AS the 2019 BetVictor World Cup of Darts draws closer, we take a look back at five of the most dramatic moments in the tournament's history.
5. Two Nine-Dart Attempts
Australia and The Netherlands both came close to achieving the first ever nine-darter at a World Cup as they battled it out in a crazy quarter-final at the 2016 tournament.
The new-look Australian pairing of Whitlock and Kyle Anderson were the first to come close to the holy grail of a pairs nine-darter, before Michael van Gerwen and Raymond van Barneveld almost achieved perfection in the crucial deciding leg.
The Dutch duo won the last leg as they progressed to the final four where they defeated Belgium, before going down to England in the final.
4. More Aussie Heartbreak
⏱ Countdown to the @OfficialPDC World Cup ?
— Unicorn Darts? (@UnicornDarts) May 28, 2018
This is what it all means to the players.... @KimHuybrechts
Who will you be cheering on in Frankfurt later this week? pic.twitter.com/k0RX3veV3i
Three years on from their final loss to England, Whitlock and Nicholson played their part in another World Cup classic, as they were narrowly edged out by Belgium’s Kim and Ronny Huybrechts in the 2015 quarter-finals.
With Australia poised to level the match, Ronny Huybrechts hit the bullseye with his final dart to spark incredible jubilation on the Frankfurt stage.
That was as good as it got for the Belgian brothers as they went down to England in the semi-finals.
3. Ashes Clash Goes All The Way
WALL-TO-WALL DRAMA!
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 30, 2018
It went down to sudden death in the 2012 World Cup of Darts final, and it couldn't have been more tense!
ONE DAY TO GO! #LoveTheDarts pic.twitter.com/LiMKN2PZZ4
England bounced back from disaster against Spain to claim glory at the 2012 World Cup with a thrilling sudden-death triumph over Australia’s Simon Whitlock and Paul Nicholson.
Taylor, this time playing alongside Adrian Lewis, missed two darts for the match, before Whitlock followed suit, leaving Lewis the chance to claim glory as he finally struck the winning double.
The titanic clash in Hamburg goes down as the tightest, and possibly greatest, final in the history of the tournament as two rival sporting nations fought right to the end.
2. Singapore Sling Out Scotland
The 2017 tournament opened with a bang as legend of the sport Paul Lim partnered Harith Lim to a Singapore victory over Scotland’s Gary Anderson and Peter Wright.
After both Anderson and Wright missed darts to pull the match back to 4-3, Paul Lim stepped up to checkout 100 in two darts to spark jubilant scenes at the Eissporthalle.
Singapore went on to beat Spain in round two before going out to Belgium in the last eight, but the win will live long in the memory of all darts fans.
1. Spain Spring A Surprise
The inaugural 2010 World Cup produced a shock of seismic proportions as Spain’s Carlos Rodríguez and Antonio Alcinas stunned the English pairing of Phil Taylor and James Wade.
The first ever major surprise set the tone for future tournaments, as the Spanish pair produced a stunning 107.31 average to secure a nail-biting 6-5 triumph over the tournament favourites.
Spain, who beat Japan in round one, went on to beat the USA and Scotland as they won through to the semi-finals, before their epic run was finally ended by the Netherlands.
The BetVictor World Cup of Darts will be held from June 6-9 at the Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg, Germany.
Broadcast live on Sky Sports, the tournament will see 32 countries represented by two players each in the unique event which features both doubles and singles matches.