Pokémon World Champions Crowned at the 2025 Pokémon World Championships

Premier Pokémon Event of the Year Unveils PokémonXP Fan Event Alongside New Looks at Pokémon Legends: Z-A, Pokémon Champions, the Pokémon Trading Card Game and More

After an electrifying weekend in Anaheim, Calif., the 2025 Pokémon World Champions have been crowned across the Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet video games, the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG), Pokémon GO and Pokémon UNITE, while those who watched the closing ceremonies were treated to exciting announcements across the Pokémon brand.

New Fan Experience, PokémonXP, Coming to the 2026 Pokémon World Championships in the Heart of San Francisco
On Aug. 28, 2026, the Pokémon World Championships will level up with the addition of an all-new fan experience: PokémonXP. This event will take place alongside the 2026 Pokémon World Championships competitions at the Moscone Center in the heart of San Francisco, welcoming Trainers from across the world to celebrate their fandom with a variety of unique offerings and engaging activities, with something for every fan.
 
In addition, for the first time on Championship Sunday of the 2026 Pokémon World Championships, competitors will battle it out on an epic stage — the Chase Center — as fans pack the arena to find out who will triumph and earn the title of Pokémon World Champions.
Multi-day passes will be available for advance purchase on Sept. 17, 2025. Fans can find more details at PokemonXP.com and Pokemon.com/Worlds.

Z-A Battle Club Details and More Revealed for Pokémon Legends: Z-A
Trainers will be able to jump into the Z-A Battle Club in the Pokémon Legends: Z-A game in the newly revealed Link and Ranked Battles. In the Z-A Battle Club (Link Battles), up to four players will race to defeat as many Pokémon as possible within the time limit to take the top spot.
In Ranked Battles, up to four Trainers can compete online[1] from around the world to earn points. When players earn enough points, they will rise in rank. Trainers will start off at Rank Z and can be promoted all the way up to the ultimate Rank A.​
Players can earn in-game rewards when a battle ends or when their rank increases, with additional rewards granted based on their final rank when the season ends after a set time period. Since rewards vary by season, active participation is necessary to climb the ranks and earn rewards.
Players will also be able to enjoy Private Battles with their friends using local communication[2] or with those farther away online.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A will be available on Oct. 16, 2025, on the Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch systems. A Nintendo Switch 2 + Pokémon Legends: Z-A – ​Nintendo Switch 2 Edition bundle will also be available.

Pokémon Champions Takes the Stage for VGC at the 2026 Pokémon World Championships in San Francisco—Mega Evolution and Mega Dragonite Will Be Available at Launch
Next year, Pokémon Trainers from around the world will battle it out when the Pokémon Video Game Championships make the shift to Pokémon Champions at the 2026 Pokémon World Championships in San Franscisco.
When Pokémon Champions launches in 2026, Trainers will compete in Ranked Battles where Pokémon will be able to undergo Mega Evolution and become Mega-Evolved Pokémon—such as the newly discovered Mega Dragonite introduced in Pokémon Legends: Z-A.
Pokémon Champions is a free-to-start game coming to Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices in 2026. More details on a paid digital version of Pokémon Champions on Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch systems will be shared in the future.

Eternatus Joins Pokémon GO Alongside New Max Battles
This weekend, Pokémon GO players in Anaheim were treated to the surprise debut of the Poison- and Dragon-type Eternatus, along with the introduction of Max Battles featuring this Legendary Pokémon. Both will make their global debut with GO Pass: Max Finale, launching later this month during the Dark Skies event.

New Mega Evolution Cards Revealed Alongside New Mega Attack Rarity for the Pokémon TCG
The Pokémon Trading Card Game pulled back the curtain on Mega attack rare, an all-new card rarity that features attack names in katakana, reminiscent of the original Mega Evolution Pokémon-EX cards from the XY Series. Mega attack rare cards coming to the Pokémon TCG include Mega Charizard X ex, Mega Gardevoir ex, and Mega Lucario ex.
Trainers also received a first look at Mega Dragonite, as seen in the upcoming Pokémon Legends: Z-A video game, which will be coming to the Pokémon TCG as a new Pokémon ex.

Mega Evolution Pokémon Coming to Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket
Coming in fall 2025, Mega Evolution Pokémon ex cards, including Mega Gyarados ex, Mega Blaziken ex, and Mega Altaria ex will be debuting in Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket. Fans can stay tuned for more details on Pokemon.com/TCGPocket.

Empoleon, Dhelmise and Vaporeon Join the Fray in Pokémon UNITE
Fans were given a first look at newcomers Empoleon, Dhelmise and Vaporeon, which will join the growing pool of playable Pokémon in Pokémon UNITE. Empoleon will be joining the roster on Sept. 19, 2025, with Dhelmise and Vaporeon coming soon.

2025 Pokémon World Champions
The weekend saw a fiery slate of intense matchups across the competition, and when the dust settled in Anaheim, Calif., the 2025 Pokémon World Champions were crowned.
Video Game Junior Division: 
1st place: Luke Whittier [US]
2nd place: Sosuke Arinori [JP]
 
Video Game Senior Division: 
1st place: Kevin Han [US]
2nd place: Sian Lee [KR]
 
Video Game Masters Division: 
1st place: Giovanni Cischke [US]
2nd place: James Evans [US]

Trading Card Game Junior Division: 
1st place: Yuya Okita [JP]
2nd place: Jose Cruz Galindo Resendiz [US]

Trading Card Game Senior Division: 
1st place: Fuguan Liao [CN]
2nd place: Gabriel Fernandez [BR]
 
Trading Card Game Masters Division: 
1st place: Riley McKay [CA]
2nd place: Justin Newdorf [US]
 
Pokémon GO: 
1st place: Ved “Beelzeboy” Bamb [IN]
2nd place: Leo “P4T0M4N” Marín Torres [ES]
 
Pokémon UNITE: 
1st place: PERÚ UNITE [Latin America – South]
2nd place: ZETA DIVISION [Japan]

Keep up to date with the latest news from the 2025 Pokémon World Championships here, and to find out more about the Play! Pokémon program, be sure to visit Play.Pokemon.com.

About Pokémon
The Pokémon Company International, a subsidiary of The Pokémon Company in Japan, manages the property outside of Asia and is responsible for brand management, licensing, marketing, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, the animated TV series, home entertainment and the official Pokémon website. Pokémon was launched in Japan in 1996 and today is one of the most popular children’s entertainment properties in the world. For more information, please visit www.pokemon.co.uk.

About Nintendo
Nintendo Co., Ltd., headquartered in Kyoto, Japan, has been providing a wide range of entertainment products and experiences since its founding in 1889, beginning with the manufacture and sale of Hanafuda playing cards. Since the 1983 release of the Family Computer (Famicom) system in Japan, and continuing through Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo’s focus has been the development, manufacturing, and sale of its gaming systems and software. To date, Nintendo has sold more than 5.9 billion video games and over 860 million hardware units globally, and has created franchises such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, The Legend of Zelda™, Pokémon™, Metroid™, Kirby™, Animal Crossing™, Pikmin™, and Splatoon™. Nintendo strives to expand the number of people who have access to its characters and worlds. Its continuing mission is to put smiles on the faces of everyone it touches with unique entertainment experiences, centered on its integrated video game hardware and software products. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of Europe, based in Frankfurt, Germany, serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in Europe. For more information about Nintendo of Europe, please visit the company’s website at https://www.nintendo.com/eu.

About Niantic, Inc.
Niantic, Inc. builds real-world experiences that foster fun, exploration, discovery and social interaction. Originally incubated within Google, Niantic was founded by John Hanke, who previously helmed the Google Geo team (including Google Maps and Google Earth) after his start-up Keyhole was acquired by Google. The company’s real-world adventure game Ingress has been downloaded more than 14 million times and is played in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. For more information on Niantic, please visit www.nianticlabs.com
 

[1] Any Nintendo Switch Online membership (sold separately) and Nintendo Account required for online features. Membership auto-renews after initial term at the then-current price unless canceled. Not available in all countries. Internet access required for online features. Terms apply. nintendo.com/purchase-terms/
[2] Additional games and systems required for multiplayer mode. Sold separately.

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