Luke Littler admits he and Luke Humphries did not "bond" on the stage during the World Cup of Darts in 2025 but is expecting it to be different this time around.
As the world No 1 and No 2, Littler and Humphries went into the tournament as the clear favourites last year.
However, against all odds, , where Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko, spurred by a partisan home crowd, sealed a comprehensive victory.
Once again they will enter the tournament as the No 1 seeds, meaning they will come into the fray in the second round, along with Netherlands, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
Littler admitted the draw was not the most favourable to the first-time pairing but said they definitely didn't "bond" as a partnership properly during the contest.
"Me and Luke, we are up for it and hopefully we can get an easier draw this year," Littler said.
"I think of Ricardo (Pietreczko) and Martin (Schindler). They definitely played a good game with each other.
"Me and Luke had a few good moments in the game, but we just didn't really bond on that stage.
"Hopefully, this year is a lot different."
So, will Littler and Humphries be looking to bond ahead of this year's tournament, which takes place from June 11-14, live on Your Site?
Littler says they will but only once the Nordic Darts Masters is out of the way when they can move from competitors to team-mates.
Despite the need to work on their partnership though, he feels the pressure was higher on them during their debut last year than it is heading into the 2026 edition.
"This week is a lot different with Luke because we are playing against each other. We all want to win this title. We all want to win games," he added.
"I think next week is when me and Luke really knuckle down and try and get the win.
"I don't really feel the pressure's building. I think there was more pressure last year than there is this year.
"Drawing the Germans last year, we didn't want that. We wanted someone else. But hopefully we can do better this year."
Humphries agreed with Littler that they entered a "cauldron" that was the worst-case scenario when they lost to Germany in 2025 with the crowd firmly on their home team's side and providing the boos for the English pairing.
However, he thinks that, given the crowd jeers Littler has faced of late, he will be more equipped to enter a hostile atmosphere.
Littler broke down following his Premier League victory and admitted the booing he had been getting from the crowd had been getting to him and he spoke to his girlfriend about wanting to quit.
"I would probably agree. To be fair, it is probably the worst draw we could have got," Humphries said.
"Luke wasn't getting the greatest of support from the German people at that time so, of course, he was going to get a lot of stuff and it was going to come with me anyway.
"It was always going to be the way it was and it was obviously the worst draw that we could have gotten.
"Luke probably has learned to deal with it, the booing, a lot more over the last 12 months. He has probably gained a lot of experience from what's happened over the last couple of months and I don't think that sort of thing would affect him as much now.
"But when it happens to one person it can affect you as a team. I think when you have that cauldron of it happening, it can be a very dark.
"It is a small space and it is hard trying to pick your opponent up but also try and play yourself.
"We both didn't play our best, we both just struggled to find it and they were just a better team.
"I don't think we didn't bond well. Nothing changed. We weren't separated on the practice board. We always get along really well.
"I think it was one of them things, a combination of a lot of things against us that made it hard work. But you can't take away from Germany how well they played and how they played the game. They did what they had to do and they beat us."
While taking lessons from their first time as a team, Humphries is looking at this World Cup as a fresh start and believes that they are ready for the challenge ahead of them.
"Now it is a new start, a new year and I think we are more prepared this year than ever because the pressure on us last year was immense," he said.
"This year it is still going to be a lot of pressure but I think everyone's acknowledged that we can lose to anybody. It is not a foregone conclusion.
"Whoever we play, we can lose to anybody but we are prepared this year to be more up for it, more feisty, and we are looking forward to the challenge."
Watch the 2026 BetVictor World Cup of Darts from June 11 to June 14, live on Your Site. or .
