WSOP Europe Confirms Move to Prague for 2026, Spring Dates, Following Criticism of Traditional Venue

The World Series of Poker has confirmed a long-rumored move for WSOP Europe, which it announced will take place at Prague Hilton in 2026. The time frame for the event has also shifted, with 2026 WSOPE taking place March 31-April 12, a significant change from the traditional autumn timetable.

That means the 2025 edition, wrapping up today, will be the last one at King’s Resort in Rozvadov, Czechia.

Declining attendance for the event had many calling for a change in recent years. The chorus requesting that WSOPE move only intensified this year. Players had tired of the isolated location, limited food options, and painstaking travel required to reach King’s. Rozvadov is a tiny town located near the Czech-German border. Its population is under 1000 residents, and it’s more than an hour from the nearest major city. For players who have downtime between tournaments, there is not much to do.

2026 WSOP Europe to Feature 15 Bracelet Events in Prague

The press release announcing the WSOP Europe move didn’t reveal much in the way of details. What it did unveil was that players can expect a 15-event schedule, and that Prague Hilton will host the event in partnership with King’s Casino Prague during the aforementioned early spring window.

The WSOP promised a full schedule “soon.”

Fifteen events is the same volume as this year’s WSOP Europe, which was sparser than previous years. WSOP has consolidated the European schedule down to just No-Limit Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha tournaments, removing mixed game events. Some smaller-field high rollers were cut as well. However, even the abbreviated schedule left some events with few players in the field. This year’s €25,000 GGMillions high roller saw only 38 entries, making it easy for Shaun Deeb to pick up his eighth bracelet.

WSOP will be hoping that a change of venue will revitalize the series.

“It’s an exciting rebirth of the World Series of Poker Europe in Prague,” WSOP CEO Ty Stewart said. “We have a big ambition to elevate this festival to one of the very best in the world and look forward to welcoming players to a great poker city next April.”

For the first time, the WSOPE will take place before the Las Vegas summer WSOP schedule in the same year. It has traditionally been held some time after the end of the Las Vegas WSOP and the end of the calendar year, usually in September or October.

The March/April timetable puts 2026 WSOPE squarely between the two early 2026 European Poker Tour stops in Paris (Feb. 18-March 1) and Monte Carlo (April 30-May 10). It will also clash with the Irish Poker Open, scheduled from March 26-April 6, as some players have been quick to point out.

Assuming the WSOP goes with another fall international online bracelet schedule, the move also clears up a conflict between that and the live WSOPE. Czechia has recently adopted restrictive online poker policies. Leading operators, including WSOP owner GGPoker, exited the country in response. Thus, players in Rozvadov couldn’t play in the online bracelet events that ran concurrently with the series.

WSOP Europe Closes the Book on Longest-Hosting Venue in its History

The move to Prague Hilton closes the book on the WSOPE’s time in Rozvadov. The obscure city served as the longest-tenured host in the event’s nomadic journey, which dates to 2007.

King’s has hosted for eight of the past nine years, or half of the event’s total history. WSOP Europe didn’t run in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It also didn’t run in 2014 or 2016. In 2014, the WSOP began what was announced as an “every other year” pattern with WSOP Asia Pacific running in even-numbered years and WSOP Europe running in odd-numbered years. However, that proved short-lived, as the WSOP didn’t run the Asia Pacific event in 2016 and has given no indication it plans to do so again.

Prior to taking place at King’s, the WSOP Europe took place in London (2007-10), Cannes (2011-12), Enghien-les-Bains (2013), and Berlin (2015).

In 2017, the WSOP began its residence in Rozvadov after partnering with former owner and high-stakes poker player Leon Tsoukernik.

Now, it leaves out-of-the-way Rozvadov behind and embarks on its sixth stop. The WSOP did not announce any contract length in its presser, so the duration of its latest stay remains to be seen.

Image credit: Victor Porof/Wikimedia Commons (license)