On August 18-19, the Grand Final of the eBridge Cup 2026, the major international bridge competition hosted by BBO and Funbridge, and co-organized by the WBF and ACBL, took place in Katowice, Poland. After two months of competing online, the finalists finally got to see who was actually sitting on the other side of the screen.
The Katowice International Conference Centre (MCK) suited the occasion perfectly, with its wall of glass, and bright summer sky.
The eBridge Cup Finals took place in the same venue as the World Bridge Series 2026 (August 20 - September 3).
The spacious room had been set up with tables for the finalists, with a large screen marking the playing area. With its warm wooden walls, huge windows and open layout, the venue feels bright and modern, while giving the players plenty of space to focus.
Here are some photos of the people who made this live event a great success.
Daniel Brawer and Natalia share a moment before the game begins. Among all the concentration and competition, it's nice to see a little encouragement before the first board.
For years, Leo Lasota held the BBO Ace title, before Silviu Iovescu, better known to most players simply as USLA, eventually took the top spot.
They had been part of the BBO competitive scene for years, with USLA eventually ending Leo’s long reign at the top. In Katowice, they finally met in person, and the photo they sent back says the rest. Look at them, standing side by side and grinning like old friends.
A few tables over, the finalists were past the small talk. Heads down, cards moving on the screens, focus locked in. The easy conversation from ten minutes ago had given way to serious concentration.
The eBridge Cup Finals were also livestreamed from Katowice, where our host Milan Macura discussed some of the hands played by the finalists. The BBO community could follow the action online as it happened. If you missed the livestream, you can watch the full archive on our YouTube channel here.
And finally, a few pictures of the eBridge Cup 2026 winner, Michal Wrobel from Poland, including one with Christina Lund Madsen.
Congratulations on your well-deserved win, Michal! And thanks for giving us this little behind-the-scenes moment from Katowice.
A nice way to wrap up our little tour of the eBridge Cup Finals, showing you the parts that a scoreboard couldn’t capture.
Click here to see the overall results of eBridge Cup 2026 finals.
Stay tuned for more articles and videos from the event.