The Chase for the 2026 WSOP Circuit Marrakech Main Event Ring Begins

By hosting the 2026 Africa Cup of Nations and reaching the final last week, Morocco seemed to be on its way to enjoying one of the best moments in its recent history. But a missed penalty in the very last minutes dashed all of the kingdom’s hopes.

Despite this difficult time in football, things could hardly be going better when it comes to poker, with the 2026 World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOP Circuit) being held at the Es Saadi Marrakech Resort.

Since January 16, 15 rings have been up for grabs, and records have already been broken, like in the 7,000 MAD Mini Main Event which attracted a massive field of 1,083 entries. Spanish player Aitor Cruz won the gold ring and 860,000 MAD in this event, after Andreas Froehli had taken down the very first event, the 4,500 MAD WSOP Circuit Opener, for 500,000 MAD.

Jean-Noël Thorel’s best friend Frédéric Delval followed the French all-time money list leader's footsteps by winning his first WSOP Circuit ring in the 5,000 MAD WSOP Circuit 8-Handed event (270,000 MAD), while Fabian Bartuschk had to battle until 8 a.m. to be crowned champion of the 6,000 MAD WSOP Circuit Omaha.

Meanwhile, the Ladies Event was won by Franky Green for 55,000 MAD, while Jean-Jack Chantalat and Pedro Ingles claimed victory in the Veterans and Youngblood events, respectively. Both have already won a ring and will now face each other heads-up to determine the winner of this Clash of Generations.

2026 WSOP Circuit Marrakech Ring Events Results

Ring Event	Entries	Winner	Prize (in MAD)	Prize (in EUR)
4,500 MAD Circuit Opener	892	Andreas Froehli	500,000 MAD	€46,500
5,000 MAD Circuit 8-Handed	320	Frédéric Delval	270,000 MAD	€25,000
7,000 MAD Circuit Mini Main	1,083	Aitor Cruz	860,000 MAD	€80,096
25,000 MAD Circuit High Roller	361	TBC	1,360,000 MAD	€126,664
6,500 MAD Circuit Veteran	-	Jean-Jack Chantalat	20,400 MAD	€19,000
6,500 MAD Circuit Youngblood	-	Pedro Ingles	-	-
6,000 MAD Circuit Omaha	-	Fabian Bartuschk	-	€23,000
5,000 MAD Ladies Event	33	Franky Green	55,000 MAD	€5,122

While this heads-up will take place alongside the streamed 25,000 MAD WSOP Circuit High Roller final table, the 16,000 MAD Main Event kicks off this Thursday, January 22, at noon local time with Day 1a, the first of three starting flights.

After Max Deveson in 2024, this main event was won last year by Justin Tsui for 2,700,000 MAD (€261,900) from a field of 1,523 entries which generated a total prize pool of 19,421,500 MAD.

For this year, the structure changes slightly, with a 50,000 starting stack and 40-minute levels on the Day 1 flights (compared to 30,000 and 45-minute levels in 2025). Late registration will remain open until the end of Level 12, but there will be plenty of time to reenter, with two more flights scheduled tomorrow, including the Day 1c Turbo, which features 15-minute levels. Day 1 flights will end when 15% of the field remains.

2025 WSOPC Marrakech Main Event Results

Place	Player	Country	Prize (in MAD)	Prize (in EUR)
1	Justin Tsui	Hong Kong	2,700,000 MAD	€261,900
2	Gandalf	Spain	1,840,000 MAD	€178,480
3	Aitor Cruz	Spain	1,300,000 MAD	€126,100
4	Paul Tedeschi	France	965,000 MAD	€93,605
5	Mathieu Choffardet	France	720,000 MAD	€69,840
6	Ina	Spain	545,000 MAD	€52,865
7	Dinesh Alt	Switzerland	425,000 MAD	€41,225
8	Mike Mcmanaman	Spain	345,000 MAD	€33,465
9	Volga Uyanik	France	280,000 MAD	€27,160