Dimitar Danchev Wins $800K at WSOP 2026 Heads-Up Championship

Dimitar Danchev made history by winning the 2026 World Series of Poker $25,000 heads-up championship, earning $800,000 and his second WSOP bracelet. Danchev's victory came after defeating Nikita Kuznetsov in the finals, navigating through an expanded 128-player field, and winning seven heads-up matches over three days.

This win marks Danchev's second bracelet, with his first coming in a WSOP Online $10,000 heads-up event on GGPoker in August 2022. His total recorded earnings now sit at nearly $13.1 million, making this the fourth-largest result of his career. Danchev also earned 924 Card Player Player of the Year points and 480 PokerGO Tour points, his best-ever PGT result, placing him in 16th on the season-long PGT leaderboard.

The tournament featured a new format with two flights, allowing for a larger field of 128 players. Danchev opened the tournament by beating Ian Bromfield on day 1A, and added wins over Christopher Nguyen and Killian Desnos to reach the top 16 and a guaranteed payday. He then defeated Florian Pesce in the round of 16, three-time Triton champion Ding Biao in the quarterfinals, and Ryuta Nakai in the semifinals to secure his spot in the finals. Alex Foxen, who earned 180 PGT points, went out in the semifinal round ($300,000). Nikita Kuznetsov took on Alex Foxen on the opposite side of the bracket, with Kuznetsov ultimately defeating Foxen in a close match.