WSOP Europe Confirms Move to Prague in 2026 with Earlier Spring Slot

The World Sequence of Poker Europe (WSOPE) is formally transferring to Prague.

WSOP officers have confirmed that Prague will turn into the brand new residence of its European pageant, marking the tip of an eight-year run in Rozvadov. The seventeenth version of WSOP Europe will happen in 2026, debuting in its new location.

Not solely is the collection altering venues, however for the primary time, it’ll even be held a lot earlier within the 12 months, shifting to a March–April slot.

WSOPE 2026 will likely be hosted on the Hilton Prague in Czechia from March 31 to April 12, in partnership with King’s On line casino Prague. Prague will turn into the sixth metropolis to host the collection since its debut in 2007. The Hilton Prague can also be the house of PokerStars’ EPT Prague pageant, making it a well-known setting for the dwell poker gamers.

Whereas the complete schedule for WSOPE 2026 has not but been launched, officers have confirmed that the collection will as soon as once more function 15 gold bracelet occasions.

“It’s an thrilling rebirth of the World Sequence of Poker Europe in Prague,” mentioned Ty Stewart, Chief Government Officer of WSOP, in a press launch that went out this morning. “We now have a giant ambition to raise this pageant to one of many highest on the planet and stay up for welcoming gamers to an incredible poker metropolis subsequent April.”

New Venue Lengthy Overdue

Speak of WSOPE relocating had been circulating even earlier than the official announcement. Many speculated that the continuing Rozvadov pageant could be its final, with Prague extensively rumored as the following vacation spot.

Rozvadov, a small city on the western border of the Czech Republic with simply 800 residents, has confronted repeated criticism for its distant location. Many gamers and followers have lengthy known as for a change to a extra accessible and vibrant setting.

Certainly, this 12 months’s WSOP Europe pageant generated much less pleasure than in earlier years. GGPoker didn’t run any on-line qualifiers, and since Leon Tsoukernik bought his possession stake in King’s Resort final 12 months, many have felt the pageant has misplaced a part of its unique appeal.

All these components contributed to a noticeable decline in attendance. The 2025 Principal Occasion drew 659 entries, a 14.2% drop from final 12 months’s 768 entries and a steep fall from the report 817-player discipline in 2023.

A venue change, due to this fact, appeared lengthy overdue.

WSOPE first launched in 2007, marking the World Sequence of Poker’s enlargement past the US. The primary 4 editions befell in London earlier than transferring to France in 2011—first in Cannes (2011 and 2012) and later in Enghien-les-Bains (2013). The collection then shifted to Berlin in 2015 earlier than settling at King’s On line casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic, in 2017. Notably, WSOPE was not held in 2014, 2016, or 2020.

The 2024 version marked the pageant’s return to a September slot, a call influenced by a number of components, together with higher climate, avoiding overlap with EPT Prague in December, and giving organizers extra time to plan for WSOP Paradise in winter. Nevertheless, for the reason that change, attendance has continued to say no.

How the collection performs in its new residence and new time slot stays to be seen. Ty Stewart has already hinted at “a giant ambition to raise the pageant,” calling the Prague transfer an “thrilling rebirth” for WSOP Europe.

The press launch confirmed that GGPoker will as soon as once more function the unique on-line companion for WSOP Europe, working qualifiers for the 2026 version each on its foremost platform and thru the newly launched WSOP Specific satellite tv for pc program.

The 2026 version can even combine the game-changing WSOP Plus app, designed to reinforce the dwell expertise via digital registration, participant monitoring, and real-time event updates. The app made its debut at WSOP Paradise and is steadily turning into the default companion for WSOP occasions worldwide, together with the Las Vegas collection.

In the meantime, WSOP Europe 2025 concludes at present with the ultimate desk of the Principal Occasion and the Nearer. The Principal Occasion champion will take residence a €1.1 million first prize. This 12 months’s collection attracted 12,492 complete entries and generated €18.8 million in prize cash.