Chris Landman Falls Short at PDC World Darts Championship 2025/26

Introduction: A Challenging Start at Alexandra Palace

The PDC World Darts Championship continues to be one of the sport’s most prestigious events, and for Dutch professional Chris Landman, the 2025/26 edition at London’s Alexandra Palace represented another opportunity to make his mark on the world stage. This year’s tournament features a record-breaking 128 players competing for an unprecedented £1 million top prize, making it the biggest World Championship in history. For players like Landman, qualification alone represents a significant achievement in an increasingly competitive field.

Landman’s World Championship Campaign

Ryan Searle won his opening match at Alexandra Palace for the eighth consecutive year, defeating Chris Landman 3-0 and hitting an impressive 47% of attempts on the outer-ring in the process. The match took place during the afternoon session on Friday, December 12, at Alexandra Palace. Despite the loss, Landman, the 2023 WDF World Championship runner-up, appeared at Ally Pally for the third time after notably reaching a Players Championship quarter-final this season amid a string of other consistent runs.

Chris Landman qualified for the tournament through the 2025 ProTour Rankings as the 37th-ranked player, earning his place among the world’s elite darts players. The match statistics revealed Landman averaged 85.59 compared to Searle’s 93.29, with the Dutchman managing just one maximum 180 to Searle’s five.

Conclusion: Looking Ahead

While Chris Landman’s 2025/26 World Championship campaign ended earlier than hoped, his qualification for the tournament and consistent performances throughout the season demonstrate his continued presence among professional darts’ competitive tier. The Dutchman’s third appearance at Alexandra Palace, combined with his strong showing in the WDF World Championship and various ProTour events, suggests he remains a formidable competitor. As the World Championship continues through January 3, 2026, Landman will look to build on his experiences and return stronger in future tournaments, with the knowledge that qualification alone represents success in an increasingly competitive darting landscape.