pm BST)
Quarter-Finals
Order of Play TBC
Evening Session (8pm local time, 7pm BST)
Semi-Finals
Final
Competing Nations
Seeded Nations
1 Scotland - Gary Anderson & Peter Wright
2 England - Adrian Lewis & Dave Chisnall
3 Netherlands - Michael van Gerwen & Raymond van Barneveld
4 Wales - Gerwyn Price & Mark Webster
5 Australia - Simon Whitlock & Kyle Anderson
6 Northern Ireland - Daryl Gurney & Brendan Dolan
7 Austria - Mensur Suljovic & Rowby-John Rodriguez
8 Belgium - Kim Huybrechts & Ronny Huybrechts
Other Nations
Brazil - Diogo Portela & Alexandre Sattin
Canada - John Norman Jnr & John Part
China - Weihong Li & Yuanjun Liu
Czech Republic - Frantisek Humpula & Karel Sedlacek
Denmark - Per Laursen & Alex Jensen
Finland - Kim Viljanen & Marko Kantele
Germany - Max Hopp & Martin Schindler
Gibraltar - Dyson Parody & Dylan Duo
Greece - John Michael & Ioannis Selachoglou
Hong Kong - Kai Fan Leung & Royden Lam
Hungary - Janos Vegso & Zoltan Mester
Italy - Daniele Petri & Gabriel Rollo
Japan - Haruki Muramatsu & Yuki Yamada
New Zealand - Cody Harris & Rob Szabo
Poland - Krzysztof Ratajski & Tytus Kanik
Republic of Ireland - Mick McGowan & William O'Connor
Russia - Boris Koltsov & Aleksandr Oreshkin
Singapore - Paul Lim & Harith Lim
South Africa - Devon Petersen & Deon Oliver
Spain - Cristo Reyes & Antonio Alcinas
Sweden - Magnus Caris & Daniel Larsson
Switzerland - Patrick Rey & Philipp Ruckstuhl
Thailand - Thanawat Gaweenuntawong & Attapol Eupakaree
United States of America - Darin Young & Larry Butler
Prize Fund
Winners (Per Player) £30,000
Runner-Up (Per Player) £16,000
Semi-Finalists (Per Player) £10,000
Quarter-Finalists (Per Player) £7,000
Second Round Losers (Per Player) £4,000
First Round Losers (Per Player) £1,500
Total £300,000
Format
First Round
Best of nine legs Doubles
Second Round, Quarter-Finals & Semi-Finals
The Second Round, Quarter-Finals & Semi-Finals will be played as two best of seven leg 501 Singles matches, with both nations nominating the order in which their players play. In the event of both nations winning one Singles match apiece, a best of seven leg 501 Doubles match will be played to decide the tie.
Final
The Final will be played as two best of seven leg 501 Singles matches, with both nations nominating the order in which their players play the first two matches, followed by a best of seven leg 501 Doubles match and then Reverse Singles matches. The first team to win three games is declared the winner.