Jonny Clayton makes World Cup of Darts announcement after Gerwyn Price decision
Johnny Clayton has spoken out after Gerwyn Price pulled out of the World Cup of Darts
Darts star Johnny Clayton has expressed his excitement at teaming up with new partner Nick Kenny for the World Cup of Darts, following Welsh legend Gerwyn Price's surprise withdrawal from the competition. The tournament is set to take place between June 11-14 at the Eissporthalle in Frankfurt, Germany. World No. 8 Price recently made himself unavailable for selection, paving the way for Kenny, who hails from Cwmbran, to partner Clayton on the world stage.
The 51-year-old Clayton took to X on Tuesday night, posting: "Ready to go again for Team Cymru at the World Cup of Darts! Me and Nick will be ready, and I'm looking forward to the challenge." Price and Clayton defeated the Philippines, Hong Kong and the Netherlands to reach the World Cup final in 2025. However, Northern Ireland's Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney ultimately dashed Wales' hopes of a third title in the showpiece game.
Kenny is a PDC Tour Card holder currently sitting 60th in the PDC rankings. He has qualified for seven World Championships across the BDO and PDC, reaching the third round at Ally Pally in 2025 before bowing out to Luke Humphries.
This marks the second occasion in three years that Price has withdrawn from the World Cup, and speculation has been mounting over the reasons behind 'the iceman's' latest absence.
EXPRESS SPORT ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page
The 41-year-old shared a worrying health update following a 6-2 Premier League defeat to Leeds last week. Price has since insisted that was not behind his World Cup withdrawal, however.
Writing after the Premier League loss, Price said: "My focus is there, it's just health-wise I am not in a great place at the moment. But I am battling on and searching for some results. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks they will come and they will put me at ease. Then I will be able to enjoy darts again. Frustrating times.
"Time to rely on Lady Luck and see what happens over the next two weeks. Hopefully make the play-offs, but I need a lot of luck to go my way. Hopefully see you at the O2 [at the Premier League darts].
"It's not good playing once a week and hopefully I get the results I want in three weeks' time. This year has been great in the Premier League and it's been a great start to the season. The crowd has got me through a lot of games but sometimes things happen you can't control."
He subsequently clarified through a statement on Instagram that his withdrawal was not health-related. He said: "Just to clarify I have NOT withdrawn from the World Cup because of health reasons."
World champion Luke Littler and world No. 2 Luke Humphries will fly the flag for Team England in Frankfurt. The two highest-ranked players suffered defeat to Germany in the second round in 2025. Entering this year's tournament as the No. 1 seeds, they will begin their campaign in the second round alongside the Netherlands, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
Rock and Gurney head back to Frankfurt with Northern Ireland as defending champions. Mickey Mansell, who previously represented Northern Ireland between 2012 and 2015 before switching allegiances, will line up alongside William O'Connor for the Republic of Ireland.
Gary Anderson and Cameron Menzies will fly the flag for Scotland. Meanwhile, the Dutch side present a formidable challenge for any opponent, fielding a fearsome pairing of Gian van Veen and Michael Van Gerwen.
Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.
