Luke Littler and Luke Humphries (Picture: PDC)
Luke Littler and Luke Humphries (Picture: PDC)

The popularity of the World Cup of Darts proves there should be another pairs tournament on the calendar, writes Chris Hammer

Darts
Sat June 20, 2026 · 5d ago

The success of the World Cup of Darts proves something that many of us have known for a long time: fans love seeing players compete as part of a team.

There's something different about doubles darts. The pressure changes. The dynamics change. Players have to think about more than just their own game and, for spectators, it creates storylines that simply don't exist in individual tournaments.

That's why I'd love to see the PDC explore the possibility of introducing another pairs event to the calendar.

There are a couple of ways it could work. One option would be blind pairs, with 32 players drawn randomly from a hat. The unpredictability would be fascinating. You could end up with dream partnerships, unexpected alliances and, potentially, players paired with people they wouldn't normally choose to play alongside. Potentially even hate away from the oche!

Personally, though, I prefer a second format where the top 16 players get to select their partner from outside the world's top 16. Imagine the drama. The world number one gets first pick, then the world number two chooses from the remaining players, and so on until all the teams are formed.

The selection process alone would be a show in itself. Fans would debate every decision, players would have to explain their choices and there would be immediate talking points before a dart had even been thrown.

From a player's perspective, having the chance to choose your own partner would probably be more appealing too. Most professionals would rather remove any uncertainty and build a partnership with someone they trust and feel comfortable alongside.

Of course, doubles darts isn't always plain sailing. Everybody wants to win and emotions can run high after defeats. But that's part of what makes team events compelling. They create narratives that individual tournaments simply can't replicate.

Whether it's blind pairs or a draft-style selection process, I think there's genuine mileage in another doubles event. The World Cup continues to show how entertaining pairs darts can be, and I'd be very interested to see where the idea could lead.

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