As the darts world gears up for the 2025 World Cup of Darts in Frankfurt, Germany, from June 12 to 15, Scotland’s Peter Wright has ignited a fiery rivalry with England’s powerhouse duo of Luke Littler and Luke Humphries. The two-time PDC World Champion, known for his flamboyant mohican hairstyle and “Snakebite” persona, is brimming with confidence, ready to lead Scotland alongside Gary Anderson to challenge the top-seeded English team. With a £450,000 prize fund on the line and national pride at stake, Wright’s bold words have set the stage for a thrilling showdown. “Let them speak about them two,” Wright declared, referring to Littler and Humphries. “Hopefully we meet in the final and we can show who’s boss.”
The World Cup, held at the Eissporthalle Frankfurt, features 40 nations competing in a unique format that blends singles and doubles matches. Scotland, seeded fourth, joins England, Wales, and the Netherlands with a first-round bye, entering the fray in the second round on Saturday. The tournament progresses through group stages, with best-of-7 leg matches, to a best-of-15 leg final, where the winning pair will split £80,000. Wright and Anderson, who won the event together in 2019 and reached the final in 2023, are no strangers to success, but their semi-final loss to England in 2024 still stings. Wright’s pre-match taunt last year, vowing to “smash up” England, backfired as Humphries and Michael Smith triumphed 8-4, with Smith later jabbing that Wright’s “strong shoulders” had been carrying the Premier League’s bottom rank. “Gary is playing really well, I am coming back to form,” Wright said, undeterred. “If we both just click, which we normally do, I reckon we have got a really good chance.”
Wright’s confidence stems from recent glimpses of his vintage form. Despite a challenging 2024, where he slipped to world No. 14 and won just two of 18 Premier League matches, the 54-year-old Scot stunned the darts world by defeating Humphries 4-1 in the 2024 World Championship’s last 16, averaging 100.93 and hitting a remarkable 70% on doubles. “I know I can still play darts,” Wright insisted after that upset, which saw him reach the quarter-finals before falling to Stephen Bunting. His 2024 German Darts Championship win over Littler further fueled his belief that he can compete with the sport’s young titans. “Who drives me on? Luke Humphries and Luke Littler,” he said. “I can compete with these guys and actually be better than them.”
England’s Littler and Humphries, however, are a formidable force. Littler, the 18-year-old prodigy who claimed the 2025 PDC World Championship title, has revolutionized darts with his fearless play and record-breaking 771 maximum 180s in 2024. Humphries, the world No. 1, added the 2025 Premier League crown to his resume, defeating Littler 11-8 in the final. Their partnership, described by Humphries as a “cheat code” with the world’s top two players, powered England to a 10-6 victory over Austria in the 2024 World Cup. Yet, Wright remains unfazed, noting potential weaknesses in their fast-paced styles. “I suppose England have got a pretty good chance, but two fast players playing together, it could backfire,” he cautioned, while also eyeing threats from Australia’s Simon Whitlock and Damon Heta.
The Scotland-England rivalry, steeped in history, adds extra spice to the tournament. Wright’s banter, including a cheeky jab at Humphries’ “shoulders” in 2024, has drawn retorts, with Humphries accusing him of “mind games.” Their 2024 World Championship clash, where Wright’s victory left him in tears, proved his competitive fire still burns. “I’m not ready for that seniors tour yet,” Wright asserted, dismissing retirement talk. Anderson, a two-time world champion, complements Wright’s flair with his own resurgence, having climbed to No. 20 with high averages in 2024. “Gary is blowing people off the board the way he used to,” Wright praised.
As Frankfurt’s boisterous crowd—potentially rowdy with Euro 2024 football fans in attendance—awaits, Wright is ready to silence doubters and England alike. “Pick the trophy up at the end of it, that is it and shut them up,” he vowed. With Littler and Humphries favored but Scotland’s duo hungry for redemption, the 2025 World Cup promises a clash of generations and nations, where Wright’s fighting talk could either ignite a triumph or fuel England’s fire.
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