Manuel Ferrari Wins EPT Barcelona For 1002488

Manuel Ferrari produced the biggest result of his tournament career by winning the 2026 PokerStars European Poker Tour Barcelona Main Event, topping a field of 1,823 entries and earning €1,002,488 after a three-way final-table deal.

The Italian entered the final day as chip leader after spending three consecutive days at the top of the counts. He converted that advantage into his first EPT title, closing out a fast-moving finish that reduced the final table to heads-up in roughly five hours before a short final duel against Lukas van Eeden.

A Three-Way Deal Shapes the Final Payouts

Three-handed play ended with Ferrari, Van Eeden and Spain's Jose Criado agreeing to an ICM deal. The agreement locked up €1,002,488 for Ferrari, €927,420 for Van Eeden and €910,642 for Criado, with €100,000 and the trophy still left to play for.

Ferrari eliminated Criado in third place before facing Van Eeden heads-up. Because of the deal, the final match was no longer for the full original first-place prize, but the title and the remaining €100,000 still gave the duel meaningful financial and competitive weight. Ferrari completed the heads-up match in approximately half an hour.

Ferrari Turns a Long Chip Lead Into the Title

Ferrari's path to the trophy was not built on a single late surge. Holding the chip lead for three consecutive days gave him sustained control deep in the tournament, and he carried that position into the final day against a strong closing lineup.

The event generated an €8,841,550 prize pool, making the victory the standout score of Ferrari's career. Xiaosheng Zheng finished fourth for €471,250, Michael Dwyer took fifth for €362,500, and Nicolas Chouity collected €278,950 for sixth place.

First EPT Cash, First EPT Title

Barcelona was Ferrari's third EPT Main Event appearance and his first cash in the series. He turned that first in-the-money finish into a Main Event title and a seven-figure payout.

The result followed his PokerStars Open Malaga Main Event win in June 2025, which paid just over €200,000. Ferrari later added the PokerStars Open High Roller in Campione, and the Barcelona victory marked his third Golden Shard trophy in a 14-month period.

The scale of the Barcelona win stands out within that recent run. The €1,002,488 score was more than five times the just-over-€200,000 prize he earned in Malaga, while the EPT Main Event title added the most significant trophy of the sequence.

Final Table Results

The closing table included players from Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, China, Ireland and Lebanon among the listed finishers. Gerard Carbo of Spain finished seventh for €214,600, while Edward Pak took eighth for €165,050.

Van Eeden's runner-up result paid €927,420, and Criado's third-place finish paid €910,642 under the deal. Ferrari's win ultimately came from a final three featuring Italy, the Netherlands and Spain, with the chip leader at the start of the day finishing the job.