WSOPE 2026 in Prague rewrote the record books

The first Prague edition of WSOP Europe did not just make a strong debut. It rewrote the record books. Across the festival, 15 bracelets were awarded, with 15,779 entries from 83 countries and €35,810,276 paid out in total prize money according to King’s official festival recap. From the overall scale to the international reach, WSOPE 2026 immediately established itself as one of the biggest and most significant editions the series has ever produced.

At the center of it all stood the €5,300 Main Event, which drew 2,617 entries and created a €13,085,000 prize pool. That made it the biggest WSOPE Main Event prize pool ever, and also the largest open-field prize pool in European poker history. The scale of that leap becomes even clearer next to the previous WSOPE Main Event benchmark, set in 2023 in Rozvadov with 817 entries and a €7,761,500 prize pool. Prague did not just beat that mark. It moved the series into a completely different category.

The winner list gave the festival even more weight. Marius Kudzmanas from Lithuania captured the record-breaking Main Event for €2,000,000 and his first WSOP bracelet. Christopher Nguyen from Austria won the €20,800 Super High Roller for €1,100,000. Ole Schemion from Germany took down the €5,300 PLO European Championship. Nikolai Ogoltsov from Russia came through a huge field to win the €1,500 European Circuit Championship. Anca Eggenberger from Switzerland added another headline moment by winning the Ladies Championship. Christian Pedersen from Denmark also made his mark with victory in the GGMillion$ High Roller