Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney, last year's champions, enter the tournament at the knockout stage and have been handed a lively opening assignment against Mike De Decker and Dimitri Van den Bergh, who survived a chaotic Group B finale at the Eissporthalle.
Belgium looked in trouble after losing to Hong Kong on Thursday, but a 4-1 win over Slovenia kept them alive before Hong Kong faltered. Man Lok Leung and Lok Yin Lee needed only three legs against Slovenia to qualify, but slipped to a 4-2 defeat, allowing Belgium through by the narrowest of escape routes.
England, the top seeds, will open their campaign against Spain on Saturday evening, with Luke Littler and Luke Humphries facing Cristo Reyes and Jose Justicia. Reyes produced one of Friday's standout displays, averaging 104 in Spain's 4-1 win over Japan after they had earlier edged past Croatia.
The Netherlands, four-time winners, will face Sweden, who topped Group F with a 100 per cent record. Jeffrey de Graaf and Oskar Lukasiak sealed qualification with a 4-1 win over debutants Mongolia, leaving South Africa short.
Wales also advanced smoothly, Jonny Clayton and Nick Kenny beating Thailand 4-1 to set up a tie with the United States. The Americans came through Group G ahead of Canada and 2022 champions Australia, whose early exit was one of the group stage's major shocks.
Hosts Germany remain firmly in the hunt after Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko topped Group A, following a 4-0 win over the Philippines with a 4-2 victory against New Zealand. They will meet Czechia, who progressed after Karel Sedlacek and Adam Gawlas beat Denmark 4-1.
Republic of Ireland underlined their credentials as awkward, dangerous outsiders by winning Group D. William O'Connor and Mickey Mansell beat Gibraltar 4-2 and will now face Poland, after Krzysztof Ratajski and Sebastian Bialecki came through Group E with victory over Switzerland.
France produced the escape act of the night, recovering from 3-0 down to beat Austria after Mensur Suljovic and Rusty-Jake Rodriguez missed four match darts. Thibault Tricole and Nicolas Thuillier now face Latvia, who advanced on leg difference despite losing to Trinidad and Tobago.
That result still gave Trinidad and Tobago a piece of history, with Joshua Balfour and James Walklin marking their debut campaign with a first World Cup win.
Norway also broke new ground by reaching the knockout stage for the first time in a decade. Cor Dekker and Kent Sivertsen beat Hungary in a straight shoot-out and will now meet Scotland, represented by Gary Anderson and Cameron Menzies.
The second round takes place on Saturday, with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final to follow on Sunday as the remaining nations chase the World Cup title.