World Cup of Poker 2005

Costa Rica captures second World Cup of Poker Title

PokerStars.com would like to congratulate Team Costa Rica for winning its second World Cup of Poker title. After an amazing set of semi-finals and finals in London, Costa Rica won the deciding match in equally amazing fashion. For a report from the final match, feel free to visit the Official PokerStars Blog. Visit International Matches to see how the teams made their way to London.

What is the PokerStars World Cup of Poker?

The PokerStars World Cup of Poker is an absolutely free competition among national teams of poker players. PokerStars selected players from 40 different countries to determine which country can reign supreme. PokerStars used a few different criteria to determine the players on each team.

Two Tournament Leader Board players
The top two players who had the most Tournament Leader Board points for their qualified country from January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2004 automatically qualified as a World Cup team player.

Two Heads-up Qualifiers
Two players were named for each country based on winning heads-up qualifying rounds.

One Nominated Player
One Player was nominated by PokerStars after consulting with the team's captain.

PokerStars World Cup of Poker Teams:

4 Great Britain Teams (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland)
4 USA Teams (USA California, USA Georgia, USA Oregon, TeamUSA)
2 Canadian Teams (Canada 1, Canada 2)
29 National Teams for other countries
1 Team representing the rest of the world