Mental training? Fitness programmes? Not for Ricardo Pietreczko. ‘I’m an old-school darter. I just play darts.’”

Ricardo Pietreczko is often described by fans and experts as Germany's best major player. So it's no wonder that the 31-year-old is one of Germany's great hopes for the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship at the Ally Pally in December. Before the annual highlight of the darts calendar begins on 11 December, media representatives - including Dartsnews.com - had the opportunity to ask "Pikachu" questions at a press conference organised by the PDC Europe. Pietreczko talked about the draw, formulated his World Championship goals and gave an insight into a very special preparation.

The unofficial starting signal for the 2026 World Darts Championship was given last Monday when the field of participants was completed and the draw was made. Riccardo Pietreczko will be up against a familiar name at the start: Jose de Sousa, who secured one of the last five World Championship tickets at the start of the week. "Jose and I have known each other for quite a long time. We've also played against each other a few times in soft darts," "Pikachu" begins his assessment. "Judging by the averages, he played a very confident qualifier - but I know what kind of year he's had. The draw could have been worse, but it could have been better. It's a middle ground, I would say," continued the Berlin-born player.

A closer look at the tournament tree makes the German feel quite confident: "I'm the furthest away from Luke Littler and Luke Humphries," explains Pietreczko. In fact, the 31-year-old ended up in last position in the top half of the tournament and is therefore not only on the opposite side to Luke Humphries, but is also the furthest away from top seed Luke Littler - a starting position that could almost have looked very different.

With 283,000 pounds in prize money, Pietreczko is currently 33rd in the world rankings - just 2,000 pounds behind Joe Cullen. The "Rockstar" therefore has the ungrateful fate of having to take the seeding position directly next to Luke Littler. The two compatriots could therefore face each other in the third round. "It's an advantage, of course, but there are other players you can lose to," said Pietreczko realistically.

"Pikachu", who is a proven expert on the scene and a self-confessed darts lover, nevertheless took the opportunity to take a look at the entire tournament tree. "I look at the draw, but I don't really think anything of it. I look at the other German matches and where they've ended up in the bracket," explained the 31-year-old, adding: "I don't actually look at my tree and who I might meet in the next rounds."

Over the next two weeks, Pietreczko will now focus on preparing for the World Championships. Here, the German is relying on a special tradition that has already proved to be a good omen in his first two World Championship appearances: "I'll be taking part in another major soft-darts tournament shortly before the World Championship," explains Pietreczko. This is an event near Frankfurt that "Pikachu" had already attended before the 2024 and 2025 World Darts Championships. "The tournament takes place the weekend before I fly to London. We actually had to see first whether I could take part or not, because it depended on when I was playing. But it worked out again this year."

Even away from his traditional foray into the soft-darts scene, Pietreczko wants to change very little in his World Championship preparation compared to previous years. "I'm still an old-school dart player," replies the German when asked whether he does any mental or fitness training away from the oche. "I really only play darts," grins Pietreczko. "My passion is soccer, but more in a spectator position. I don't do anything mental or any other sport," continues "Pikachu".

The special game mode of the World Championship, which is played in set format, is also hardly an issue for Pietreczko: "I actually really like playing in set mode because you can lose a bad set and still win the game. In leg mode, you're often chasing a deficit after a break, but that's not so bad in set mode. You lose a set, but you can concentrate on the next one straight away - I actually find that quite exciting."

His recent Major appearances confirm the expectations placed on the Berlin-born player: after another quarter-final appearance at the European Championship in Dortmund, Pietreczko was also in strong form at the World Championship dress rehearsal in Minehead. After a dominant performance against William O'Connor, "Pikachu" prevailed against Gary Anderson with a strong-nerved 116 finish in the decider.

Our editorial team wanted to know: Do the players also see the Players Championship Finals as a dress rehearsal for the World Championship? How much influence does this tournament have on the crucial weeks in London? "I don't think the tournament has any influence on the World Championship. At the Players Championship Finals, you play six matches in three days at best. The tournament schedule is very different to the World Championships, where you have your first round match on December 16, for example, and only start the second round on December 20. I don't think there's a big connection between the two tournaments," explains Pietreczko.

As part of his review of the past two major tournaments, Pietreczko also took stock of the 2025 season. "My year definitely went better than the last one," began "Pikachu". "Things went a bit better on the floor in particular. Of course, not qualifying for the Grand Prix was a bit of a damper, but I'm not going to let one tournament spoil my whole year. The form curve is pointing upwards and I'm now trying to perform at the World Championships like I did in the last two years," said Pietreczko confidently.

When asked about his goal for the upcoming World Championship, Pietreczko, as usual, was not sparing with his ambitions: "The goal is the same as at every tournament: to get every opponent out of the way and win the tournament," says "Pikachu". Can the 31-year-old be satisfied with other results? "Last year I said that I always want to get through to the next round - this year it would be the quarter-finals. If I reach the round of 16, I won't think to myself: 'Oh cool, I'm happy with that, now I'll switch off'. I'll only be satisfied when I've been eliminated or become world champion and can say that I've played a good tournament."

The 2026 World Darts Championship would certainly not be a bad time for another deep major run. For the first time, a record prize money of five million pounds will be played out at the World Championship at Ally Pally, a fifth of which will go to the title winner. This also raises the question: does this record sum lead to increased pressure or extra motivation on the part of the players? "Of course, this World Championship is the most important ever. But when I'm on stage, I don't think about it at all. I want to win the game - the world ranking is of secondary importance to me," explains Pietreczko.