PokerStars Open and EPT set for summer returns to Spanish shores

PokerStars has announced details for the summer wave of its 2026 live events schedule, bringing two of its flagship tours back to Spain. 

In June, the PokerStars Open returns to Malaga, followed just a couple of months later by the return of the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Barcelona stop in August. 

Spain beckons

With the success of its 2025 PokerStars Open festival in Malaga, the tour returns to the Costa del Sol from June 22-28. The Gran Madrid Casino Torrequebrada will play host to the week-long slate of events that includes more than 15 tournaments and a PokerStars Open Main Event with a €1,000,000 guarantee. 

The EPT will then return to Barcelona from August 16-29, with thousands of players from Europe and the rest of the world expected to descend on the Casino Barcelona for one of the continent's most-anticipated poker festivals. In 2025, the EPT Barcelona Main Event garnered more than 2,000 entries to generate a prize pool of more than €9M. France's Thomas Eychenne triumphed over the field to claim the title and the €1.2M first-place prize. 

Thomas Eychenne celebrates his EPT Barcelona Main Event win with his Parisian friends.

The EPT Barcelona schedule is highlighted by the €550 Women's Event, the €100,000 Super High Roller, the €1,650 PS Open Main Event and the €5,300 EPT Main Event. 

Adding to the excitement, the PokerStars Live League has made its triumphant return in 2026, bringing players even more reason to chase results across PokerStars Open and EPT festivals across the globe. 

All EPT and PokerStars Open festivals are eligible for points towards the leaderboards – and the next chance to pick up valuable points comes as EPT Paris kicks off later this month. After that, it's off to Ireland for the PokerStars-sponsored Irish Poker Open in March before the high stakes action kicks off at EPT Monte Carlo in April. 

“We’re thrilled to bring players a summer full of excitement with two more incredible live events and the highly anticipated return of EPT Barcelona. With plenty of online paths to qualify, and poker schedules designed for all stakes, we expect great action at the tables!” said Cédric Billot, Associate Director, Live Events. ”Each stop offers unique experiences and unparalleled competition, where players can expect the same energy and excitement that made previous PokerStars events so spectacular. We can't wait to welcome everyone back for another incredible summer of live poker.”

^{Featured image courtesy of Danny Maxwell/Rational Intellectual Holdings/PokerStars}