WSOP 2026 Main Event: 38 French players move on

WSOP 2026 Main Event enters a crucial Day 2ABC stage

The World Series of Poker Main Event is now moving into the part of the tournament where every decision carries real weight. All opening flights are complete, and the field has started to merge through Day 2ABC, with Day 2D still to come before the full Day 3 lineup is finalized.

A total of 2,780 players took part in Day 2ABC, and 1,260 survivors managed to bag chips for the next stage. In a tournament of this scale, that kind of survival rate tells the whole story: the Main Event is no longer about simply finding playable hands, but about stack preservation, table awareness, and choosing the right moments to apply pressure.

Gaspar Fernandez tops the field, but the race is far from over

The Day 2ABC chip leader is Argentine Gaspar Fernandez, who ended the day with 754,000 chips against an average stack of 102,000. That is a huge cushion and a real strategic weapon, especially in a deep-field event where a big stack can bully medium stacks and force uncomfortable folds.

• Mason Vieth — 730,000
• Arturas Astrauskas — 646,500

Several recognizable names are still in contention as well, including Brian Hastings (490,000), Martin Zamani (459,500), Brian Yoon (386,500), Greg Raymer (291,000), and 2025 Main Event champion Michael Mizrachi (202,500). For poker fans, this is exactly why the Main Event remains the crown jewel of the summer: it combines massive volume, elite talent, and enormous pressure on every street.

If you want to sharpen your tournament fundamentals, our poker school section is a solid place to revisit key concepts, while poker clubs often provide useful live-poker context for similar deep-structure events.

France sends 38 players into Day 3

The biggest national storyline from this flight is simple: 38 French players survived Day 2ABC and will return for Day 3. In a field this large, that is a very strong showing and a reminder that France continues to produce one of the deepest and most competitive player pools in Europe.

• Yannis Lefur — 449,500
• Romain Lewis — 375,000
• Benjamin Gros — 347,500
• Florian Guimond — 316,500
• Arthur Dore — 278,500
• Benoît Grobocopatel — 269,000
• Nicolas Godard — 260,500
• Loïc Debregeas — 204,000
• Karim Lehoussine — 191,000
• Adrien Amorella — 146,000
• Malo Latinois — 138,000
• Maxime Chilaud — 128,500
• Jérémy Saderne — 108,000

For players tracking the event closely, these stacks matter a lot. Once the average is around 102,000, anyone well above that mark gets more flexibility in opening ranges, 3-bet pots, and pressure spots near the blinds.

Short stacks from France still have a path forward

Not every French qualifier is in a comfortable spot, but several still have a shot at a comeback. Sonny Franco (69,000), Jonathan Therme (67,000), Gaëtan Balleur (48,000), Loïc Menneteau (41,500), and Yohan Rascar (26,000) will all continue into Day 3, although their margin for error is much thinner.

This is where tournament poker becomes especially unforgiving. Short-stack play in the Main Event is about precision, not romance: the right shove can rebuild a tournament, while the wrong gamble can end a year’s worth of preparation in a single hand.

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Big names fall on Day 2ABC

As always in the Main Event, not everyone survives the transition to the next day. Among the players eliminated on this flight were Julien Sitbon, Thomas Cazayous, Éric Sfez, Arnaud Enselme, Jonathan Pastore, Samuel Bifarella, Pierre Calamusa, Erwann Pecheux, plus Aurélie Réard and Killian Desnos.

That list shows just how brutal the Main Event can be. Even experienced pros can run into a bad stretch, lose a key pot, or get caught in a high-variance all-in spot that changes everything.

Expert analysis: what Day 2ABC means strategically

Day 2 in the Main Event is a major strategic inflection point. Players are no longer building from the ground up; they are protecting, leveraging, and converting stack size into tournament equity. With the average at 102,000, stack depth becomes the key variable.

• Position matters more than ever, because marginal edges are amplified over a long structure.
• Big stacks should pressure medium stacks, especially when pay jumps and survival pressure begin to shape decisions.
• Short stacks need discipline, since the best line is often waiting for the right reshove or resteal opportunity.

For players studying the game seriously, the combination of poker rooms and structured learning at poker school is one of the best ways to prepare for events with this kind of depth and endurance.

Final thoughts: France remains well represented in the Main Event

Day 2ABC confirmed that France is still very much alive in the WSOP 2026 Main Event. With 38 players moving on and several stacks positioned above average, the French contingent has both numbers and momentum on its side.

The next phase — including Day 2D and then Day 3 — will tighten the field even further. That is where true Main Event endurance is tested, and where the players who combine patience, aggression, and stack management will separate themselves from the pack.

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