Rising tension in the Middle East has forced the World Poker Tour to postpone the $1,100 WPT Prime Cyprus Championship.
The event, with a guaranteed prize pool of $1 million, has been postponed due to safety concerns related to the ongoing war in Iran.
Military airstrikes carried out by the US and Israel on February 28th prompted the WPT to make this decision.
According to reports, these strikes targeted military and intelligence sites in Iran, and the supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed by the strikes.
There is rising tension because of the war in Iran and the surrounding countries that are close by.
Tournament in Cyprus Put on Hold
The Chamada Prestige Hotel & Spa in Cyprus was supposed to host the WPT Prime event from March 5 to 9.
There are less than 800 miles between the island country and Iran. It is in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
In a social media post, the tour indicated that recent changes in the military have made it challenging to hold the event safely.
For those traveling to @WPT Prime Cyprus: pic.twitter.com/lw9aVnm2qI
— World Poker Tour (@WPT) March 3, 2026
Officials chose to postpone the series because of this. WPT has not set a new date yet.
Big poker tours like to stop in Cyprus from time to time. Cyprus frequently hosts international festivals like the WPT and Triton Poker.
Officials had to change their plans, though, due to travel and safety issues right now.
Safety and Travel Concerns Grow
People who work for WPT often leave the US to help run events in other countries.
Sending people abroad to work has become harder and maybe even more dangerous as tensions rise in the area.
The Prime Championship has been pushed back, but the rest of the event in Cyprus is still set to take place.
Because of the scrapped event, the organisers have added a new one with a $1,100 buy-in to make up for it. This gives players an extra choice during the series.
WPT advised players planning to travel to stay in touch with their airlines and keep up with official travel updates.
According to the officials, participants should make travel decisions based on the latest information.
Another Poker Event Cancelled
Iran's conflict has resulted in the cancellation of another tournament. Organisers cancelled the Resorts World Las Vegas Mixed Game Festival.
The event was scheduled to start next week; however, the host, Robbie Strazynski, is currently in Israel and unable to travel to the U.S. due to the ongoing Iran conflict.
What Comes Next for the WPT
The next big event on the WPT calendar is the WPT Rolling Thunder Championship, which is scheduled to start on March 29 in Northern California.
Players will need $3,500 to enter the tournament, and as usual, it is expected to attract a massive number of entries and generate a big prize pool.
Nevertheless, players excited about the Cyprus title will have to wait longer. WPT officials indicated that the tournament will return once the situation has cooled and there are no political tensions between the countries.
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