Germany produced the shock of the tournament by eliminating heavy favorites England from the 2025 World Cup of Darts.

Two fired-up home players stepped onto the stage in front of a buzzing Frankfurt crowd already in near-delirium before the first dart had even been thrown. And it only got better for the German fans—inside a boiling-hot Eissporthalle, the home team delivered the upset of the tournament by defeating England 8-4.

England entered the World Cup of Darts 2025 as arguably the strongest favorite in the competition’s history. With world number one Luke Humphries and world number two Luke Littler on their team, many expected England to cruise to the title. But that script was torn apart right from the start, as Germany sent the titleholders packing in their very first match.

Germany’s duo, Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko, had already impressed in the group stage with solid wins over Singapore and Portugal. But few believed they were capable of reaching this level.

Backed by a raucous home crowd, the Germans rose to the occasion. Despite England dominating in 180s, the Germans never let up and capitalized ruthlessly on every mistake. Germany took the initiative from the very beginning, storming into a 2-0 lead. When England fought back to level at 2-2, many thought Humphries and Littler would find another gear and pull away.

Instead, the opposite happened.

Germany regrouped, regained control, and started piling on the pressure, winning leg after leg to build a commanding 7-2 lead. England showed some late fight by taking two legs in a row, sparking brief hope of a comeback. But Ricardo Pietreczko crushed any chance of a turnaround by hitting the match-winning dart for an 8-4 victory, sending the Eissporthalle into absolute chaos.

This stunning win not only knocks out the tournament favorites but also marks England’s worst World Cup performance since 2019, when Michael Smith and Rob Cross were also eliminated in their opening knockout match, back then by Ireland.