Today, World Series of Poker (WSOP) officials made several announcements, including the release of the full schedule for WSOP Europe 2026 and the introduction of a revamped WSOP Player of the Year competition featuring leaderboard prize money.
Tucked into the big update, the operator also revealed the dates for WSOP 2026 in Las Vegas, along with the return of WSOP Paradise in 2026.
The 2026 WSOP, which will mark the 57th edition of the series, is scheduled to run from May 26 to July 15, 2026. The festival will once again return to Horseshoe Las Vegas and Paris Las Vegas on the Strip, marking the fifth consecutive year at those venues. WSOP officials are already encouraging players to make early travel arrangements in order to secure preferred accommodation rates at the host properties.
In addition, WSOP Paradise 2026 has officially been confirmed for its fourth installment, with the festival set to take place from December 1 to December 18, 2026.
Players can also begin planning their qualification paths, as organizers confirmed that online satellites will be offered for all three WSOP bracelet events in 2026: WSOP Europe, WSOP Las Vegas, and WSOP Paradise. These satellites will run on GGPoker internationally and on WSOP Online for eligible domestic US players.
While the headline dates for WSOP 2026 have now been locked in, the full tournament schedule has not yet been released. Likewise, the dates for the iconic $10,000 Main Event remain unconfirmed, though they are expected to be announced sometime in the new year.
Big Overhaul to WSOP Europe 2026 Schedule
Turning back to today’s announcement, several additional details were also revealed, most notably surrounding WSOP Europe 2026. The European series will move to a new venue and a new calendar slot, having already been confirmed to take place from March 31 to April 12, 2026.
For the first time, the festival will be held in Prague rather than Rozvadov, marking a big location shift for the series, as already revealed before. Once again, 15 WSOP bracelets will be awarded, but officials are positioning this edition as the most ambitious yet.
The WSOP Europe 2026 schedule will feature several notable changes. Most prominently, the Main Event buy-in has been cut in half, dropping from the traditional €10,350 to €5,300. In addition, the tournament will carry a €10 million guaranteed prize pool, the largest guarantee ever offered in the history of WSOP Europe. According to WSOP officials, this figure “surpasses any guarantee for a poker tournament held in Europe in 2025.”
The schedule will also introduce several new events. Among them is the European Circuit Championship, which will feature a €1,500 buy-in and a €1.5 million guaranteed prize pool. Other additions include the €2,500 Rounder Cup No Limit Hold’em pitting Europe against the Rest of the World, a €5,300 Pot Limit Omaha European Championship, The Opener No Limit Hold’em Mystery Bounty with a €1,000 buy-in, a €500 Colossus, and several other new offerings.
New WSOP Player of the Year Competition
Further changes were announced in what is often the most closely followed WSOP storyline: Player of the Year. Previously, the Player of the Year race only included results from the summer WSOP in Las Vegas along with the online bracelet events that ran alongside the series. That structure will change entirely in 2026.
For the first time, the Player of the Year competition will span all three live WSOP festivals held during the calendar year. Results from WSOP Europe, the traditional summer WSOP in Las Vegas, and December’s WSOP Paradise will all count toward a single, unified global leaderboard designed to crown poker’s most consistent performer.
The new format will also introduce a $1 million total prize pool, which will be distributed among the top 100 players on the leaderboard. The eventual Player of the Year winner will receive a $100,000 WSOP Paradise package, with additional packages and rewards awarded to other top finishers.
Another major change is that online bracelet events will no longer count toward the Player of the Year race in 2026. To support the updated structure, WSOP has launched a new 2026 WSOP Player of the Year leaderboard page, along with an updated WSOP payout calculator.
“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.”
Shifting focus back to the 57th annual WSOP in Las Vegas, officials confirmed that the series will run from May 26 to July 15, 2026, a timeline largely in line with recent editions. While the Main Event dates have not yet been announced, they are expected to mirror recent schedules, with the tournament traditionally kicking off in the first week of July.
Finally, WSOP officials also reconfirmed the dates for WSOP Paradise 2026, which will run from December 1 to December 18, 2026. The festival will represent the fourth installment of the Paradise series, closing out the WSOP calendar year once again.
