"I just thought, ‘Why did he do that?" – Andreas Harrysson unfazed after Ricardo Pietreczko’s excessive celebration

For Andreas Harrysson, the PDC World Darts Championship of 2026 has become a fairy tale debut. The 50-year-old Swede has reached the fourth round and, for the first time in his career, the last 16 of the world. With a mature performance, a 96 average and striking calm on the sport’s biggest stage, Harrysson has written one of the finest chapters of his career.

“I’m over the moon. It’s great. I couldn’t imagine this, really. It feels amazing,” Harrysson said afterwards, clearly savouring the moment. And yet there he stood, calm and composed, after another strong performance in a longer format than he had ever played at this level before.

With his 96 average, Harrysson recorded his best display of the tournament so far. “Yeah, I think so,” he said. “But I still think I can play better.” It is a remark that sums up the Swede perfectly: satisfied, but not content.

Before the tournament, he had not set himself lofty expectations. “In my dreams, yeah. But not really,” he said when asked if he ever believed he could go this far. “I knew I had a tough first match, so I felt like I’d already be very happy just getting through that one.”

What followed was an impressive run. In his third-round match against Ricardo Pietreczko, Harrysson never once fell behind. Set after set, he stayed in control, without any visible signs of nerves.

Perhaps surprisingly, Harrysson felt little tension on the stage at Alexandra Palace. “I thought I would be nervous on stage, but I wasn’t,” he explained. Instead of pressure, he felt focus. “I was just thinking, ‘Come on, keep getting my sets,’ and from there just trying to move forward.” That straightforward approach paid off, delivering what he described as the biggest win of his career.

“Absolutely. Yes, it must be,” he said when asked to confirm that assessment. “It feels great. It was only in my dreams to reach the last 16.”

In the fourth round, Harrysson will now face Jonny Clayton, the fifth seed in the tournament. Far from intimidating him, the prospect excites him. “Yeah, it will be lovely. I’m really looking forward to it. It’s going to be great. I hope I can improve even more.”

That match also carries major implications beyond prestige. Harrysson is just one win away from breaking into the world’s top 64 and securing a PDC Tour Card, a result that would transform his career.

“I hope so, yeah,” he said. “Of course I’ve looked at it before, seeing what I have to do so I don’t have to go to Q School. I hope I can play well, do my stuff, give him a game and hopefully win.”

Despite the stakes, Harrysson insists the situation does not weigh on him. “No, I don’t think so,” he said when asked if it adds pressure. “I’m just going to go in, do my stuff and hopefully play really well, then we’ll see.”

When asked whether it would be a relief to secure a Tour Card in this way, his answer was immediate. “Yeah, of course.”

Harrysson’s story is that of a late bloomer. At 50, he is playing the best darts of his life. Why has it clicked now? “I didn’t really try before,” he said candidly. “Over the last ten years I’ve really tried, and I’ve got a lot of experience now. I believe in myself, and I think that’s the big point.”

That self-belief is evident on stage. While opponents sometimes react emotionally to big moments, Harrysson remains unflustered. When Pietreczko hit a 158 checkout and celebrated enthusiastically, the Swede barely blinked. “I just thought, ‘Why did he do that?’” Harrysson said. “But it was a great checkout, so I just congratulated him.”

That calmness has been a recurring theme throughout his tournament. “Maybe,” he said when asked if it is key to his success. “I think it could be. I’m quite a calm person, so yeah, maybe.”

He also keeps his focus firmly on himself rather than his opponent. “I didn’t really look at what he was doing,” he explained. “I know what he can do. He can check out everything. I just tried to do my own stuff.”

Although reaching the last 16 already feels like a victory in itself, a bigger dream lingers quietly in the background. “That’s always in the back of my mind, but not yet. We’ll see,” he said when asked about winning the tournament.

As for the long term, his outlook is cautiously optimistic. “Hopefully,” he said when asked if he is here to stay. “I think I can do well on tour. I think I can play really well on tour, so hopefully.”