In Frankfurt, Northern Ireland faced a surprising defeat at the hands of newcomers Chinese Taipei, exiting the World Cup of Darts. Despite being ninth seeds, William O’Connor and Keane Barry fought back from a 3-1 deficit to force a deciding leg. However, Teng Lieh Pupo and An-Sheng Lu managed to regain their composure and secure a 4-3 victory, progressing as Group E winners. They had also defeated Lithuania earlier in the day.
On the other hand, England avoided an upset by securing a narrow 4-3 win over Switzerland, booking their spot in the last 16. Josh Rock and Brendan Dolan, the sixth seeds, topped Group B after defeating South Africa 4-1. Australia, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, hosts Germany, unseeded Italy, Poland and Sweden also moved on to the next stage.
The heavyweights of England will begin their campaigns on Saturday after advancing to the second round automatically. Fans can stream live Sky Sports coverage on NOW with no contract required for Month or Day memberships. Enjoy access to Premier League, EFL darts cricket tennis golf and more.
