Record-breaking WSOP Europe Main Event, Las Vegas return, and WSOP Paradise set the stage for a landmark year in poker
The World Series of Poker (WSOP®) has announced a historic expansion of its competitive calendar for 2026, unveiling a $1 million global Player of the Year (POTY) race that will unite its three major live tournament series. For the first time, WSOP Europe, the summer WSOP in Las Vegas, and WSOP Paradise in December will be linked in a single international chase for poker’s most prestigious consistency award.
The new Player of the Year competition features a $1,000,000 total prize pool, with an enhanced methodology designed to reward players for consistent high-level performance across all three flagship stops. The ultimate POTY winner will receive a $100,000 WSOP Paradise Package, while the top 100 players on the leaderboard will earn additional WSOP packages and tournament tickets.
“We are thrilled to kick off 2026 with a bold new vision for the World Series of Poker,” said WSOP CEO Ty Stewart. “By uniting our three flagship live series under a $1M Player of the Year competition, we’re giving players a true global season to chase history. From Prague to Las Vegas and finally Paradise, we are offering the best value and the biggest stages in the world.”
WSOP Europe Moves to Prague with Record Guarantees
The 2026 POTY season will launch in Prague from March 31 to April 12, 2026, where 15 WSOP bracelets will be awarded. Leading the festival is a €5,300 Main Event with a record-breaking $10,000,000 guaranteed prize pool—Europe’s largest poker guarantee of 2025.
In addition, the series will introduce the European Circuit Championship, a €1,500 No Limit Hold’em event featuring a €1,500,000 guaranteed prize pool.
WSOP Europe 2026 Key Events
| Event | Date | Buy-In |
|---|---|---|
| The Opener – NLH Mystery Bounty | March 31 | €1,000 |
| PLO Mixed (Big O, PLO 8, PLO) | March 31 | €3,000 |
| COLOSSUS NLH | April 2 | €500 |
| PLOSSUS Bounty PLO | April 3 | €500 |
| Main Event NLH European Championship – €10M GTD | April 3 | €5,300 |
| NLH Super Turbo Bounty | April 5 | €2,000 |
| MONSTER STACK NLH | April 6 | €1,500 |
| PLO European Championship | April 6 | €5,300 |
| Rounder Cup NLH (EU vs Rest of World) | April 7 | €2,500 |
| NLH Freezeout | April 8 | €800 |
| High Roller 8-Max NLH | April 8 | €10,400 |
| European Circuit Championship NLH – €1.5M GTD | April 9 | €1,500 |
| GGMillion$ High Roller NLH | April 10 | €25,000 |
| PLO Double Board Bomb Pot | April 11 | €1,000 |
| The Closer – NLH Turbo Bounty | April 12 | €2,000 |
Las Vegas and Paradise Dates Confirmed
Following the European leg, the 57th annual WSOP will return to the Las Vegas Strip from May 26 to July 15, 2026, hosted at Horseshoe Las Vegas and Paris Las Vegas. Players are encouraged to book early for the best rates using code WSOP26 at Caesars.com.
The year will conclude with WSOP Paradise, the premier winter live series, scheduled from December 1 through December 18, 2026.
With this unified global Player of the Year race, WSOP is setting the stage for a landmark 2026 season, offering players unprecedented opportunities to compete for poker’s biggest prizes across three continents.
