Narcis Nedelcu Wins Record-Breaking 2026 Irish Open Main Event for €336,798

The 2026 Irish Open has now wrapped up, and proved once again how the European poker scene continues to defy expectations. Over four days at the Royal Dublin Society in Dublin, Romania’s Narcis Nedelcu outlasted a record-breaking field of 5,003 entries to claim the title. Sponsored by PokerStars and Paddy Power Poker, the €1,150 Main Event nearly doubled its €2.5 million guarantee, generating a total prize pool of €4,852,910 — the largest in Irish Open history.

A Record Field in Dublin

Drawing players from 60 countries with 2,643 unique entries and 2,360 re-entries, the 2026 edition shattered every previous attendance record — and did so in direct competition with the WSOP Europe Main Event in Prague, which was simultaneously posting its own all-time figures . The prize pool paid out 736 players, with a minimum cash of €1,670 and €517,100 on offer to the outright winner.

How the Final Table Played Out

Finland’s Jarkko Suokas was the final table bubble victim, with Danilo Donnini delivering the knockout. Two of Ireland’s representatives — Edward Dunphy and Matt Twomey — both fell in the opening stages, leaving the home crowd backing the last native standing, Daryl McAleenan .

Nedelcu’s tournament turned on a pivotal all-in: pocket jacks versus Isaac Barker ‘s nines. He held, doubled up, and eliminated Barker shortly after to seize the chip lead for the first time. With six remaining, Donnini knocked out Francesco Gisolfi in a hand where king-queen overtook Gisolfi’s ace-jack on a king-high runout. Gisolfi had qualified online for just €10 and cashed out for €105,070, representing a 1,049,900% ROI. 

The Deal, Then Dominance

The final five: Nedelcu, Donnini, Vasyl Palandiuk , Oliver Gayko , and McAleenan played over three hours without an elimination as stacks converged. An ICM deal was struck with €70,227 set aside for the eventual winner, guaranteeing each player a minimum of €250,493.

“I didn’t feel pressure about the money, but I did feel the pressure about the blinds. They go very big, and the variance is higher. So yeah, it’s better like this,” Nedelcu said of the decision.

After the deal he was ruthless. A single hand of pocket queens eliminated both Gayko and McAleenan simultaneously. Palandiuk followed in third. Heads-up, a short-stacked Donnini moved all in holding king-six offsuit, and Nedelcu called immediately with ace-deuce suited, and the jack-high board changed nothing. The Romanian was champion.

“I feel amazing. It’s something so, so special. I just can’t describe it right now. I’m now fifth on the Romanian all-time money list, I think. And also fourth online, so yeah, I’m okay.“

Who is Narcis Nedelcu?

Narcis Nedelcu is a Romanian professional with over $2.4 million in recorded live earnings on the Hendon Mob across 177 cashes, though he built his reputation primarily online. His live breakthrough came in 2023 with a fourth-place finish at EPT Rozvadov (€125,684), and in 2025 he claimed his first WSOP bracelet in the $1,500 Eight Game Mix for $184,862, dominating from the chip lead all the way to a heads-up victory over Scott Abrams . He arrived in Dublin fresh off a win during the PokerStars SCOOP festival, making the Irish Open his second major score in a matter of weeks. The victory shoots him to fifth on Romania’s all-time live money list, and he has his sights set on the PokerStars Live Leaderboard for the rest of the year.

“I used to prefer online poker, but nowadays I prefer live poker, so you’ll definitely see me in Monte Carlo.”

Final Table Results

* denotes five-way ICM deal

Irish Open Goes Global

The festival wrapped up having also announced its first international expansion. An Irish Open Australia stop heads to Sydney (September 6–15) with a AU$1,000,000 guaranteed Main Event, followed by Marrakech, Morocco (November 10–15). A US debut is planned for early 2027.

All quotes sourced from PokerNews. Photography by Danny Maxwell for PokerNews.