You can buy tickets for PokemonXP and to spectate at 2026 Pokémon World Championships (August 28-30, 2026, in San Francisco) on September 17, 2025. Please check out the link here for further information.
2025 Pokémon World Championships was a genuine love letter to all things Pokémon, no matter if you’ve been playing since Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue in 1998 or if you only just about to start with the newly upcoming Pokémon Legends: A-Z that is coming out on October 16, 2025, for the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch 2. While the online Twitch streams make it seem like it is all about the tournament (and to be fair, it definitely is a major part of it), you don’t have to play competitively to have a wonderful time immersed in everything Pokémon.
This year, I was lucky enough to get one of the ‘last chance’ badges put up barely more than a week before 2025 Pokémon World Championships happened and so I was able to come down for only Saturday, which is when the ‘Top Cut’ players are playing and the event was already in full swing down in Anaheim, California.
The badge pickup was probably one of the smoothest badge pickups I’ve ever been to. It was as simple as showing the pre-registered QR code and showing my ID, and getting my badge handed to me seconds later along with a pair of card packs, a lanyard, and a code card for Pokémon Violet/Scarlet for a Toedscool.
While I did not win a lottery spot to go into the Pokémon Center, I found a group of guys who were willing to let me have their fourth slot so I could do a bit of shopping and poke around inside. From the time they called the group that we were in, until the time we were inside the store, it was about 30 to 45 minutes. It felt like the queue was always moving, and I had to rush to get pictures of some of the displays inside before I went into the Pokémon Center itself.
The merchandise inside absolutely blew me away. There was so much themed to the 2025 Pokémon World Championships, sure, but there was just as much Pokémon plush, Pokémon clothing, and Pokémon, well, everything that you could absolutely find something for everyone there. My only real issue is that by the time I got in Saturday morning, some of the extremely popular items, such as the red duffel bag, were completely sold out for the remainder of the event and others, such as the letterman jacket, had only one or two sizes left. Its just completely baffling how so few of some items that are clearly going to be in demand would be produced and sold for this year’s event. This is doubly so because of the lottery system enacted this year that I’ll get to in a bit.
The main convention for this year took place across Halls A, B, and C in the Anaheim Convention Center. In practice, this meant the entire event was more or less just one giant open floor space that was barely sectioned off from each other. The tournament section dwarfed the middle section of Hall B, while everything happened on either side of it.
The part I was surprised I loved as much as I did was the art and museum sections in Hall A. Pokémon Championships has been happening in one way or another for over 20 years now, and they set up a long running display to show off the different games and consoles Pokémon was on, all of the prior winners for Pokémon Championships, what each competitor got for showing up, and more. Not far from that was the art showcase for the new Pokémon: Trading Card Game expansion of Black Bolt and White Flare. It was simply awesome to be able to admire all of this gorgeous card art in its full size.
Also in Hall A was a trading post that I absolutely didn’t go into since I had nothing to trade with, an autograph spot for various Pokémon artists with access to it locked behind the lottery system, and the large battle stage where you could see all four highlighted Pokémon tournaments play out at once.
I spent the most time, by far, in Hall C though. There were a lot of vendors ranging from Bandai Namco showing off their latest Pokémon model kits to First Book discussing their efforts to bring educational materials to children in need and even Nintendo being there to offer demos of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. There was quite a few booths there to look and shop at. I was a little surprised there wasn’t an artists gallery present, however. In the southern part of Hall C were the side events you could participate in on-demand and retro game stations for you to be able to play a ton of old Pokémon games on console.
The on-demand events – while you had to participate through OpenTable, of all things – were nothing short of magical. On a whim, I signed up for a Pokémon: Trading Card Game Booster draft, and I was paired up with three people who were clearly all real-life friends and who were heavily involved in playing the card game. As for myself? I had not played since 2004, and I think the last mechanic I was introduced to was Stadium Cards. We were each given two packs to crack, energy cards to use, and we were told we can use a ‘Ditto’ to evolve our Pokémon into anything else. We then played each other in a round robin, and it was a lot of fun. I somehow managed to win all three of my games, and I wound up getting 80 points that I then cashed out for eight booster packs. As I headed to cash out my points on the prize wall, I saw the other three people getting back in line to get into another draft! There were people who clearly spent the entire weekend just playing different mini-tournaments and I can honestly see why. The whole side-event-on-demand was just such a welcoming event and it was clearly designed so that anyone of any skill level who does, or doesn’t, have a deck can join in on any of a number of activities.
You were also encouraged to wonder around and interact with all the different parts of 2025 Pokémon World Championships by the pin rally that was going on. When you stopped by different aspects of the event, such as playing a side event, doing a craft, or visiting the First Book charity partner, you were handed a rather robust Pokémon-themed pin. There were even two more pins you had to trade with an employee or with an invited Pokémon creator to get! I honestly would not have spent any time talking with First Book, for instance, if I had not wanted to get a pin from them – but I was glad I did so. This really made sure everyone went and tried pretty much everything at some point during 2025 Pokémon World Championships instead of just staying in one or two spots the entire time.
Of course, it is no secret that I love and play a lot of Pokémon GO. This year, there was a lot of Dark Kyogre raids going on alongside a special Pikachu in a letterman jacket, and Kangaskhan (a regional exclusive!) was present, too. There were also a ton of gyms and Pokéstops available as well, and I spent far more time than I would like to admit trying to catch shiny Pikachus and Pikachus with a special Anaheim-themed background. It really felt like a mini–Pokémon GO Tour or Pokémon GO Fest with all the trading and catching and raiding that was going on.
Of course, no event is perfect. This year, Play! Pokémon, who organizes the Pokémon World Championships, instituted a lottery system for some of the most sought-after events and opportunities. Access to the Pokémon Center, autograph opportunities, meet and greets with certain creators, and craftalongs for all but the First Book bookmarks were all locked behind being lucky enough to enter into a lottery and then getting drawn for it.
As my Saturday at the 2025 Pokémon World Championships went on, I kept stopping by the autograph lines and the crafting area to see there were a lot less people present than expected. It turns out there was no stand-by line, and so if you decided to not show up that space stayed empty. When I was playing my Pokémon: Trading Card Game booster draft side event, the three people I was playing with casually remarked that they had actually gotten an autograph slot but they decided to skip it so they could instead just keep playing cards.
This culminated, for me, when I stopped by the Eevee Earband Craft with Eeveelution_Cosplay to find out there were rows and rows of empty tables with supplies at them. This isn’t the hosts’ fault, at all. Instead, it was just baffling to watch people approach, see there is clearly space and materials available, and just get turned away from the opportunity to create a headband. The lack of a standby line for when people inevitably do not show for a free lottery drawing event was absolutely mindblowing. If Play! Pokémon is going to insist on keeping this format for the future, then they should have a stand-by line available with the expectation that only a few people will get to do whatever the lottery event is.
There were also two main stages available for people to visit in Halls A and B. Hall A’s stage hosted a lot of different panels. I stopped by and watched a panel talking about the history of Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket and how everything from the graphics to the sound of a pack being ripped open was carefully designed for maximum enjoyment. There were also other things such as a gameshow and a product reveal for the Pokémon Center. This was incredibly busy, and I found myself wanting to watch more than one or two panels, but I had to resist.
The other stage was, of course, the big tournament stage. All four featured games: Pokémon GO, Pokémon Violet/Scarlet, Pokemon: Trading Card Game, and Pokémon UNITE all had a section of the stage with a California-themed background. There were giant screens overhead so people in the audience could see what was happening, and there was a very real energy present. What surprised me more than anything was how PASSIONATE fans of Pokémon UNITE were. If there was loud, massive screaming you could hear in Hall B, it was always because of some massive gameplay move that was happening in Pokémon UNITE.
You could easily get swept up into watching any (or all!) of these games play out, and I was impressed with both how competent the commentary was and how you could move from watching one game to another quickly. I actually ended my Saturday night watching Pokémon UNITE, despite never having played the game, and I was hooked watching Luminosity Gaming, who was gunning for a perfect championship season, trying to desperately hold off an extremely hungry Peru Unite from winning the semifinals and going into Championship Sunday in the Arena. I soon found myself shouting and screaming along with everyone else when Rayquaza was captured by Peru Unite and they ultimately propelled themselves into the winner’s circle!
I ultimately felt like, even though I only play Pokémon GO and the mainline games when a new one is released, there was a place for me to feel welcome at 2025 Pokémon World Championships as a spectator. I actually made new friends at this event, and I’ve been texting with them today about Anaheim and about next year’s event, and how we are all looking forward to it!
And what’s truly funny? I haven’t been able to discuss everything that you could do. There were photo opportunities with characters and statues, a place where you could learn to play Pokémon: The Trading Card Game and Pokémon Unite, and more! This really, truly, felt like a three-day event that I absolutely did not get through everything in just one Saturday from the doors opening and though the doors closing.
2026 Pokémon World Championships is being held in San Francisco, California inside of the Moscone Convention Center, with the finals being held in the Staples Arena! PokemonXP, which is a celebration of all things Pokémon, feels like it is meant to be all of the cool things that I experienced this year at 2025 Pokémon World Championships outside of the tournament scene. I have spent many years in the Moscone Center covering GDC, and let me tell you that if they even occupy just one of those halls, it will be the biggest Pokémon event yet. Additionally, if this year’s event was any indication about Play! Pokémon will be approaching PokémonXP, then I have no doubt it will be an event for all ages and for anyone who has just a passing interest in the wide world of Pokémon. Tickets for both PokemonXP and spectating at 2026 Pokemon World Championships go on sale on September 17, 2025, and if you are at all a Pokémon fan, then you should be jumping at the chance to go because you won’t regret it!
You can buy tickets for Pokémon and to spectate at 2026 Pokémon World Championships (August 28-30, 2026, in San Francisco) on September 17, 2025. Please check out the link here for further information.
Did you attend 2025 Pokémon World Championships? If so, what was your experience like?
What is your favorite Pokémon?
Let us know in the comments below!
