PokerStars WCOOP 2026 Main Event Guarantees Reach $6.5 Million

PokerStars' World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) 2026 concludes with six Main Events across NLHE and PLO for September 27-28, offering a combined $6.5 million in guaranteed prize pools. The online festival, which began earlier in September, features 121 events and more than 350 total tournaments, closing on September 30, 2026. Buy-ins for players range widely, from as low as $5.50 right up to $25,000, with satellites and promotions granting entry for under a dollar.

WCOOP 2026 Structure and Schedule

WCOOP 2026 by PokerStars stands as one of the largest annual online poker series, boasting a wide mix of formats, stakes, and championship events. The schedule is divided into Low, Medium, and High tiers for most events, and the lineup includes classics and new variants to draw all levels of players.

This year’s Main Events will be split as follows:

September 27 (NLHE Main Events):

• $109 NLHE Main Event L – $1.25 million guaranteed
• $1,050 NLHE Main Event M – $2 million guaranteed
• $10,300 NLHE Main Event H/NLHE World Championship – $2.5 million guaranteed

September 28 (PLO Main Events):

• $109 PLO Main Event L – $100,000 guaranteed
• $1,050 PLO Main Event M – $250,000 guaranteed
• $10,300 PLO Main Event H/PLO World Championship – $400,000 guaranteed

The final day of the series is September 30.

Qualifying for PokerStars WCOOP Main Events

PokerStars provides multiple qualifying routes into WCOOP Main Events. Players can enter traditional satellites starting at $0.55, special edition Spin & Go tournaments for as little as $0.75, or via the "WCOOP Lucky Dip" promotion, from which $500,000 in tickets will be distributed. This approach opens the field to both recreational and professional players alike, echoing PokerStars' continued focus on broad access across its major events.

Standout Performances: Pros Extend WCOOP Records

Several prominent online professionals have extended their records during the early weeks of WCOOP 2026:

• Patrick “pads1161” Leonard won the $530 NLE Turbo for $15,428. This marks his 15th WCOOP title, placing him one short of Benny “RunGodlike” Glaser’s all-time lead, according to PokerStars.
• Joao “Naza114” Vieira topped the $1,050 PLO8 World Championship (121 entries) for $27,202. Vieira now holds 14 WCOOP titles.
• Niklas “Lena900” Astedt claimed two victories: the $1,050 PLO and the $5,200 Thursday Thrill HR PKO, winning $103,281 in total prize money and bounties and tying Denis “aDrENalin710” Strebkov at 14 career titles.
• Ole “wizowizo” Schemion won the $10,300 PKO High Roller for $139,969.
• Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi, secured the $1,050 NLHE Turbo for $21,190, his 12th WCOOP title and third of this year’s series.
• Vanessa “Niffller” Kade won the $215 Women’s World Championship for $4,049 (75 entries); PokerStars Ambassador Marle “MarlzTV” Spragg finished third for $2,269.

“Patrick Leonard now holds 15 WCOOP titles, just one behind Benny Glaser,” PokerStars reported in its series update.

National Leaderboard and Country Highlights

Brazil currently dominates the WCOOP 2026 country leaderboard with 58 titles so far. The United Kingdom comes in second with 32 titles, followed by Austria with 16. The country race has become a perennial point of interest for PokerStars-led global events, reflecting the growth of online poker in these markets.

PokerStars WCOOP Remains a Cornerstone of Online Poker

The World Championship of Online Poker has become a fixture of the annual online poker landscape. PokerStars’ inclusion of tiered buy-ins, flexible satellite paths, and record-setting guarantees continues to attract top-tier talent and large recreational fields. With all Main Events still to play, the focus keyword PokerStars WCOOP 2026 is set to cap its run with the possibility of new champions and more milestones ahead. For updates and further results, the /news section will continue coverage through the closing days of the festival.