2019 World Cup focus: darts team Germany

Much attention is given to the individual players in the Professional Darts Corporation. All of the major events see the players competing as individuals such as the World Championship, Premier League Darts, UK Open and World Matchplay.

However, there is one team event which is very special and that’s the World Cup. Known as the BetVictor World Cup of Darts for Sponsorship reasons, this is the only big event on the calendar which sees players working together as part of a team for their country.

The 2019 World Cup of Darts will take place between the 6thand 9th June at the Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg, Germany. There will be a total of 32 teams competing in the tournament and each team will be made up of two players. There are no groups and the event is played in a pure knockout format so there are no second chances and anything can happen.

The draw for the first round has been made and the hosts, Germany have been paired with Hungary. Despite being an unseeded nation, this is a good draw for the Germans who will be hoping to make it to the round of 16.

The German teams consists of Max Hopp and Martin Schindler, both of which are highly experienced players in the world of darts. Hopp is currently sitting just outside the top 20 players in the world on the PDC Order of Merit and will be hoping to break into the top 20 this season. At just 22 years of age, Hopp has youth on his side and this tournament will be another great experience for the young German.

Hopp knows what it takes to get into the semi-final of a major event having done so at the 2018 European Championship. He defeated Johnny Clayton, James Wilson and Darren Webster before succumbing to James Wade by just a single leg.

Having recently reached the semi-final of the German Grand Prix and the final of the PDPA Players Championship Barnsley 16, Hopp could be the key for German success in the World Cup of Darts. However, his playing partner, Martin Schindler will be aiming to give Hopp plenty of support.

Schindler partnered Hopp when they reached the quarter-final of this event in 2017, so they have a good history together. Schindler is also a young player at 22 years of age and reached the final of the PDC Youth World Championship in 2018. He may not have enjoyed the same success on the PDC Tour as Hopp but Schindler will know this is a great opportunity to make progress in a big event, in-front of his own fans.

If Germany can take care of Hungary in the first round, there is the potential for a mouth-watering clash with Belgium in the second round. That’s something every darts fan would like to see and Germany will start their first round game as favourites to progress.