Adam Roarty is a journalist covering sports betting, regulation, and industry innovation for CasinoBeats. His coverage includes tax increases in the UK, covering breaking stories in the ever-evolving landscape of US betting such as the...
Read Full BioNeymar qualified for the final table at the 2025 World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) and could seal his first major title.
The Brazilian soccer player is competing in the WCOOP Super Tuesday High Roller, a $10,300 buy-in tournament that has a total prize pool of $600,000.
In total, 60 players entered the event, with Neymar making it to the final seven. The final table will get underway at 18:00 UCT on Wednesday.
The event is part of the WCOOP series, which runs until October 1 with over $65 million in guaranteed prizes.
Neymar Facing Battles on Felt & Turf
The former Barcelona and PSG forward faces an uphill battle, however, as the short stack with 23 blinds. The current leader is fellow Brazilian Pedro “PaDiLhA SP” Padilha, who sits on 1,601,941 chips.
In addition to the two Brazilians, three Austrians, Tailot “Raidalot” Shekerchi from the UK, and Sean “Nolet20” Winter from Canada make up the final table.
All players are guaranteed at least $26,111 in prize money, with the winner taking home $186,434. For Neymar, who has an estimated net worth of $420 million, the kudos of winning the tournament will represent a greater prize than the money.
Neymar is currently back playing soccer in his native Brazil for Santos. He returned to the club earlier this year after a spell in Saudi Arabia. The 33-year-old started his career at Santos before sealing a move to Barcelona in 2013.
He may be using poker as a means of escape at the moment. He left the pitch in tears a few weeks ago as Santos were beaten 6-0 by rivals Vasco da Gama. He has ruled himself out of the team’s upcoming match against Atletico Mineiro as he does not want to play on artificial turf.
PokerStars Ambassador Cites Poker as One of His Favorite Hobbies
Neymar signed a deal with PokerStars back in 2015 to become the brand’s ambassador, joining fellow soccer player Ronaldo as part of Team Sportstars.
After taking a break, he returned as the company’s cultural ambassador in 2021. Playing poker is one his passions off the pitch. He commented: “Growing up and playing football every day has made me a competitive person. When I’m not playing football, playing poker and competing against my teammates on the road or in home games with friends is one of my favorite things to do.”
On signing up as a cultural ambassador, he said: “Poker is so much more than just the game. It is a community and a culture, and that is what I love about it. I am excited to start this next chapter with PokerStars, and we are already collaborating on a number of key areas.”
