Northern Ireland celebrates historic darts victory: Team World Cup won for the first time!

Northern Ireland celebrates historic darts victory: Team World Cup won for the first time!

The darts fans in Frankfurt am Main experienced an exciting final at the Team World Darts Championship on Sunday. Northern Ireland secured their first title in this prestigious event with a narrow 10-9 win over Wales. Daryl Gurney and Josh Rock, the Northern Irish duo, showed strong nerves and defeated the favorites Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Price, who had already won the title in 2020 and 2023. Kicker reports that Northern Ireland, who have faced major darts nations such as England and Australia in the past, are now joining the ranks of champions themselves.

As the game progressed, Northern Ireland initially trailed 5-7, but fought their way back into the game with all their might and prevailed in a dramatic final, which was decided by an 11-dart leg. The emotions on stage were palpable - Gurney knelt in joy and Rock couldn't hold back his tears of emotion. “This is fantastic for us,” said Rock after the game, emphasizing how hard the team fought for this success.

The path to the final

The Northern Irish team, which started the tournament as the fourth team, also shone with an impressive performance in the semi-final. They beat the German duo Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko 8-1, after they had previously surprisingly defeated England 8-4 and Australia 8-7. Sky Sports highlights that Germany showed a strong performance, but ultimately remains without a major title.

Wales, on the other hand, secured their place in the final with an 8-4 win against Hong Kong in the quarter-finals and an 8-5 win over the Netherlands in the semi-finals. Despite the painful defeat, Gurney acknowledged the exceptional skill of her opponents and congratulated them on their previous successes.

A new champion in the darts world

With this triumphant victory, Northern Ireland now joins the list of previous world champions, which is dominated by countries such as England, the Netherlands, Scotland and Australia. By 2025, a total of 13 different world champions have won the PDC Tournament. While England is considered the strongest nation, the darts scene in Northern Ireland has developed significantly in recent years and produced talented players. Darts1 points out that the current title holders also include Luke Littler, who won the world title in 2025.

This first Team World Championship for Northern Ireland shows that new talent can really make an impact in darts and that the sport is still very popular internationally. It remains to be seen what surprises the darts year 2025 will have in store, but one thing is certain: Northern Ireland have made a name for themselves with this historic victory!