Top French darts player left disappointed with countrys World Cup snub

The line-up for the upcoming World Cup of Darts has been confirmed, with 32 countries poised to do battle in Frankfurt.

Just three days after the Premier League play-offs in Berlin, the action will get underway as the Scotland team of Peter Wright and John Henderson attempt to defend the trophy they won so memorably last year. England, Wales, the Netherlands and Australia will also be among the favourites while emerging nations like Brazil, the USA, Spain and Lithuania will also be part of the annual celebration of world darts.

One nation which won’t be there is France, much to the disappointment of the country’s top player. Thibault Tricole, who reached the final of the WDF World Championship earlier this year, has taken to social media to insist interest in the sport is growing rapidly in France, and that a place in the World Cup would have helped speed up its development.

“Disappointed,” he tweeted. “I thought this year was the right one. But I can understand, we don't have a French tour card holder. We need to be invited later because France could represent a big market. Believe me. The popularity of darts increase in France.”

Tricole added: “More and more fans. And national media are now interested in darts. But I understand that there is still a lot of work to do, but we are getting closer. We will go step by step. I hope next year.”

What do you think about the World Cup of Darts line-up? Have your say in the comments section below.

One follower pointed out that a number of the competing countries will not have players who hold Tour Cards, with Tricole replying: “This is the main reason. Unlike some countries you think of, we don't host a Euro Tour [event], we don't have a channel that broadcasts live all the competitions throughout the year, we have very few players to register for the qualifiers.”

World Cup of Darts line-up: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland, Germany, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, USA, Wales.

The action gets underway with the first round ties on Thursday, June 16.

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