Danny Noppert and debutant Gian van Veen delivered a commanding 4-0 victory over Italy's Michele Turetta and Massimo Dalla Rosa, the Dutch averaging 95.43 and laying an early marker of ambition.
Tournament hosts Germany also enjoyed a winning debut. Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko edged past Portugal's pairing of Jose de Sousa and Bruno Nascimento, securing a 4-2 win in front of a raucous home crowd.
Austria delivered perhaps the night's most polished performance. Mensur Suljovic, a World Cup veteran, partnered with debutant Rusty-Jake Rodriguez to a 4-1 defeat of Spain. Suljovic alone averaged a staggering near-106, clinching three legs with clinical finishes.
Belgium's reconstituted duo of Mike De Decker and Dimitri Van den Bergh impressed too, dismantling Latvia 4-1 in their Group B encounter.
Meanwhile, Asia claimed several highlights. Japan's Ryusei Azemoto and Tomoya Goto overturned Croatia 4-3 in Group K, surviving match darts in three consecutive closing legs.
Malaysia notched their first ever World Cup win: Tengku Shah and Tan Jenn Ming overcame tenth seeds Canada 4-1. Hong Kong's Man Lok Leung and Lok Yin Lee matched that scoreline against the USA.
The Republic of Ireland opened Group D with a 4-2 victory over Gibraltar. Keane Barry memorably followed an opening 121 finish with an 11-darter to seal the tie.
Sweden, too, began brightly. Jeffrey de Graaf and Oskar Lukasiak recorded a fluent 4-1 win over Lithuania to top Group G.
Poland kept pace in Group E, with Krzysztof Ratajski and Radek Szaganski edging South Africa 4-3 via a crucial 14-dart leg, while New Zealand's Haupai Puha and Mark Cleaver decimated Finland 4-0 in Group L.
Czechia secured a hard-earned 4-2 win over Chinese Taipei in Group J.
With Thursday's results in, losing nations will face group-round opponents in Friday's afternoon session, before final round-robin matches determine the 12 survivors.
The draw for the last 16 is set for Friday evening, ahead of the entry of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland - seeded into round two - in Saturday's second round.