The Spherical of 16 brackets are out for $25,000 Heads-Up Championship, and whereas Daniel Negreanu and Michael Mizrachi will not face one another within the Spherical of 16, the dream matchup stays very a lot alive.
The 2 GGPoker ambassadors landed on the other sides of the bracket on Sunday afternoon, which means they might meet in Monday’s semifinals if each can survive a gauntlet of powerful opponents.
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Greatest Heads-Up Match in Poker?
It could be one of many marquee clashes of the 2026 World Sequence of Poker. Negreanu continues to be considered one of poker’s greatest stars and has already generated headlines this week after saying that he and spouse Amanda expect their first youngster.
Mizrachi, in the meantime, arrived in Las Vegas as the most popular title within the sport following his historic 2025 WSOP Fundamental Occasion victory and subsequent induction into the Poker Corridor of Fame.
Each gamers — who made it via Day 1a — have already navigated tough paths to achieve the ultimate 16.
Negreanu opened his marketing campaign by defeating 2024 Heads-Up Championship winner Darius Samual earlier than dispatching Brock Wilson and Harvey Castro to safe his place within the Spherical of 16.
Mizrachi’s route has additionally been powerful. He first eradicated Shannon Shorr earlier than getting previous Jun Obara. His Spherical of 32 match then produced a blockbuster showdown towards Phil Hellmuth, with Mizrachi sending the all-time bracelet chief to the rail to ebook his place within the final 16.
Contemporary Obstacles Await
Negreanu attracts high-stakes event crusher Biao Ding within the Spherical of 16. Ding has established himself as one of many strongest event gamers round, with greater than $21 million in reside earnings. He’ll present a stern take a look at for the six-time bracelet winner.
Ought to Negreanu advance, he would face both Dimitar Danchev or Florian Pesce within the quarterfinals.
Mizrachi begins his day towards Japan’s Ryuta Nakai, who certified via Day 1b. Nakai’s path noticed him defeat Josh Reichard, Yaman Nakdali and Brock Wilson.
If Mizrachi can overcome Nakai, a quarterfinal towards both Cary Katz or Julien Sitbon awaits.
Elsewhere within the bracket, Nikolai Mamut takes on Henri Puustinen, Justin Saliba faces Nikita Kuznetsov, Thomas Boivin squares off towards Barak Wisbrod, and Brandon Wilson meets Alex Foxen.
The construction means each the Spherical of 16 and quarterfinals will probably be accomplished on Sunday, leaving simply 4 gamers standing heading into Monday’s semifinals.
Calum Grant
Senior Editor & Reside Occasions Govt
Calum has written for varied poker shops however discovered his house at PokerNews, the place he has contributed to varied articles and reside updates, offering insights and reporting on main poker occasions, together with the World Sequence of Poker (WSOP).
