WCOOP 2026 | Vanessa Kade wins her first Women's World Championship, Patrick Leonard's 15th title keeps him close behind Glaser

On September 21, 2026, the PokerStars World Online Poker Championship (WCOOP) continued, with Canadian professional poker player Vanessa “Niffler” Kade and British star Patrick “pads1161” Leonard achieving important results.

Kade emerged from a field of 75 at the $215 Women's World Championship, earning $4,049 and her first WCOOP title; Leonard dominated the $530 NLHE 7-Max Turbo, taking home $15,428 and bringing his WCOOP title count to 15.

As this year's WCOOP enters its second half, the competition for the all-time championship continues to heat up. Another Vietnamese player, "Value858Vn," qualified through a $1.10 satellite tournament and ultimately won $1,276 and his first WCOOP championship.

Vanessa Kade wins her first WCOOP Women's World Championship

The tournament in which Kade won the championship was:

WCOOP 73-H：$215 Women's World Championship

A total of 75 contestants participated in the competition, and Kade ultimately emerged victorious.

Champion Prize Money:

$4,049

This is also her first WCOOP championship in her career.

For Kade, who already has a record of winning million-dollar online tournaments, this victory adds another important honor to his resume.

Women's World Championship Final Table Results

PokerStars brand ambassador Marle “MarlzTV” Spragg also made it to the Final Table, ultimately finishing in 3rd place and earning $2,269.

Brazilian player "l_CáKons_l" lost to Kade in the championship match, finishing as runner-up and earning $3,031.

In 2021, he broke through a roster of 69,876 players to win $1.51 million.

Vanessa Kade is already a well-known player in the online poker world.

In 2021, she achieved her career highlight at the PokerStars Sunday Million 15th Anniversary.

The anniversary special tournament with a buy-in of $215 recorded the following:

69,876 participants

Kade ultimately defeated the massive field of competitors to win:

$1,514,920

This became one of the most talked-about champion stories in Sunday Million history.

However, despite having such a prestigious online tournament record, she had never been able to win the WCOOP championship.

Now, with the victory at the 2026 Women's World Championship, Kade has finally claimed the title of this world online championship.

She finished as runner-up in the 2022 WSOP Women's Championship, but won the title again four years later.

Kade has come close to winning other women's championships in the past.

In 2022, she reached the final one-on-one match of the WSOP Online Ladies Championship, but ultimately lost to Huanhua Long, finishing as runner-up.

This time, at the WCOOP Women's World Championship, she finally stood on the highest podium.

Although $4,049 is far from the $1.51 million prize money of the 2021 Sunday Million, this victory still has special significance in the context of the champion's resume.

All three women's tournaments in the same series saw them finish in the top four.

Kade's performance at this Women's World Championship was more than just a single title win.

In 2026, WCOOP simultaneously scheduled Women's Events at different buy levels, and Kade achieved a top-four finish in all three levels.

Vanessa Kade Women's Competition Results

From $5.50, $22 to $215, Kade successfully entered deep trades at three different buy levels, and won the world championship at the highest level.

This also made her one of the most watched players in this year's WCOOP Women's Championship.

Patrick Leonard wins his 15th WCOOP title.

Besides Kade's first championship win, another major news story from the 2026 WCOOP comes from Patrick Leonard.

This British online high-stakes tournament star will:

WCOOP 69-H: $530 NLHE 7-Max Turbo

Reaching the summit again.

This match has:

147 people participated

Total prize pool:

$73,500

Leonard ultimately defeated fellow British player "Caldini00" in Heads-Up, achieving the following:

$15,428

This is his second WCOOP title this year, and his 15th WCOOP title overall.

Leonard is just two championships away from Benny Glaser.

Prior to this match, Leonard, Niklas “Lena900” Astedt, Joao “Naza114” Vieira, and Denis “aDrENalin710” Strebkov all had accumulated 14 WCOOP titles.

Leonard has now won another title, officially bringing his total to 15.

As of the time of PokerNews' report on September 21, Benny “RunGodlike” Glaser maintained his all-time lead with 17 titles.

Comparison of WCOOP historical championships

Leonard is now only two championships behind Glaser.

With a large number of events still to be completed after the 2026 WCOOP, changes in the all-time champion list have become a focus of attention for this series.

Leonard's second title of the tournament, with a combined prize money of $35,266.

Leonard's first WCOOP title came from:

WCOOP 29-H: $530 NLHE Deep Stack

He won out of a field of 194 participants, taking home $19,838.

Now he has once again dominated the $530 NLHE 7-Max Turbo, earning a total of $35,266 from the two victories.

This marks the fifth time in the past six years that Leonard has won at least two titles in the same WCOOP edition.

Leonard's career 15 titles span multiple poker formats

Leonard is not only a regular champion in NLHE events.

With this victory, 9 of his 15 WCOOP titles came from different Hold'em events, while the remaining titles covered various variations such as 2-7 Single Draw, NLO8, and Razz.

Two of them are even world championship level events:

2023: $5,200 World Championship of Heads-Up NLHE

The champion will receive a prize of $80,500.

2024: $1,050 World Championship of Razz

The champion will receive a prize of $19,414.

Leonard's highest-paying WCOOP title came in 2016.

He broke through a field of 1,605 competitors in the $700 NLHE race, earning $162,055.

Patrick Leonard, a representative WCOOP champion

This latest $15,428 championship is also the lowest prize money among Leonard's 15 WCOOP championships to date.

However, for him, who already has multiple six-figure dollar WCOOP championships, this victory is more important in advancing his all-time championship count to 15.

WCOOP 69-H Final Table Results

The runner-up, "Caldini00," won his first WCOOP championship in 2020. He entered Heads-Up again this time, but ultimately failed to win his second title.

A Vietnamese player advanced from the $1.10 satellite tournament and ultimately won $1,276.

Another noteworthy story from this year's WCOOP comes from Vietnamese players:

Value858Vn

He participated in:

WCOOP 61-L: $11 Stud Hi-Lo

But it wasn't a direct purchase of $11; rather, it was through a:

$1.10 satellite competition

Obtain official eligibility to participate.

Ultimately, he successfully stood out from the 714 participants and won:

$1,276

And his first WCOOP championship.

Value858Vn Champion Result

From a $1.10 satellite qualifying spot to a $1,276 first-place prize, this revenue is approximately 1,160 times the original satellite tournament cost, not including other potential entry costs.

Compared to high-stakes tournament legends like Leonard who have consistently accumulated world championships, the story of Value858Vn reveals another side of WCOOP's different buy-in levels.

As the WCOOP entered its second half, a women's champion and a historic record were simultaneously set.

The 2026 WCOOP is now in its second half, and as various world championships come to a close, players' personal records continue to be rewritten.

Vanessa Kade won her first WCOOP title in the 75-player Women's World Championship field, and also finished 3rd and 4th in the other two women's events.

Patrick Leonard won his 15th career title, narrowing the gap with Benny Glaser's all-time championship record to two titles.

As for Vietnamese player Value858Vn, he traded a $1.10 satellite tournament qualification for $1,276 and his first championship title.

With the WCOOP Main Event about to take place, the Main Events at different buy-in levels and the World Championship will continue to be the core focus of this online poker series.

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