PDC World Cup of Darts 2015: Dates, Schedule, Draw, Live Stream and TV Info

The fifth annual PDC World Cup of Darts gets under way on Thursday as 32 teams do battle at the Eissporthalle in Frankfurt.

Some of the top players on the planet will be in action, with the likes of Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis teaming up in the English pairing.

The defending Netherlands team will once again be represented by Michael van Gerwen and Raymond van Barneveld, a potent duo at the oche.

Read on for a full preview of the four-day event along with scheduling and live streaming details.

Dates: June 11-14

TV Info: Live on Sky Sports (UK)

Live Stream: Sky Go

Prize Money: £250,000

Draw and Schedule 

Thursday, June 11

Evening Session

First Round

Spain (12) v Norway

Japan (16) v China

Austria (8) v Czech Republic

Gibraltar (13) v Italy

Belgium (5) v Philippines

England (1) v Denmark

Germany (9) v India

Australia (4) v Russia

Friday, June 12

Evening Session 

First Round

Canada (11) v New Zealand

Sweden (15) v Hungary

Wales (7) v Hong Kong

Republic of Ireland (10) v Poland

Northern Ireland (6) v Thailand

Scotland (2) v Singapore

Netherlands (3) v United States of America

South Africa (14) v Finland

Saturday, June 13

Afternoon Session

Second Round

Belgium/Philippines v Spain /Norway

Australia /Russia v Gibraltar/Italy

Northern Ireland/Thailand v Canada/New Zealand

Wales/Hong Kong v Republic of Ireland/Poland

Evening Session 

Second Round

Scotland/Singapore v Sweden/Hungary

Netherlands/USA v South Africa/Finland

England/Denmark v Japan/China

Austria/Czech Republic v Germany/India

Sunday, June 14

Afternoon Session 

Quarter-finals

Evening Session

Semi-finals
Final

Preview

Francois Nel/Getty Images

Last year's final saw the Dutch duo of Van Gerwen and Van Barneveld sweep Taylor and Lewis away for a 3-0 Dutch win.

It ended a two-year winning streak for the English duo, but they will again be the top seeds at the 2015 World Cup.

Stoke legend Taylor is clearly raring to go for this year's competition, eager to regain the crown he and Lewis held in 2012 and 2013, per PDC:

"

I'm really looking forward to the World Cup and I know Adrian is too because it's a great honour for us to be representing our country and we love this event. We've done well in previous years but that counts for nothing this weekend and we've got to make sure that we play well, especially in the first round because it's a short format and in Doubles anything can happen.

"

England face a tough opening round on Thursday against experienced Danish duo Per Laursen and Per Skau, although Taylor and Lewis are heavy favourites.

However, come the latter stages, the quality will increase, and some of the best players in the business are looking to go all the way.

Reigning world champion Gary Anderson and Peter Wright make up the second-seeded Scottish pairing, who will be a match for anyone.

The Scots have not previously had a good time of it at this unique event, failing to get past the last eight on any occasion.

But they have every chance of winning the World Cup this year, with Anderson in flying form after wrapping up the Premier League title last month.

They look as though they may have to get past Wales, the Netherlands and England to secure the crown, but they have a fine team and are fierce competitors.

The nature of the World Cup makes for a terrific event, as the usually solo sport of darts morphs into a team game.

The strongest duo will come out on top, with both players necessarily needing to be in top form in points-scoring and finishing.

The top three seeds of England, Scotland and Netherlands look like the teams to beat, but Simon Whitlock-led Australia and brothers Kim and Ronny Huybrechts for Belgium could have something to say about that.

It is set to be four days of the highest-quality darts in Germany, and a number of pairings have a shot of wrestling the title from Dutch hands.