The World Series of Poker is rolling out its most ambitious Player of the Year race yet in 2026, tying together three flagship festival stops under a new, global leaderboard with a hefty seven-figure prize pool.
For the first time, WSOP Player of the Year will span WSOP Europe, the summer WSOP in Las Vegas, and WSOP Paradise, creating a year-long chase that rewards consistency across all three live festival pillars. The revamped race carries a $1,000,000 prize pool, highlighted by a boosted $100,000 WSOP Paradise package for the eventual champion, while the top 100 on the leaderboard will lock up WSOP packages and/or seats when the season wraps.
According to the WSOP press release, WSOP CEO Ty Stewart framed the move as a formal step into a true global season, starting in Europe, peaking on the Strip in the summer, and ending in the Bahamas-style backdrop of Paradise. The series has also rolled out a dedicated 2026 Player of the Year leaderboard page, along with an updated WSOP payout calculator to help players plan their volume and shot-taking
“We are thrilled to kick off 2026 with a bold new vision for the World Series of Poker,” said Ty Stewart, Chief Executive Officer of WSOP. “By uniting our three flagship live series under a unified, $1M Player of the Year competition, we’re giving players a true global season to chase history. Starting with a monster guarantee in Prague, continuing through our summer homecoming in Las Vegas, and culminating in Paradise, we are dedicated to offering the best value and the biggest stages in the world.”
WSOP Europe Heads to Prague
The new campaign starts in the Czech capital, as WSOP Europe relocates from King’s Resort in Rozvadov to King’s Casino in Prague from March 31 to April 12, 2026, offering 15 bracelet events. Leading the way is a €5,300 Main Event with a massive €10,000,000 guarantee, a figure that tops any tournament guarantee offered in Europe during 2025, including the €5 million guaranteed 2025 WSOP Europe €10,350 Main Event at double the buy-in, and underscores WSOP’s intention to plant a clear high-stakes flag on the continent.
Another key pillar of the schedule is the new European Circuit Championship, a €1,500 No Limit Hold’em event with a €1,500,000 guaranteed prize pool that bridges the gap between classic bracelet events and regional Circuit aspirants. The 15-event lineup mixes accessible price points, like the €500 COLOSSUS and PLOSSUS events, with higher buy-ins, such as the €10,400 High Roller 8-Max and the €25,000 GGMillion$ High Roller, plus specialty offerings, including mixed PLO formats and a PLO Double Board Bomb Pot.
2026 WSOP Europe Schedule
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| March 31 | Event #1: €1,000 The Opener – NLH Mystery Bounty |
| March 31 | Event #2: €3,000 PLO Mixed (Big O, PLO 8, PLO) |
| April 2 | Event #3: €500 COLOSSUS NLH |
| April 3 | Event #4: €500 PLOSSUS Bounty PLO |
| April 4 | Event #5: €5,300 Main Event NLH European Championship – €10M GTD |
| April 5 | Event #6: €2,000 NLH Super Turbo Bounty |
| April 6 | Event #7: €1,500 MONSTER STACK NLH |
| April 6 | Event #8: €5,300 PLO European Championship |
| April 7 | Event #9: €2,500 Rounder Cup NLH (EU vs Rest of World) |
| April 8 | Event #10: €800 NLH Freezeout |
| April 8 | Event #11: €10,400 High Roller 8-Max NLH |
| April 9 | Event #12: €1,500 European Circuit Championship NLH – €1.5M GTD |
| April 10 | Event #13: €25,000 GGMillion$ High Roller NLH |
| April 11 | Event #14 PLO: €1,000 Double Board Bomb Pot |
| April 12 | Event #15: €2,000 The Closer – NLH Turbo Bounty |
WSOP Vegas Summer and Paradise Winter
Once the Prague trophies are bagged, attention shifts back to the Las Vegas Strip for the 57th annual WSOP, which is locked in from May 26 to July 15, 2026, at Horseshoe Las Vegas and Paris Las Vegas.
The season then closes with WSOP Paradise, returning as the winter flagship festival from December 1 to 18, 2026, to provide the final stretch for Player of the Year hopefuls chasing points, packages, and prestige. Together, the three stops give high-volume grinders and traveling pros a clearly defined arc of spring in Europe, summer in Las Vegas, and a December finale under the Paradise banner.
Online Pathways to the Race
Qualifiers for all three counting festivals will run online, with GGPoker handling international satellites and WSOP Online catering to domestic U.S. players. This online-offline bridge maintains continuity with recent years, in which GGPoker has served as the exclusive international satellite host for WSOP live events around the globe.
The expanded Player of the Year race lands on the back of record-breaking numbers, with the 2025 Las Vegas flagship series drawing 246,960 entries and paying out more than $481 million in prize money. With roughly 50 WSOP Circuit stops annually across five continents plus WSOP Europe, WSOP Paradise, and WSOP Online already in the portfolio, the 2026 $1M global POTY race formalizes what the calendar has been hinting at for years: poker’s longest-running brand is now fully leaning into a year-round, worldwide season.
