The Battle of Malta, now in its fourteenth year, has established itself as one of Europe’s premier standalone mid-stakes festivals in that timeframe, and hopefuls from all over the world will flock to Casino Malta, St Julian’s, over the next week for the 2026 Summer Edition. Join us throughout the event for non-stop coverage on the Battle of Malta blog and social media channels.

The action kicks off with gusto on May 28, with six tournaments scheduled to ignite proceedings, along with two satellites. The main attraction will undoubtedly be the €600 buy-in ‘Let the Battle Begin’ Main Event, which sports a huge €700,000 guarantee, making up the majority of the €1,000,000 guaranteed across the festival.

Players hoping to follow in the footsteps of Candido Cappiello as a Main Event champion will have plenty of opportunities to build a commanding stack for Day 2 across seven starting flights, with two Day 1’s per day across the next three days, and a final turbo flight before Day 2 kicks off at 7 p.m. on May 31.

The 1 p.m. starting flights feature 40-minute levels, and play down to 15% of the field, while the 8 p.m. flights play 20-minute levels have a reduced buy-in of €300, with play concluding when 7.5% of the field have avoided the chop.

While the Main Event might be the main course, players can warm-up for combat with some Mystery Bounty action, with three starting flights of the €100,000 guaranteed, €300 buy-in ‘Siege of Malta’ event scheduled over the next two days. €100 of the buy-in will be allocated to the mystery bounty prize pool, and play will continue in each Day 1 until 15% of the field remains, who will return at 8.30 p.m. on May 29 for the final day.

There is also plenty to whet the appetite of mixed game enthusiasts throughout the week, along with a €200,000 guaranteed €1,100 buy-in High Roller, in what is sure to be an action-packed festival of poker frolics in the glorious Maltese sunshine. The full Battle of Malta 2026 Summer Edition schedule can be found here.

Cappiello overcame a monstrous 6,039-runner field in the 2025 Autumn Edition Main Event in November to be crowned champion, after a heads-up deal with fellow countryman Luigi Shehadeh saw him bank a huge €225,770 first-place prize. The full final table results are set out below.

Battle of Malta 2025 Autumn Edition – Final Table Results

Place	Player	Country	Prize
1	Candido Cappiello	Italy	€225,770
2	Luigi Shehadeh	Italy	€181,750
3	Giuseppe Ciancio	Switzerland	€110,150
4	Leonardo Romeo	Italy	€83,800
5	Cristian-Marius Campan	Romania	€63,700
6	Davis Modans	Latvia	€48,450
7	Marco D’Amico	Italy	€36,850
8	Rafal Lubczynski	Poland	€28,000
9	Emmanouil Fountoulakis	Greece	€21,300

 

Packages for Main Event Day 1 Chip Leaders

Casino Malta are again offering significant incentives for players to attempt to top the Main Event Day 1 standings. The chip leader of each Main Event starting flight will receive a package to the Battle of Malta, Slovakia, with full details to follow.

 

Battle of Malta 2026 Summer Edition Schedule – May 28 2026

The schedule for the first full day of the festival is set out below:-

Date	Time	Tournament	Buy-In	Stack	Levels	Late Registration
May 28	11:00	Turbo Super Sat for Day 1A	€60+€10	10,000	15 min	Reg closes at Level 10
May 28	13:00	Mystery Bounty ‘Siege of Malta’ (Day 1A)	€160+€100+€40	30,000	20 min	Reg closes at Level 10 (play to 15%)
May 28	13:00	NLH BOM ‘Let The Battle Begin’ – Day 1A – 15% Qualify	€530+€70	40,000	40 min	Reg closes at Level 10 (play to 15%)
May 28	15:00	PLO 4 Cards	€220+€30	20,000	20 min	Reg closes at Level 8
May 28	17:00	NLH White Night	€220+€30	20,000	20 min	Reg closes at Level 8
May 28	19:00	Mystery Bounty ‘Siege of Malta’ (Day 1B)	€160+€100+€40	30,000	20 min	Reg closes at Level 10 (play to 15%)
May 28	20:00	NLH BOM ‘Let The Battle Begin’ – Day 1B – 7.5% Qualify	€265+€35	20,000	20 min	Reg closes at Level 10 (play to 7.5%)
May 28	22:00	NLH Super Satellite for BOM	€60+€10	10,000	15 min	Reg closes at Level 10

 

 

The Battle of Malta’s YouTube, Facebook and Instagram channels will also be bringing you all the big moments from the event, so stay tuned for all your coverage as we eagerly await the first day of action in the Battle of Malta 2026 Summer Edition.