WPT Returns to Australia With a Bigger Festival in 2026

The World Poker Tour is heading back to Sydney this September! And the 2026 edition of its Australian festival is shaping up to be the biggest one yet. Running from September 10 to September 30 at The Star Sydney, the three-week series will feature two headline championship events under the same roof for the first time. Players across Australia and beyond have good reason to pay attention to what WPT has planned in 2026.

Two Championships, One Festival

The expanded format is the headline development this year. The AUD $1,500 WPT Prime Australia Championship runs from September 17 to September 22. It caters to a wide field and offers a strong entry point for players looking to compete at an international level without a five-figure buy-in.

The AUD $5,000 WPT Australia Championship follows immediately, running from September 24 to September 30. This is the flagship event of the series. Both championship final tables will be livestreamed, giving poker fans around the world a front-row seat to the action from Sydney.

Bringing both championships into the same festival window is a first. Previously, the two events ran separately. Combining them into one continuous series creates more momentum. It also gives players reason to stay for the full run rather than attend a single standalone event.

A Full Schedule Around the Marquee Events

The supporting programme covers a wide range of formats and buy-in levels. A Ladies Australian Championship takes place on September 15 and 16 at an AUD $500 buy-in, giving a dedicated competitive space ahead of the championship week. Pot Limit Omaha tournaments, bounty events, and other formats fill out the rest of the schedule.

Satellite qualifiers are also on the programme. These allow players to earn seats into the championship events at a fraction of the direct buy-in. It is a practical route for anyone who wants to compete at the top level without paying the full entry upfront.

The variety across the three weeks means the festival has genuine appeal beyond the high-stakes crowd. Players can pick their spots based on format preference, budget, or both.

WPT’s Confidence in the Australian Market

The World Poker Tour has treated Australia as a reliable pillar of its international calendar for several years. WPT CEO Adam Pliska described Australia as one of the world’s most passionate poker regions. And the expanded festival structure for 2026 in Australia reflects that view in concrete terms.

The Star Sydney adds its usual complement of accommodation, dining, entertainment, and nightlife to the poker calendar. It has become a familiar host for major international poker events, and the venue setup gives the festival a professional backdrop that players travelling from overseas have come to expect.

Part of a Packed WPT Season 24

The Sydney stop sits in the second half of a busy Season 24. Other confirmed stops include WPT Cyprus in August at Chamada Prestige Hotel and Spa, WPT bestbet Scramble in Jacksonville in September, WPT Prime Lodge at The Lodge Club in Austin, WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star in San Jose in October, WPT Venetian in Las Vegas across October and November, and the WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas in December. The tour has indicated that additional Season 24 announcements are still to come.

The Sydney event arrives at an interesting moment for The Star as a venue. The property has navigated a period of regulatory scrutiny and management change over the past two years. The WPT’s return is a vote of confidence in the venue’s ongoing operations and its ability to host large-scale international events.

September is still a few months away, but this year’s Australian festival already has a fuller lineup and a higher profile than previous editions. For players planning their schedule around what WPT has coming in Australia in 2026, this one deserves serious consideration.