Alex Foxen has moved to the top of the 2026 Global Poker Index Player of the Year standings after a year that has already delivered five tournament victories and another World Series of Poker bracelet.
The American now has 4,480.04 GPI points, giving him a 158.52-point advantage over second-placed Tony “Ren” Lin.
Foxen is also within touching distance of another major year-end honor. He sits just 18 points behind Brock Wilson in the Card Player Player of the Year race, raising the possibility of a rare double as the 2026 tournament calendar enters its final months.
Foxen Leads GPI Player Of The Year Race
Foxen’s position has been built through results across several tours rather than one dominant tournament series.
The GPI Player of the Year system uses a player’s 13 highest-scoring qualifying results during the calendar year. That means the standings can continue changing as players record stronger finishes and replace lower-scoring results.
Foxen currently leads with 4,480.04 points, ahead of Lin on 4,321.52.
It is familiar territory for the American.
Foxen won the GPI Player of the Year title in both 2018 and 2019, becoming the first player to win the award in consecutive years.
Another victory in 2026 would give him a third GPI Player of the Year title.
Five Tournament Wins Have Powered Foxen’s 2026
Foxen began the year by winning Event #6 of the PGT Last Chance series for $232,400.
He followed that with victory at MSPT Poker Bowl X for another $165,235 before producing one of his biggest results of the year at Triton Jeju.
Foxen won the $75,000 Pot-Limit Omaha 6-Handed tournament for $1.26 million.
Competition on the Triton circuit regularly includes many of the players at the top of the modern game. It is a level of opposition we recently examined when looking at why Jason Koon’s dominance of high-stakes poker helped secure his Poker Hall of Fame place.
Foxen’s run did not end in Jeju.
He carried his form into the World Series of Poker, where another outstanding summer put him firmly among the leading Player of the Year contenders.
Fourth WSOP Bracelet Added To Foxen’s Collection
Foxen captured the fourth WSOP bracelet of his career during the 2026 series.
His performances in Las Vegas contributed more than $2 million in WSOP tournament winnings and kept him involved in the WSOP’s own Player of the Year battle.
That race is not finished.
The expanded WSOP Paradise 2026 schedule will feature 20 bracelet events in the Bahamas this December, and those tournaments will provide the final opportunity to earn WSOP Player of the Year points.
It means Foxen could potentially find himself involved in three separate Player of the Year races as 2026 draws to a close.
Brock Wilson Holds Narrow Card Player Lead
The Card Player standings are even tighter.
Brock Wilson currently leads with 7,127 points, while Foxen has 7,109.
Jesse Lonis is third on 6,481.
Wilson’s position is particularly notable given his continued success on the European circuit. He recently added another major result during the opening high roller action at EPT Barcelona, strengthening a 2026 résumé that has kept him ahead of Foxen for now.
An 18-point margin, however, leaves almost no room for either player to slow down.
With major tournaments still to come across Europe, the United States and the Bahamas, a single deep run could change the order.
Could Foxen Win Two Player Of The Year Titles?
The GPI race gives Foxen more breathing room.
His 158.52-point advantage over Lin is meaningful, although the structure of the rankings means it is far from decisive with several months of tournament poker remaining.
The Card Player race is effectively much closer.
Foxen’s history adds another dimension. Winning GPI Player of the Year in 2018 and 2019 established him as one of the most consistent tournament players of that period. Seven years later, he is again producing results at a level capable of putting him at the top of the global rankings.
His career earnings have now passed $58 million, while a fourth WSOP bracelet has strengthened an already substantial tournament résumé.
The immediate challenge is maintaining that pace.
Wilson, Lin and Lonis remain firmly in contention, while the final months of the year contain enough high-value tournaments to change both standings considerably.
For now, though, Foxen has one lead and is only 18 points away from another.
