Thousands of England football fans filled Madison Square Garden on Thursday to watch the US Darts Masters, coinciding with the team's presence in the New York area for their upcoming World Cup match. The event saw notable attendance from supporters clad in England shirts, eager to catch the darts action before the Three Lions face Panama in their final World Cup group stage game.
Luke Humphries, the defending US Darts Masters champion, advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating Leonard Gates 6-1. He is scheduled to play Stephen Bunting next. Humphries expressed confidence, noting his streak of eight consecutive finals in recent tournaments.
Two-time world champion Luke Littler also secured a victory, defeating David Cameron to advance to the last eight. The tournament is being held at the Infosys Theater within Madison Square Garden.
Despite the excitement for the darts, the primary focus for many attendees remained the upcoming World Cup fixture. England's match against Panama is scheduled for Saturday night at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Former Premier League players Troy Deeney and David Bentley were among those spotted enjoying both the darts competition and the anticipation for the football match.
Josh Rock was an notable upset on the opening night, losing to Canadian veteran Jim Long. The US Darts Masters is set to conclude on Friday with the quarterfinals, semifinals, and final, playing to a capacity crowd of 5,000, which is reported to be a record for darts attendance in the United States.
Leading up to the competition, Littler and Humphries participated in a light-hearted segment on ITV's World Cup coverage, hosted by Laura Woods and featuring former Scotland star Duncan Ferguson. ITV is also broadcasting England's World Cup match against Panama, where the team aims to secure a place in the last-32 and finish as group winners.