Niklas “Lena900” Astedt has become the first double champion of WCOOP 2026 after winning PokerStars titles on consecutive nights. The Swedish online poker star followed a $1,050 PLO victory with success in the $5,200 Thursday Thrill High Roller PKO less than 24 hours later.
The two wins take Astedt to 14 career WCOOP titles and leave him just two behind all-time leader Benny “RunGodlike” Glaser. Fellow Swede Simon “C. Darwin2” Mattsson has also made a winning start to the series, giving Sweden three High-tier titles during the opening week.
Astedt Wins First WCOOP Title of 2026 in $1,050 PLO
Astedt’s first victory came in WCOOP 21-H, the $1,050 Pot-Limit Omaha event. The tournament attracted 86 entries, with Astedt taking the $20,976 top prize after navigating a final table filled with established online players.
Patrick “pads1161” Leonard finished fifth for $7,070, while Brazil’s Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi was eliminated in sixth for $5,837. The victory gave Astedt his 13th career WCOOP title and guaranteed that he would win at least one event for the fourth consecutive WCOOP.
It also continued an impressive week for Astedt after his deep run in the Sunday Million 20th Anniversary. The Swede finished eighth from 55,444 entries for $25,538 including bounties before immediately returning to regular WCOOP action.
Lena900 Goes Back-to-Back in the Thursday Thrill
Astedt did not have to wait long for number 14. The following evening he entered WCOOP 26-H, the $5,200 Thursday Thrill High Roller PKO, where 58 entries created another compact field packed with high-stakes regulars.
He eventually reached heads-up play against Portugal’s Joao “Naza114” Vieira and completed his second victory in two nights. Astedt collected $34,219 from the regular prize pool and another $69,062 in progressive bounties, taking his total return from the tournament to $103,281.
The result made Astedt the first player to win two tournaments during WCOOP 2026. It also moved him level with Denis “aDrENalin710” Strebkov on 14 career titles, leaving both players tied for second on the all-time list.
Glaser remains the player to catch with 16.
Astedt Closing on the WCOOP Record
Astedt’s WCOOP record now stretches across nine years and several different poker formats. His first title came in a $215 six-max PLO event in 2018, while subsequent victories have included NLHE, PKO, PLO and Omaha variants at buy-ins reaching $10,300.
His recent record makes the pursuit of Glaser particularly interesting. Astedt won four WCOOP tournaments in 2024, added another in 2025 and has already claimed two in 2026 with more than half of the current festival still to play.
PokerStars scheduled 350 tournaments across WCOOP 2026, with the series continuing until September 30. The $10,300 NLHE Main Event does not begin until September 27, giving Astedt plenty of opportunities to reduce the two-title gap.
His online results are backed by an increasingly substantial live résumé. Astedt finished third in the 2024 WSOP Main Event for $4 million and won the €50,000 Super High Roller Second Chance at EPT Paris in February 2026 for €625,600.
Simon Mattsson Adds Another Swedish WCOOP Win
Sweden’s start to WCOOP was already strong before Astedt began his two-night run. Simon “C. Darwin2” Mattsson won WCOOP 04-H on the opening day of the festival, beating a 121-entry field in another $1,050 PLO event.
Mattsson defeated Slovenia’s Blaz “Scarmak3r” Zerjav heads-up to collect $27,202. The result gave Mattsson his fourth career WCOOP title.
His PokerStars Championship record extends far beyond WCOOP. Mattsson has won 14 SCOOP titles, including five during the 2025 festival, and remains one of the most successful players in the history of PokerStars’ major online series.
Sweden Sets the Early WCOOP Pace
Astedt and Mattsson have given Sweden an imposing presence during the first week of WCOOP 2026. Mattsson struck first, while Astedt followed with two titles on successive evenings and immediately moved into the race for the all-time WCOOP record.
For Astedt, the next landmark is obvious. Two more titles would bring him level with Glaser on 16, while a third would give Lena900 sole possession of the record.
With WCOOP continuing until the end of September, that chase has already become one of the major stories of the series.
