Darts star Nathan Aspinall has proposed a change to the World Cup format, which could give Luke Littler a new path to earn an England call-up. The World Cup of Darts takes place this weekend, with England represented by Luke Humphries and Michael Smith.
The absence of Littler, who has been on an astonishing run since reaching the World Championship final, is a notable one. According to tournament rules, selection for seeded nations is decided by the Order of Merit, which tracks players’ earnings over two years.
Despite his success, the teenage prodigy Littler sits 25th on the overall list, with his Premier League triumph not accounted for due to being an invitational. The teenager always faced a race against time to qualify for the event, having only been part of the PDC tour for six months. But fellow star Aspinall has suggested radical changes to ensure the best players always feature at the World Cup of Darts.
Discussing his own struggle to make England’s World Cup team, Aspinall told Footy Accumulators: “Well, I’ve been number five in the world and I didn’t make the team, and this year, I’m number four in the world, and I’m still not making the team. So it’s quite annoying for me, as an Englishman, that I’m number four in the world, and I’m still not playing for England.
“I believe there’s scope to change that, to make it a three, four, five-man team. I’d love to see a Ryder Cup-style tournament as well, that would be class.”
The current England team consists of world champion Humphries, who has earned £1,492,250, and world number three Smith, whose total winnings stand at £1,031,500. However, the changes suggested by Aspinall would widen the field and potentially even lead to Ryder Cup-style captain’s picks, providing Littler with a new route to play at the next World Cup.
As it stands, Littler has some way to go to move above third-placed Smith in the Order of Merit. Littler’s earnings are listed as £303,500 – less than half of Aspinall’s £617,250 in fourth – and has 10 English players ahead of him in the rankings.
However, the World Cup of Darts is demonstrably open to altering the format. For the 2024 edition of the tournament, all games will be contested as doubles matches.
The change was made to encourage greater teamwork between players and Aspinall’s suggestions would further that principle. The tournament is being held at the Eissporthalle in Frankfurt, with the group-stage matches getting underway on Thursday.
England are one of four seeded nations to have received a bye to the round of 16, alongside defending champions Wales (Jonny Clayton and Jim Williams), Netherlands (Michael van Gerwen and Danny Noppert) and Scotland (Peter Wright and Gary Anderson).
