Was the WSOP Europe held in Rozvadov for the last time?

UPDATE: Literally a day after this article was published, changes were announced for the next WSOPE. The festival will be held for the first time at the Hilton Prague in the Czech Republic from March 31 to April 12, 2026, in partnership with King's Casino Prague. The schedule includes 15 bracelets tournaments.

Then, rumors about the series' relocation turned out to be true: the WSOPE will move to Prague this spring for the first time.

Declining Interest for the Series

There's a high probability that this year's World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) could be the last series held at King's Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic. As a reminder, the WSOPE has been held there every autumn since 2017.

In 2025, many tournaments were less popular than the year prior. On social media, some professional players seriously discussed the possibility of rescheduling the series to 2026.

How many players did the 2025 WSOPE Main Events attract?

• The Main Event attracted only 659 entries—a hundred fewer than the previous year. This is the worst result since 2019. The top prize of €1.14 million is the smallest since 2017.
• The €350 tournament, which usually opens the series, lost 10% of its entrants: from 3,509 to 3,229.
• The €25K GGMillions attracted only 38 entries for the second year in a row, with the number of actual entrants dropping from 31 to 25. The tournament attracted 99 entries in 2023.

Throughout WSOP history, six bracelets have been awarded in tournaments with fewer than 40 entries, four of which took place in Rozvadov.

Rumors of a Prague 

Amid declining interest in the WSOPE, rumors have surfaced that the series could move to Prague. The Czech capital offers more comfort, hotels, and infrastructure, and has hosted numerous major poker events.

This year, Mustafa Kanit was the first to raise the issue, writing that he was surprised that the series keeps coming to the same location year after year. He added that Prague isn't ideal for him either: "Any place where it's hard to call a cleaner and warn Martin Kabrhel isn't my idea of ​​a decent place."

Shaun Deeb, who won his sixth GGMillions bracelet, supported Kanit and stated that this is his last year in Rozvadov.

It is known that Leon Tsoukernik, the owner of King's Resort, sold his stake in the gambling business in 2024 and retired. Without his personal influence and connections with the WSOP organizers, Rozvadov's position has clearly weakened, and the likelihood of a global change in the series format has become very high.

WSOPE 2026: What's in Store for the Series?

The World Series of Poker (WSOPE) has extensive experience organizing live festivals, so several scenarios are possible for reforming the European branch.

• The series will remain in Rozvadov, but the format will change.

Organizers may reduce the number of tournaments, increase buy-ins, and add online satellites and new formats. This approach will keep the location but could also increase player interest.

The sharp rise in popularity of Omaha events is significant in this regard. For example, this year's €2,000 PLO event attracted 406 entries, while the €5,000 event attracted 200 entries, compared to 229 and 141 entries last year, respectively.

• Partial transferring to Prague

Some tournaments, primarily the Main Event and GGMillions, may be held in Prague, while smaller events and satellites will remain in Rozvadov. This approach will gradually attract audiences to a new location without a sharp break with the past.

• Complete transfer

If the decline in popularity continues, the WSOPE could completely change location. Prague appears to be the leading candidate, but other options are also possible—for example, Vienna or Monaco, where poker traditions and infrastructure are well-developed.

• Hybrid Online + Live format

Following the acquisition of the WSOP by NSUS (owner of GGPoker), it's logical to expect experiments with hybrid formats: Day 1 held online, and the finals held live. Such collaborations are already known and been practiced.

• "Traveling Tour."

Barry Carter, winner of the 2025 Global Poker Awards for "Best Book" and "Twitter Personality of the Year," proposed the concept of a "travelling tour." It involves moving the series to different countries to showcase the best of European poker.

It would be wonderful to see WSOPE Spain or WSOPE Italy, and players from the US, among others, are willing to travel to such countries. Clearly, Europe has more legal restrictions, but there are plenty of venues that could host a fantastic WSOPE festival.

While the series is officially staying in Rozvadov, it's clear the event is in a transitional phase. Declining attendance, a change in ownership, and the growing role of GGPoker make a move, if not inevitable, then at least highly likely.