“Moving to England? We’ll see how it goes" - With PDC Tour Card in sight Andreas Harrysson dreams of professional future

Andreas Harrysson could not help but smile when asked how it felt to win again at the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship. The 50-year-old Swede had just beaten Japanese crowd favourite Motomu Sakai 3-0, reaching the third round of the World Championship for the first time in his career. There were no bold statements or chest-thumping celebrations, just calm realism and a quiet ambition that is becoming increasingly visible. Next up, ‘Dirty Harry’ faces Germany’s Ricardo Pietreczko.

“Of course it feels great,” Harrysson said in his post-match press conference. “I didn’t play my best, but neither did he, so it was still a great win.”

The match against Sakai came with an extra layer of difficulty. The Japanese player had won over the Alexandra Palace crowd in the first round with his energetic walk-on and expressive style. For Harrysson, it was a question of how that atmosphere might affect him.

“I was a bit worried before the match, seeing his walk-on and how he used the stage,” he admitted. “But I think I managed it quite well. I don’t think he was quite the same as he was in his first game on this stage.”

While Sakai looked to play to the crowd, Harrysson stayed true to himself. There were no extra gestures or theatrical moments — just a focus on his own game. That approach proved enough.

A key moment came early on with a 141 checkout, a finish that not only delivered points but also settled him down. “It felt great,” Harrysson said. “I just thought, ‘You can do it,’ and I did it. After that I felt more comfortable.”

It summed him up: no long analysis, no mental tricks — just trust in the moment. That confidence appears to be carrying him a long way in this tournament.

With his Swedish hat still on, Harrysson revealed he would be staying in London over the festive period — not alone, but with his entire family.

“My whole family is here with me,” he said. “So we’re going to celebrate Christmas in London.”

It is an unusual situation for someone who normally lives far from the spotlight, in what he himself describes as “the middle of nowhere” in Sweden.

Harrysson arrived at Alexandra Palace without lofty expectations, which makes his place in the third round all the more striking. But he is far from naive about what he is capable of.

“I know what I can play,” he said. “I think I can win a couple of games, but I also knew I could have gone out in the first round. That’s why I’m so happy to be here.”

With this run, a tangible target is now within reach: a PDC Tour Card and a place inside the world’s top 64. Just two more wins could be enough. “I’ve looked at it,” Harrysson said. “I know what I have to do, and I think I can do it. If we don’t have to go to Germany in January, that would be great.”

He does keep an eye on the rankings, though not obsessively. “Not a lot,” he said. “But I know what I have to do.”

One of the most striking elements of Harrysson’s story is that he combines all of this with a full-time job. There is no full professional lifestyle, no existence built entirely around darts.

“I work at a factory,” he explained. “We build fronts of houses — I build window frames.”

He has been doing that for two years, having previously worked with metal. Asked whether he would like to become a full-time darts professional, he did not hesitate. “I like my work,” Harrysson said. “But it would be a dream to be a full-time professional darts player.”

Harrysson is no newcomer to the sport. He has competed across different systems, including the WDF and BDO, and is a familiar name in Scandinavia and the Baltic region. That experience, he believes, is paying off now.

“I think so,” he said. “The Modus Super Series helped me a lot. It was a really good chance to play for a couple of weeks there, and it helped me a lot.”

Those matches, often played under pressure and in front of cameras, appear to have toughened him up.

If Harrysson were to break through fully on the PDC circuit, the question of relocation would inevitably follow.“I live in the middle of nowhere in Sweden,” he said. “Moving to England has come up a couple of times, but we’ll see how it goes. I’m not there yet, so travelling is still a struggle.”

During the interview, Harrysson was also asked about his reputation as a ‘showman’, built partly on spectacular finishes and popular online clips. He does not really recognise that label.“I never thought of myself as a showman,” he said. “I try to stay quite low-key. Of course I try some crazy things on a dartboard sometimes, but I wouldn’t say I’m a showman.”

Even against Sakai, who regularly engaged the crowd and sometimes took his time on doubles, Harrysson remained unaffected. “I just played my game,” he said. “I didn’t even know it was double 11.”

Andreas Harrysson may not be the loudest name at this World Championship, but his results are getting harder to ignore. From factory floor to the sport’s biggest stage, Christmas in London, and a genuine chance at a Tour Card.

Whether the run lasts longer, he doesn’t know either. But one thing is certain: Harrysson is living his dream without losing himself. “I know what I can do,” he said simply.