“On the biggest stage of all… that’s a dream” – 50-year-old debutant Andreas Harrysson stuns Ross Smith at 2026 PDC World Darts Championship

For Andreas Harrysson, his first appearance at the PDC World Darts Championship became a night he will never forget. On debut at Alexandra Palace, the 50-year-old Swede produced one of the biggest shocks of the opening round, knocking out 12th seed Ross Smith and writing an instant Ally Pally fairytale.

Afterwards, Harrysson stood visibly impressed in front of the cameras, not only by the result, but by the scale of the occasion, the pressure of the stage and the realisation that a long held dream had finally come true. “Fantastic. Absolutely fantastic,” he said, still soaking up the moment during his post-match press conference. “To win on your debut, on the biggest stage of all… of course, that’s a dream.”

Harrysson had heard plenty about the magic of the World Championship stage, but the reality surpassed everything he had imagined. “Yeah, of course. It was a wow experience,” he said. “I came here yesterday and just looking at Alexandra Palace, looking out over London, the venue, everything. It was fantastic.”

Once the match began, the pressure was instant and unmistakable. “Yeah, of course. A lot of pressure,” he admitted. “In the first set I was looking at the crowd and thinking, ‘Oh wow. What a crowd.’”

For a player whose career has largely been built across national competitions and smaller international tournaments, the contrast could hardly have been greater.

Against Ross Smith, Harrysson’s dream run almost ended in the fourth set. The Englishman had match darts, and the Swede feared the worst.

“I thought it was over then,” he said honestly. “When he missed, I said to myself, ‘Okay, take the opportunity and do what you can do.’”

That moment proved decisive. Harrysson steadied himself, found key finishes and eventually pulled the match his way.

“I don’t know. Every finish was important,” he reflected. “Maybe the last one to finish it off.”

While the performance was not flawless, his composure on the doubles stood out.

“I don’t think I played my best,” he assessed. “But in the end I think I played quite well.”

Beating a seeded opponent on debut naturally brings belief. “Of course,” Harrysson said. “He’s a great player, but I know what I can do, so hopefully I can continue doing it.”

Asked whether he had set himself a minimum target for the tournament, he struck a balance between ambition and realism. “If I can play my A game for like seven games, I know I can be there,” he explained. “I’ve played with 110 averages before, so maybe I’ve got a chance.”

That confidence is rooted in previous performances on the European Tour and other international circuits, where he has already shown he can produce big numbers.

With his victory over Smith, Harrysson’s section of the draw now opens up. Next up will be either Thibault Tricole or Motomu Sakai. “I’ve played Thibault a couple of times and lost a couple of times, but the last time I won against him,” he said. “He’s a great player too, so we’ll see.”

Still, his focus remains firmly inward. “I’m taking one game at a time,” he stressed.

Harrysson’s journey to Alexandra Palace has been a long one. He has been playing darts since 1994, giving him more than three decades in the sport. Only recently did the World Championship dream begin to feel within reach. “I got off work a month ago and tried to get more hours at the dartboard,” he revealed. “I’ve practiced more than I usually do.”

Even now, his practice routine remains modest. “Maybe one or two hours a day for now,” he said with a smile. “I still don’t practice as much as I should.”

The win over Smith also brings valuable prize money, which could prove important with Q School on the horizon. “It’s been in my thoughts,” he admitted. “But I’m taking one game at a time. I’m still prepared for Q School, so we’ll see how it goes.”

He has already run the numbers. “I looked at it,” he said. “I think it would need at least the quarter finals here.”

Harrysson also sees his breakthrough as part of a wider upward trend in Swedish darts. “I think the standard is going up,” he said. “There are a lot of great players in Sweden now.”

Making his PDC World Darts Championship debut at the age of 50 only adds to the uniqueness of his story. “I started playing in 1994, so I’ve played for 31 years,” he explained. “Around 2013 I really thought I could take it to another level. I was quite good in Sweden, and one of my teammates made the national team. I thought, ‘If he can do it, I can do it.’ So I went for it.”

Not long after, Alexandra Palace became a genuine ambition. “Maybe around ten years ago,” Harrysson said. “That’s when I started thinking I wanted to be there.”