PokerStars Announces First Wave of Live Poker for 2026
PokerStars, the world’s leading online poker room, has announced its schedule of live poker events for the opening months of 2026.
The Irish Poker Open will be one of PokerStars’ Open Event’ tour stops in 2026.
Key Facts.
- PokerStars’ European Poker Tour will return to Paris in 2026.
- Casinò di Campione will stage the online poker room’s first 2026 Open event.
- Irish Open and Monte Carlo EPT dates have also been confirmed.
With its massively popular Barcelona European Poker Tour leg about to get underway (August 18-31), online poker juggernaut, PokerStars, has announced details of its first wave of live events scheduled for early 2026.
And it is good news for French players with the European Poker Tour (EPT) slated to return to Paris. Despite its 21-year history, the EPT has only visited the ‘City of Love’ twice with successful poker festivals in 2023 and 2024.
A planned 2025 Paris EPT was reportedly the victim of shifting licensing requirements and regulatory uncertainty and was cancelled at relatively short notice.
However, thousands of players are anticipated to descend on the French capital on February 18, 2026, for 12 days of competition.
“We’re delighted to have Paris back on the EPT schedule in 2026 and to be able to collaborate once again with Club Barrière,” said Cédric Billot, Associate Director of PokerStars Live Events.
“It’s a player favourite for many reasons. The unique atmosphere, it’s a great location accessible from all over Europe, and when it comes to enjoying your time away from the poker tables, well, Paris is a city that takes some beating.”
More, Bigger and Better Promised in Campione
High-stakes players and online qualifiers will not have to wait until February to get their poker fill in 2026. PokerStars live events will kick off the new year on the shore of Lake Lugano with Italy’s Casinò di Campione hosting the poker site’s first Open event of the year between January 23 and February 1.
The inaugural PokerStars Open was staged at this venue in March 2025 when its €1,000 Main Event attracted 2,423 players, and a Romanian player, Adrian-Sorel, won a €363,000 prize.
PokerStars says it is “aiming to take these figures to the next level, with more entries, bigger prize pools and even better action at the tables,” at the first stop on the PokerStars 2026 Open tour.
Yet More Poker Open History in 2026
PokerStars has also confirmed it will continue its relationship with the Irish Poker Open. The longest-running poker event in Europe returns on March 26 and will run until April 6. Its Main Event, won by Simon Wilson in 2025, will be classified as a PokerStars Open tour event for the second time in 2026.
Next, PokerStars will celebrate its 21-year association with Monte Carlo via the 18th Monte Carlo EPT starting on April 30. Notorious high-stakes action will once again take place in the Salle des Étoiles section of the Monte-Carlo Sporting complex overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
The final confirmed 2026 PokerStars European event is the PokerStars Open Namur (May 27 to June 7). Described as Belgium’s biggest poker festival, early this summer, the corresponding event drew 1,572 entries, generating a €1,493,400 prize pool.
