Yu-Gi-Oh National Championship 2026

Participants concentrate in the first round of the Yu-Gi-Oh Irish National Championships 2026

A Weekend of Strategy, Competition, and Community at Astra Hall, UCD

Over the weekend of 9th and 10th May 2026, duelists from across Ireland gathered in Astra Hall on the UCD Campus, Dublin, for the Irish Yu-Gi-Oh! National Championship - one of the biggest events in the Irish competitive trading card game calendar.

With just under 200 participants attending across the weekend, the championship brought together experienced national competitors, rising local talent, and members of the wider Yu-Gi-Oh! community for two packed days of high-level play and intense competition.

Yu-Gi-Oh National Championships 2026

Astra Hall became a sea of playmats, deck boxes, carefully calculated decisions, and tense final turns as players battled through round after round in pursuit of the national title. Between matches, competitors discussed deck choices, analysed plays, traded cards, and caught up with friends from across the country, reinforcing the strong sense of community that continues to define the Irish Yu-Gi-Oh! scene.

As the tournament progressed through the weekend, the competition narrowed to a final between Luke Murtagh and Cormac Adams. Adams ultimately secured victory, becoming the 2026 Irish National Champion. Already recognised as one of Ireland’s leading competitive duelists, Adams adds the 2026 title to an impressive record that includes previous national and international successes.

For Black Hole Studio, the event provided an opportunity to document not only the competitive intensity of the championship itself, but also the atmosphere surrounding it — the concentration during matches, the reactions to decisive plays, and the personalities that make events like this memorable beyond the tournament standings.

Luke Murtagh (runner-up) and Cormac Aams (winner) applaud the other participants after the final.

This gallery presents a visual record of the weekend: the players, the spectators, the final matches, and the moments in between that capture the energy of the Irish Yu-Gi-Oh! community in 2026. All photographs from the event are available to view and share for non-commercial purposes at the following link: Black Hole Studio.