England’s Luke Littler and Luke Humphries, the world No. 2 and No. 1, suffered a stunning 8-4 defeat to Germany’s Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko in the second round of the 2025 BetVictor World Cup of Darts in Frankfurt on June 14, with Sky Sports pundit Wayne Mardle claiming the duo “buckled under the pressure” of being pre-tournament favorites, per Express. The defending champions, entering as 2/5 favorites per PDC, were rattled by a partisan 3,500-strong crowd at the Eissporthalle, booing them during their walk-on to ‘Vindaloo,’ per Sky Sports. England’s dismal 36% checkout ratio (4/11 doubles) contrasted sharply with Germany’s 62%, highlighting their struggles, per Express.
Littler, making his World Cup debut at 18, started nervously, missing three darts at doubles in the fifth leg, allowing Pietreczko’s 106 checkout to spark a German surge to a 5-2 lead at the break, per The Standard. Humphries, despite a 64 finish to level at 2-2, faltered with a missed bullseye for a 122 checkout, further tilting momentum, per The Guardian. Germany extended their lead to 7-2 post-interval with Pietreczko’s 101 finish, and despite a brief English rally to 7-4, Pietreczko sealed the upset with a double 16, per The Irish Sun. Mardle noted, “The pressure got to them… Their opponents didn’t wilt,” emphasizing Germany’s composure, per Express.
X posts reflected fan shock, with @1_hunz calling England’s performance “absolutely embarrassing” and crediting the crowd for rattling them, while @IAmJoshua_ criticized Littler’s sportsmanship for quickly leaving the stage, per. Schindler, who pre-match declared England “beatable,” told Sky Sports, “We believed in ourselves,” validating their strategy, per Sky Sports. The loss, England’s earliest World Cup exit since 2010, exposed their lack of doubles practice, with Humphries’ pre-tournament decision to skip joint training under scrutiny, per Express. Germany advanced to face Australia in the quarter-finals on June 15, per The Standard.
