Pokémon World Championships 2026 Set For Chase Center in San Francisco

Richard Janvrin
By: Richard Janvrin
Esports
Pokémon World Championships 2026 Set For Chase Center in San Francisco

Photo by rawpixel.com, CC0 1.0

Key Takeaways

  • The 2026 Pokémon World Championships will be held in San Francisco, California
  • Finals across multiple Pokémon esports titles and trading card game will take place at Chase Center
  • Nearly 3,000 competitors will compete in VGC, TCG, UNITE, and more

Along with a unique fan experience, the 2026 Pokémon World Championship will take place in San Francisco, California, USA

The event will take place from August 28 to 30, with video game and trading card tournaments. 

More on the Announcement

News about the World Championship came during Pokémon Presents on February 27, which marked the 30th anniversary of the Pokémon franchise. 

The Pokémon World Championship will feature Pokémon Go, Pokémon UNITE, and Pokémon Champions. 

Pokémon Champions will be released in April 2026, as revealed in Pokémon Presents. 

There will also be a Pokémon trading card game tournament to determine the best player in the world. 

“The 2026 Pokémon World Championships will once again welcome nearly 3,000 competitors from all over the world,” said Chris Brown, Director of Global Esports and Events at The Pokémon Company. “As the world Championships evolved, we saw an opportunity to expand even further and deliver a one-of-a-kind experience where Trainers around the world can come together in celebrating their fandom.”

The final matches of all tournaments will occur at the Chase Center. 

This is the same venue that's home to the Golden State Warriors, but it also hosted the League of Legends World Championship in 2022, when T1 won. 

Pokémon Esports Evolution

Pokémon has been around for 30 years, and now, its esports scene continues to grow with global events. 

Last year, the World Championship featured winners such as Giovanni Cischke, Riley McKay, and the South American side of Peru in the VGC, TCG, and UNITE tournaments.

That event took place in Anaheim, California. 

As for 2024, VGC reached a peak viewership of 123,878, a 39% increase from 2023's 74,354. That was the most-watched Pokémon esports event, per Esports Charts

Richard Janvrin is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire. He started writing as a teenager before breaking into sports coverage professionally in 2015. From there, he entered the iGaming space in 2018 and has covered numerous aspects, including news, reviews, bonuses/promotions, sweepstakes casinos, legal, and more.