Pokémon World Championships 2025: Everything you need to know
The Pokémon World Championships 2025 are taking place in Anaheim this year
- Published
The best Pokémon players in the world are taking part in the 2025 World Championships.
It's the biggest and most important Pokémon tournament around, attracting some of the very best trainers to compete.
Thousands of pokémon fans from all over the globe have gathered for the event, which takes place from 15 August to 17 August in Anaheim in California in the US.
With a total prize pool of $2,000,000 (around £1,470,000) and the title of world champion up for grabs, there's a lot at stake.
Take a look below to find out more about the tournament...
- Published20 August 2024
- Published25 February
- Published26 February 2024
What are the Pokémon World Championships?
Rhys tells us all about the Pokémon World Championships (from 2023)
The tournament takes place each year and attracts the very best players of all ages to compete for thousands of pounds of prize money, and to prove that they are the greatest in the world.
Players taking part in the tournament can compete in four different categories:
Trading Card Game (TCG), Video Game Competition (VGC), Pokémon GO! and Pokémon Unite.
Players competing in the TCG tournament play with pokemon cards
TCG is played with Pokémon cards and VGC is played using the Scarlet and Violet game on the Nintendo Switch console.
Pokemon GO! is played on mobile phones, and Pokémon Unite is played on mobile, or Switch consoles.
The TCG and VG competitions are split into three age groups: Junior (12 years old and under), Senior (13-16) and Masters (17 and up).
Players can win by using a mixture of strategy and skill to out-think their opponent.
Players competing in VGC use a switch console to battle each other
Regular fans were also able to buy tickets to attend the event, where they can watch the Championships from big viewing galleries, and take part in special themed activities and exhibitions.
The competition is also streamed online.
What can you win at the Pokémon World Championships?
Some of the winners from the 2024 Pokemon World Championships
Players competing in the Pokemon World Championships can earn money, merch and a ticket to the Championships next year.
The total prize pool in 2025 is $2,000,000 (around £1,470,000) and is split between the winners of each category.
First, second and third place winners will also earn a trophy.
The winners will also earn their invitation to the next year's World Championships.
Where are the Pokémon World Championships taking place this year?
Harrison from the UK travelled to Hawaii for the World Championships in 2024 and sent us this report.
In 2025 the Pokémon World Championships are taking place at the Anaheim Convention Center in California in the US.
It is the third time the Championships have taken place in Anaheim.
In 2024 Worlds took place in Honolulu, the capital city of Hawaii.
In 2023 the Championships were held in Tokyo, in Japan, for the very first time - which was a big deal because Pokémon was created in Japan. (You might remember Newsround went along!)
In 2022 the Championships came to London in the UK, after the tournament was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, becoming the first time that Worlds had taken place in Europe.
Who can play in the Pokémon World Championships?
Oliver is from the UK and won the TCG Junior European Championships in 2025 - and is competing in the 2025 Pokemon World Championships
To be invited to compete in the World Championships players must have earned enough Championship Points, which are gained by competing in local competitions around the world throughout the year.
The better you do in those competitions, the more points you earn, increasing your chances of qualifying.
People of all ages and genders can take part in the competitions.
But, in 2025 the organisers made some changes to the rules on how players qualify for the World Championships.
However, in 2025 this changed so that each region only has a set number of players able to qualify in each age division.
When was the first Pokémon World Championships?
The Pokemon World Championships were held in London in the UK for the first time in 2022.
The first ever Pokémon World Championships was held in 2004, and just featured the Trading Card Game (TCG).
This took place in Florida, in the US.
The video game category was added in 2008.
2025's World Championships is the 20th tournament to be held across the world, with many of them taking place in North America.
Do you think you have what it takes to compete in the World Championships? Or, is there another game you think you would win a World Championship in? Let us know in the comments.