The German darts professionals have been drawn against beatable opponents at the World Championship. Max Hopp talks to SPORT1 about his duel with Martin Lukeman and the chances of the eight German participants in total.
Max Hopp wants to fully attack at the Darts World Championship 2026. The once greatest hope of German darts is back at Alexandra Palace for the first time since 2021 (World Championship from December 11th LIVE on SPORT1 ) and is looking forward to his first round match against the Englishman Martin Lukeman.
“I’m looking forward to Martin Lukeman, but above all to returning to the Ally Pally. I am full of energy,” said Hopp to SPORT1 .
Max Hopp believes he can win against Martin Lukeman
Hopp, currently number 93 in the PDC Order of Merit, believes he has a good chance against Lukeman: “He is currently number 38 in the world, but we both have a lot of experience on stage. Of course, he has already been in a major final, I was in a major semi-final in Dortmund back then ( 2018, editor’s note ).”
The German is taking on the challenge optimistically. “He is still a few places ahead of me in the world rankings, but I believe I can win. The draw is better than many other opponents I could have gotten,” Hopp said with satisfaction.
Darts World Cup: Difficult Lot for Dominik Grüllich
The other seven German participants also had mostly luck with the draw and avoided the hammer lots. On paper, Dominik Grüllich has the most difficult task ahead of him. He meets the Dutchman Jermaine Wattimena, who is seeded in position 19.
“I got a difficult draw with Jermaine Wattimena. He recently proved his good form at the Players Championship Finals with the semi-finals,” Grüllich said to SPORT1 .
But the Bavarian doesn’t want to be beaten so easily: “If I play my game, I can tell anyone. Then we’ll see what happens. I’m looking forward to playing on the big stage and will take every impression with me.”
Hopp: “Clemens must not underestimate Spellman”
Hopp is generally optimistic that German successes can be expected in London. “Something is possible for the Germans! We all got lots that can be solved. Gaga ( Gabriel Clemens, editor’s note ) must not underestimate Alex Spellman, he is also a good player. Grülich has a challenge with Wattimena, who is currently playing great. But he can also surprise,” said Hopp, whose conclusion was: “The World Cup has never been so balanced.”
Also Merk, who qualified for the World Championship by winning the PDC Europe Hylo Super League, is looking forward to his debut in the Ally Pally. “Super Lot. I’m looking forward to it,” said Merk about the duel with the Belgian Kim Huybrechts at DAZN : “I’ve already beaten him, then I’ll just do it again.”
From a German point of view, Martin Schindler, Ricardo Pietreczko, Gabriel Clemens, Niko Springer, Lukas Wenig, Hopp, Grüllich and Merk are qualified. This exceeds the record from the previous year (six participants).