The World Cup of Darts gets underway on Thursday with a stacked slate of action coming live from inside the Eissporthalle in Frankfurt.
Some of the best sides have been given a bye into round two, but there are still plenty of PDC stars on offer on the first evening, as some of the minnow nations of world darts looks to make their mark on the ever growing tournament.
From the twelve ties being contested on Thursday, we’ve got the best three World Cup of Darts betting tips from Day 1 below, plus the best darts betting offers from the top online bookmakers.
Germany to beat New Zealand 4-0
As hosts, there is a lot expected of Germany this year.
Gabriel Clemens and Martin Schindler are experienced players on the PDC Tour now, and should be able to brush New Zealand aside with minimal fuss in the opener.
Haupai Puha and Ben Robb are fighting the corner of the Kiwis, with Puha’s best outing coming in a runner-up performance at the 2022 Australian Open, losing to Raymond Smith with a 90 average.
New Zealand – albeit with a different pair – lost to Latvia last year and gave a leg away to Bahrain, so they are unexpected to challenge for a route out of Group C in 2024.
A 4-0 sweep looks good as the Germans get up and running.
France to beat Latvia
On paper, France vs Latvia is as close to a 50/50 as you can get in the openers at this year’s World Cup.
Neither country are known for their arrows, but with Thibault Tricole, France have a good opportunity of once again getting out of their group.
Franco shocked Northern Ireland last year to win Group D, and with this vital experience under their belts, should be able to edge out Latvia in the opener.
Madars Razma is very, very competent in the Latvian corner, but will probably be let down by his partner, Valters Melderis, who is pretty unknown in darting circles.
Spain vs Sweden – Over 6.5 legs
Another delicately balanced game here headlines the Thursday night action, so the organisers are clearly thinking this could be the thriller of the night…
Sweden’s Jeffrey de Graaf is probably the best player on show here, looking to build some momentum from his third round run at the World Championship, and will be dragging Oskar Lukasiak to the oche to challenge Spain’s Jose Justicia and Jesus Noguera.
Justicia is the better of the two but has struggled to find himself consistently inside the world’s top 100.
In a back-and-forth affair, back the 4-3 either way in a seven-leg shootout.
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