Marius Kudzmanas Wins a Record-Breaking WSOP Europe Main Event for €2,000,000

mauritz-altikardes
By Mauritz Altikardes
12 Apr 2026
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Mauritz Altikardes 12 Apr 2026
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  • Marius Kudzmanas wins WSOP Europe Main Event, earning €2,000,000.
  • Record 15,779 entries and €39,500,000 in prizes at the 2026 WSOP Europe.
  • Attention shifts to the WSOP in Las Vegas starting May 26, 2026.
WSOPE 26 ME Winner
The European poker scene has a new headline name.
After a display built on controlled aggression and constant pressure, Marius Kudzmanas has been crowned WSOP Europe Main Event champion, banking €2,000,000 for the victory.

Not Kudzmanas first Rodeo

Kudzmanas had already built a strong résumé online, with two WSOP Online bracelets before this result. This win, however, places him in a different category.

Taking down the largest open field ever seen in European poker is not just another title. It is evidence that his game holds up across formats, and that his success online can be reproduced under the very different demands of a live championship setting.

A Festival of Broken Records

The numbers from WSOP Europe 2026 tell the story clearly.

The festival recorded 15,779 entries across 15 bracelet events and awarded €39,500,000 in prize money overall. Its flagship Main Event led the way with 2,617 entries and a €13,085,000 prize pool, setting a new record as the largest open-field poker tournament ever held in Europe.

WSOP Europe 2026: By the Numbers

CategoryStatistic
Main Event Entries2,617
Main Event Prize Pool€13,085,000
Total Festival Entries15,779
Total Prize Money Awarded€39,500,000
Participating Countries80+

WSOPE 2026 Trivia

  • More than 80 countries were represented across the festival.
  • The series ran 15 bracelet events and produced 15,779 total entries.
  • Total prize money across the festival reached more than €39.5 million.
  • The Main Event came in with a €10 million guarantee, billed by WSOP as the largest guaranteed prize pool in European poker history before cards were even in the air.
  • Buy-ins across the bracelet schedule ranged from €565 for the COLOSSUS and PLOSSUS events up to €20,800 for the Super High Roller.
  • WSOP Europe 2026 included four PLO bracelet events, which is a decent format angle if you want to highlight mixed-game and Omaha depth rather than just hold’em.
  • The European Circuit Championship carried a €1.5 million guarantee, giving the festival a second major mid-stakes anchor outside the Main Event.
  • Switzerland’s Anna Eggenberger won the inaugural €1,000 Ladies Championship, beating 197 entries in what WSOP called the largest Ladies Championship ever held outside Las Vegas.
  • WSOP also ran a €159,000 Golden Egg refund promotion tied to Main Event re-entries, another number that helps show how aggressively the series was marketed.

WSOP 2026

This year's WSOP is expected to be the biggest one yet - in all possible ways.
The easy path to qualify for WSOP this year would be through GGPoker's own WSOP Express feature.

May we suggest that you check out WSOP tournament page giving you to the whole layout on how to qualify and which events to schedule?

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