Every year, the World Cup of Poker sees national teams from across the globe compete online and live to become champs!
The World Cup of Poker is the annual event that sees nations battle it out to become world champion. Teams qualify online at PokerStars for a glittering live final, held as part of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure at Atlantis in January 2012. At the final qualifiers are joined by team captains selected by PokerStars, and the action takes place over two days of intense action.
Peru emerged as winners of the WCP VIII after taking victory in the live final, held in The Bahamas as part of the 2012 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) festival. The team took home the trophy and $90,000 for the win, and you can read a full report courtesy of the PokerStars Blog.
Check back in the coming months for news about online qualifiers for WCP IX!
The teams are made up of a striker, midfielder, defender and a goalie, and each different position has its own qualifier tournament. You can play for free or just $1.10, and your team will get a UK pro player added to the line-up if you make it to the live final in The Bahamas.
All first-time depositors can also get a free $11 Stage 1 ticket when they use the bonus code ‘WCP8’. They will also be eligible for the regular PokerStars welcome bonus - see the First Deposit Bonus page for more.

Tournament qualifiers for every position on the UK national team run at the times and dates listed below. The winner of each tournament for that buy-in level will be awarded their place on the national team in this position.
| Team Position | Buy-In | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Free | August 20 | 12:00 ET |
| Defender | $1.10 | 14:00 ET | |
| Midfielder | $11 | August 21 | 12:00 ET |
| Striker | N/A - TLB only* | 14:00 ET |
*The qualifier tournaments for striker are invitation only, with the top-10 Tournament Leader Board (TLB) players from the 2010 annual rankings for each country being invited to take part.
To register for a Stage 1 qualifier, open the PokerStars lobby, click ‘Events’ & ‘World Cup’.
The four players selected for the UK national team will then get to compete against the players from other countries that won their spot on the national team for that position. The country team that performs best across all four tournaments will win their group and advance to the live final at the PCA (seven teams in total will go through from the group stages).
| August 27 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Time | |||
| Goalkeeper | 17:00 ET | 12:00 ET | 10:00 ET | 04:00 ET |
| Defender | 19:00 ET | 14:00 ET | 12:00 ET | 06:00 ET |
| August 28 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positio | Time | |||
| Midfielder | 17:00 ET | 12:00 ET | 10:00 ET | 04:00 ET |
| Striker | 19:00 ET | 14:00 ET | 12:00 ET | 06:00 ET |
All seven teams that advance from Stage 2 will be invited to play the live final, held in January, 2012 at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) in The Bahamas.
If you have any questions about the World Cup of Poker, please email support@pokerstars.com.
WCP - How to Qualify
You can qualify for a WCP team with PokerStars online satellites.»
World Cup of Poker FAQs
Get answers to frequently asked questions about the WCP.»
WCP Terms & Conditions
View the official terms and conditions for the World Cup of Poker.»
Past WCP Seasons
Check the results for past seasons of the World Cup of Poker.»
The EPT is the world’s richest poker tour, with events across Europe and millions of Euros on the line.
The UKIPT is the region’s best tournament series, with a packed schedule and a range of buy-ins.
Thousands of players descend on The Bahamas to play in the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA).
PokerStars has the best online tournaments, with more games and bigger prize pools!