Eleven years after winning the EPT Barcelona Main Event, John Juanda is threatening to do it again.
The Poker Hall of Famer has reached Day 5 of the €5,300 PokerStars EPT Barcelona Main Event with just 28 players remaining from a field of 1,823.
Juanda will return with 1,855,000 chips as the tournament moves closer to its €1,370,050 first prize.
Another victory would give the 55-year-old something no player has previously achieved: two EPT Barcelona Main Event titles.
Juanda Back in Contention 11 Years Later
Juanda’s first Barcelona victory came in 2015.
He navigated a 1,694-entry Main Event before defeating Steve Warburton heads-up, collecting €1,022,593 following a three-handed deal.
The final table also contained Rainer Kempe, who would go on to become one of the leading high-stakes tournament players of his generation.
That victory came during another significant year in Juanda’s career.
Just weeks later, he was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame alongside Jennifer Harman.
Eleven years on, he is still competing for major titles.
28 Players Remain From 1,823 Entries
The 2026 EPT Barcelona Main Event attracted 1,823 entries and generated a prize pool of more than €8.7 million.
The winner will receive €1,370,050.
Juanda entered Day 4 with 990,000 chips and successfully navigated another substantial reduction in the field to reach the final 28.
His 1,855,000-chip stack keeps him firmly in contention, although there remains plenty of work ahead.
The tournament has already produced several dramatic shifts in the leaderboard. Earlier in the week, Grzegorz Kozieja led 205 players into Day 3 as a field packed with established professionals began to shrink.
Barcelona has been producing huge fields throughout the festival.
Jason Wheeler defeated 4,333 entries to win the PokerStars Open Main Event, while Thomas Eychenne collected €589,395 after winning the PokerStars Open High Roller.
Juanda now has an opportunity to produce the festival’s most historically significant result.
Sebastian Malec Also Chasing Second Barcelona Crown
There is another complication.
Juanda isn’t the only former champion still alive.
Sebastian Malec, winner of the 2016 EPT Barcelona Main Event, has also reached the final 28 with 1,485,000 chips.
That means consecutive Barcelona champions from 2015 and 2016 are both chasing a second title more than a decade later.
Neither has an easy route to the trophy.
Online qualifier Jose Criado leads the remaining field, while several experienced tournament players remain in contention as the Main Event approaches its final stages.
Can John Juanda Make EPT History?
Juanda already owns one of the strongest tournament résumés of his generation.
He has five WSOP bracelets, an EPT title and more than $26 million in recorded live tournament winnings.
His longevity is particularly striking.
Juanda was already competing at the highest levels of tournament poker before the online poker boom transformed the game. More than two decades later, he remains capable of navigating fields containing some of the strongest young professionals in poker.
Winning Barcelona once placed another major trophy on an already exceptional résumé.
Winning it again, 11 years later, would be something else entirely.
There are still 27 players standing between Juanda and that piece of history.
