Marius Kudzmanas claims 2026 World Series of Poker Europe Main Event

(PRESS RELEASE) -- The World Series of Poker congratulates Marius Kudzmanas for claiming the most coveted title in European poker: that of World Series of Poker Europe Main Event Champion.

Kudzmanas’s path to the championship was marked by his considered, aggressive play, particularly when holding a big chip stack. For his incredible run, he took home the monumental €2,000,000 top prize and the prestigious, custom-crafted WSOP Europe Main Event Champion’s gold bracelet.

While this victory was the biggest of his career by far, it is not the first WSOP gold bracelet win for Kudzmanas; his impressive poker resume already includes two online bracelet wins. As the new WSOP Europe Main Event champion, he has now shown the same level of mastery over the live poker arena as he did on the digital felt.

This year’s WSOP Europe shattered all expectations, solidifying its place as the continent's premier poker spectacle. The festival was a truly global affair, with players from more than 80 countries competing for 15 WSOP gold bracelets and over €39,500,000 in prizes, with 15,779 entries across all bracelet events.

The Main Event itself entered the history books as the largest open event in European history, generating an unparalleled total prize pool of €13,085,000 from a massive field of 2,617 entries.

Another festival highlight was Switzerland’s Anna Eggenberger claiming her first gold bracelet by winning the inaugural WSOP Europe €1,000 Ladies Championship, outlasting the 197-player field in the biggest Ladies Championship event ever held outside of Las Vegas.

"We are absolutely thrilled with the phenomenal success of this year’s WSOP Europe, which has set new parameters for poker on the continent," said Ty Stewart, Chief Executive Officer of WSOP. "The enthusiasm and incredible turnout, particularly for the record-breaking €5,300 Main Event, have been unprecedented. Congratulations to Marius Kudzmanas for etching his name into the history books as our newest champion."

“This edition of WSOP Europe was the best yet, and we’d like to sincerely thank all of the players, dealers, staff, partners, and media that came together to make the festival so special. A core WSOP goal is to continually refine and improve our events - with that in mind, we can’t wait for the action to kick off next month in Las Vegas!” added Gregory Chochon, Chief Operating Officer of WSOP.

Next Up: Summer WSOP in Las Vegas
With another epic WSOP Europe concluded, the poker world's attention now turns back to Las Vegas for the legendary summer WSOP festival. The action on the fabled Vegas strip will run from May 26 through July 15, featuring an ever-comprehensive schedule of events designed to offer something of interest to all members of the global poker community.

For those who want to be part of the action, there are several ways to get onto the tables. International players can win their way to the iconic $10,000 No Limit Hold'em Main Event via GGPoker’s WSOP Express, while US-based players can qualify on wsoponline.com. Players can also register for their preferred WSOP events using the WSOP Live app.

Once the festival begins, poker fans can follow the excitement via ESPN’s daily TV broadcasts or on the WSOP YouTube channel.

WSOP expects to make further announcements about the upcoming event in the near future.