Pokémon World Championships facts for kids
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| Game | Pokémon |
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| Founded | 2004 |
| Owner(s) | The Pokémon Company |
| CEO | Tsunekazu Ishihara |
| Commissioner | Play! Pokémon |
| Divisions |
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| Headquarters | Bellevue, Washington, United States |
| Venue(s) | Rotating locations |
| Official website | Play! Pokémon Events |
The Pokémon World Championships is a super exciting annual event where the best Pokémon players from all over the world come together! It's like the Olympics for Pokémon games. Only players who are invited get to compete.
This big event happens every August. Players battle it out in different Pokémon games. These include the main Pokémon video games, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, Pokémon Go, and Pokémon Unite. Until 2022, Pokkén Tournament was also part of the fun.
Players earn their invitations by doing really well in smaller tournaments throughout the year. They compete for awesome prizes, money for college (scholarships), and the amazing title of World Champion! The Play! Pokémon program helps organize these invitations for most countries, except for Asia.
Contents
History of the Pokémon World Championships
The Pokémon World Championships started in 2004. Back then, it was only for the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG). This was when Pokémon was becoming super popular again!
In 2009, competitive tournaments for the Pokémon video games were added. These are called the Video Game Championships (VGC). Just like in the TCG, players compete in different age groups. These groups are Junior, Senior, and Masters. The best players from these tournaments get invited to the World Championships in August. Each year, the VGC tournaments use the newest main Pokémon video game.
In 2016, Pokkén Tournament joined the championships. It had its own series of tournaments. From 2018, Pokkén Tournament DX was used for these competitions.
A big change happened in 2019. It was announced that the 2020 World Championships would be in London, United Kingdom. This was the first time the event would be held outside North America. This was probably because the Pokémon Sword and Shield games, which were played that year, are set in a region inspired by the UK.
Sadly, the 2020 and 2021 World Championships were cancelled. This was due to health concerns from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2022, a new game joined the championships: Pokémon Unite! It's a team-based game where players work together. Also in 2022, it was announced that the Pokkén Tournament Championship Series would end after that year.
The 2023 World Championships made history! It took place in Yokohama, Japan. This was the first time the event was held in Japan, the country where Pokémon began!
At the end of the 2023 event, it was announced that the Pokémon World Championships will return to Hawaii in 2024. Hawaii last hosted the event in 2012.
Where the World Championships Have Been Held
The Pokémon World Championships have been held in many different cities and countries over the years. Here's a list of where they've taken place:
How Players Qualify for the World Championships
The way players qualify for the Pokémon World Championships changes a bit each year. It also depends on their age and where they live. Some top players can even skip the first day of the championships and go straight to Day 2!
Play! Pokémon Program Qualification
If you live in a country with a Play! Pokémon program (like North America, Europe, Latin America, or Oceania), you earn Championship Points. You get these points by playing in tournaments all season. If you get enough points, you earn an invitation!
In 2015, the program grew to include Latin America and Asia (except Japan and South Korea). But in 2020, Asia got its own way to qualify for the World Championships.
Pokémon GO Championship Series Qualification
In October 2021, Pokémon announced that Pokémon Go would be part of the World Championships. Players can qualify through the Pokémon GO Championship Series. The top two players from this series go to the World Championships. If you reached "Legend rank" in Season 9 of the Pokémon GO Battle League, you could also qualify for the Championship Series.
Pokémon Unite Championship Series Qualification
In January 2022, it was confirmed that Pokémon Unite would also be played at the World Championships. There are eleven main regions for players to compete in. These events are usually for players aged 16 or 18 and older, depending on the region.
Each month, tournaments are held in these regions. Players earn Championship Points based on how well they do. The team with the most points gets to go to the Regional Championships. The best teams from the Regionals then qualify for the Pokémon World Championships!
In 2023, there were even more spots available for Pokémon Unite teams. The prize pool for the 2023 championship was $500,000!
Qualification in Japan & South Korea
Players in Japan and South Korea have a different way to qualify. Their tournaments are run separately from Play! Pokémon.
In Japan, players try to get an invite to the Japan National Championships. They do this by playing in big online or live tournaments. The best players from the Japan National Championships then get to represent Japan at the World Championships.
In South Korea, the qualification rules change often. For example, in 2015, players competed in the Korean National Championships. In 2019, they earned points in the Korean League to get an invite.
Other Ways to Qualify
There are a few other ways to get an invite. If you finish in the top 4 or better at the previous year's World Championships, you might get an invite. Also, there's a "Last Chance Qualifier" tournament held right before the World Championships. If you do well there, you can get in!
List of World Champions
Here are some of the amazing players who have won the Pokémon World Championships in different games and age groups!
Trading Card Game (TCG) Champions
| Year | Juniors (U13) | Seniors (13-16) | Masters (17+) | Ref. |
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| 2004 |  Hayato Sato |
Takuya Yoneda |
Tsuguyoshi Yamato |
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| 2005 |  Curran Hill |
Stuart Benson |
Jeremy Maron |
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| 2006 | Hiroki Yano |
 Miska Saari |
Jason Klaczynski |
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| 2007 | Jun Hasebe |
Jeremy Scharff-Kim |
Tom Roos |
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| 2008 | Tristan Robinson |
Dylan Lefavour |
Jason Klaczynski |
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| 2009 | Tsubasa Nakamura |
Takuto Itagaki |
Stephen Silvestro |
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| 2010 | Yuka Furusawa |
 Jacob Lesage |
Yuta Komatsuda |
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| 2011 |  Gustavo Wada |
 Christopher Kan |
David Cohen |
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| 2012 | Shuto Itagaki |
Chase Moloney |
 Igor Costa |
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| 2013 |  Ondřej Kujal |
Kaiwen Cabbabe |
Jason Klaczynski |
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| 2014 | Haruto Kobayashi |
Trent Orndorff |
Andrew Estrada |
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| 2015 | Rowan Stavenow |
Patrick Martinez |
Jacob Van Wagner |
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| 2016 | Shunto Sadahiro |
 Jesper Eriksen |
Shintaro Ito |
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| 2017 |  Tobias Strømdahl |
Zachary Bokhari |
 Diego Cassiraga |
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| 2018 | Naohito Inoue |
Magnus Pedersen |
 Robin Schulz |
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| 2019 | Haruki Miyamoto |
Kaya Lichtleitner |
Henry Brand |
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| 2022 | Rikuto Ohashi |
Liam Halliburton |
Ondřej Škubal |
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| 2023 |  Shao Tong Yen |
Gabriel Fernandez |
Vance Kelley |
Video Game Championships (VGC) Champions
| Year | Juniors (U13) | Seniors (13-16) | Masters (17+) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Jeremiah Fan |
Kazuyuki Tsuji |
N/A |
| 2010 | Shota Yamamoto |
Ray Rizzo |
N/A |
| 2011 | Brian Hough |
Kamran Jahadi |
Ray Rizzo |
| 2012 | Abram Burrows |
Toler Webb |
Ray Rizzo |
| 2013 | Brendan Zheng |
Hayden McTavish |
 Arash Ommati |
| 2014 | Kota Yamamoto |
Nikolai Zielinski |
 Se Jun Park |
| 2015 | Kotone Yasue |
 Mark McQuillan |
Shoma Honami |
| 2016 | Cory Connor |
Carson Confer |
Wolfe Glick |
| 2017 | Nicholas Kan |
Hong Juyoung |
Ryota Otsubo |
| 2018 | Wonn Lee |
James Evans |
 Paul Ruiz |
| 2019 | Pi Wu |
Ko Tsukide |
Naoto Mizobuchi |
| 2022 | Kosaku Miyamoto |
Yasuharu Shimizu |
Eduardo Cunha |
| 2023 | Sora Ebisawa |
Tomoya Ogawa |
Shohei Kimura |
Pokémon Go Champions
| Year | Seniors (U17) | Masters (17+) |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 |  MEweedle |
DancingRob |
| 2023 | N/A | ItsAXN |
Pokémon Unite Champions
| Year | Team | Players | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | BLVKHVND |
Elo (Angelo Huang) |
Junglebook (Nicholas Kim) |
Kyriaos (Kihyun Lee) |
Overlord98 (William Byrnes III) |
Slashcan (Sean Tucker) |
| 2023 | Luminosity Gaming |
Elo (Angelo Huang) |
Kyriaos (Kihyun Lee) |
Overlord (William Byrnes III) |
Rhinne (Amrit Rama) |
Slash (Sean Tucker) |
Retired Game Champions
Pokkén Tournament & Pokkén Tournament DX Champions
| Year | Seniors (U17) | Masters (17+) |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Woomy!gun (Josh Simmonite) |
Potetin (Masami Sato) |
| 2017 | N/A | Tonosama (Hisaharu Abe) |
| 2018 | Kato (Kato Yusuke) |
ThankSwalot (Jacob Waller) |
| 2019 | Ashgreninja1 (Colin Jones) |
Subutan (Hiroki Ishida) |
| 2022 | Fruitprime (Reuben Staples) |
Shadowcat (Davon Amos-Hall) |
The 2014 World Championships Event
| 2014 | |
Attendees of the 2014 World Championships
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| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Washington, D.C. |
| Dates | August 13–15 |
| Administrator(s) | Play! Pokémon |
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Tournament
format(s) |
Swiss rounds, knock-out finals |
| Venue(s) | Walter E. Washington Convention Center |
| Participants | 155 |
| Purse | US$5,000 in scholarships |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Se Jun Park (Masters) Nikolai Zielinski (Seniors) Kota Yamamoto (Juniors) |
| Runner-up | Jeudy Azzarelli (Masters) Mark Mcquillan (Seniors) London Swan (Juniors) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 481 matches in 3 divisions |
| Attendance | 3,000 |
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The 2014 Pokémon World Championships was the sixth time this big event was held. It took place in Washington, D.C., at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The Pokémon Trading Card Game World Championship was also held there.
For the first time ever, the tournament was shown live on Twitch! More than 800,000 people watched it.
Junichi Masuda, a video game designer for Pokémon, attended the opening ceremony. The final match of the Masters division is very famous. This is because Se Jun Park won using a Pachirisu on his team!
How Players Qualified in 2014
To qualify for the 2014 Pokémon World Championships, players mainly needed Championship Points. They earned these points from official Play! Pokémon tournaments. These included Premier Challenges, Regional Championships, and National Championships.
Also, the top 4 players from the 2013 World Championships got an invite. The top 4 players from a "Last Chance Qualifier" tournament also got to play. This tournament happened the day before the main event.
Many invites did not include a paid trip. So, some players could not attend the tournament.
2014 Tournament Structure and Results
The Masters Division tournament had 60 players. They played six rounds of "Swiss" matches. In Swiss rounds, players play against others with similar win-loss records. Each match was a "best-of-three" series. The top 8 players after these rounds moved on to single-elimination matches.
Final Standings of 2014
| Place | Masters Division | Senior Division | Junior Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Se Jun Park |
Nikolai Zielinski |
Kota Yamamoto |
| 2nd | Jeudy Azzarelli |
Mark Mcquillan |
London Swan |
| 3rd | Collin Heier |
 Eric Rios |
Haruka Narita |
| 4th | Markus Liu |
Ian McLaughlin |
Riku Miyoshi |
The 2015 World Championships Event
| 2015 | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Dates | August 21–23 |
| Administrator(s) | Play! Pokémon |
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Tournament
format(s) |
Swiss rounds, knock-out finals |
| Venue | Hynes Convention Center |
| Purse | $500,000 in scholarships |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Shoma Honami (Masters) Mark McQuillan (Seniors) Kotone Yasue (Juniors) |
| Runner-up | Hideyuki Taida (Masters) Koki Honda (Seniors) Ryan Jaehyun Park (Juniors) |
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The 2015 Pokémon World Championships was the seventh annual event. It was held in Boston, Massachusetts, at the Hynes Convention Center. The Pokémon Trading Card Game World Championships were also held there.
The tournament was streamed live on the official Pokémon Twitch channel.
How Players Qualified in 2015
Players could get an invitation to the Video Game World Championships in two main ways. They could be a champion from the previous year. Or, they could earn enough Championship Points in their region through the Play! Pokémon program. Japan and South Korea had their own separate ways to qualify.
Since 2014, players earned Championship Points from various tournaments. These ranged from small local events to big National Championships. The points helped rank players in different regions like North America, Europe, and South Africa. In 2015, two new regions were added: Latin America and Asia-Pacific.
There were two types of invites:
- A "Day One" invite: This meant you played on the first day of the tournament.
- A "Day Two" invite: This was a special invite that let you skip the first day and start on the second day!
2015 Tournament Structure
The Video Game Championships had two "Swiss" tournaments and one single-elimination tournament. This all happened over three days.
On Friday (Day 1), players with a "Day One" invite played in a Swiss tournament. Players with two or fewer losses moved on. On Saturday (Day 2), these players joined those with "Day Two" invites for another Swiss tournament.
After Day 2, the top eight players moved to single-elimination rounds. The final two players then battled it out on Sunday (Day 3) to become the World Champion!
Final Standings of 2015 (Video Game Championships)
| Place | Junior Division (U13) | Senior Division (13-16) | Masters Division (17+) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Kotone Yasue |
Mark Mcquillan |
Shoma Honami |
| 2nd | Ryan Jaehyun Park |
Koki Honda |
Hideyuki Taida |
| 3rd | Shu Harsaki |
 Max Marjanovic |
Yosuke Isagi |
| 4th | Shuhei Tsukano |
Kylie Chua |
Naohito Mizobuchi |
The 2016 World Championships Event
| 2016 | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | San Francisco, California |
| Dates | August 19–21 |
| Administrator(s) | Play! Pokémon |
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Tournament
format(s) |
Swiss rounds, knock-out finals |
| Venue | San Francisco Marriott Marquis |
| Purse | $500,000 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Wolfe Glick (VGC Masters) Carson Confer (VGC Seniors) Cory Connor (VGC Juniors) Shintaro Ito (TCG Masters) Jesper Eriksen (TCG Seniors) Shunto Sadahiro (TCG Juniors) |
| Runner-up | Jonathan Evans (VGC Masters) Yuki Wata (VGC Seniors) Shu Harasaki (VGC Juniors) Cody Walinski (TCG Masters) Connor Pederson (TCG Seniors) Riku Ushirosako (TCG Juniors) |
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The 2016 Pokémon World Championships was the eighth annual event. It took place in San Francisco, California, from August 19 to August 21.
For the first time, the Pokkén Tournament invitational was part of the championships! It joined the Video Game Championships (VGC) and Trading Card Game (TCG) tournaments. There were also fun side events and an official store with cool merchandise.
Age Groups and How to Qualify in 2016
Both the Pokémon VGC and TCG had three age groups:
- Junior Division (born 2005 or later)
- Senior Division (born between 2001 and 2004)
- Masters Division (born 2000 or earlier)
For Pokkén Tournament, there were two groups: Senior Division (born 2001 or later) and Masters Division (born 2000 or earlier).
To get an invitation, players mostly needed Championship Points. They earned these points by doing well in online and live tournaments during the 2016 season. Players from Japan and South Korea had their own special ways to qualify.
Play! Pokémon divided players into five different regions: US and Canada, Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, and South Africa. Each region had different point requirements.
Players could get two types of invites:
- A "Day One" invite: This meant you played on the first day.
- A "Day Two" invite: This was a special invite that let you skip Day One and start on the second day. "Day Two" invites often came with travel money from Play! Pokémon.
2016 Tournament Structure
The Video Game Championships had two Swiss tournaments and one single-elimination tournament, played over three days.
On Friday (Day 1), players with a "Day One" invite played in a Swiss tournament. Players with two or fewer losses moved on. On Saturday (Day 2), these players joined those with "Day Two" invites for another Swiss tournament.
After Day 2, players with two or fewer losses moved to single-elimination rounds. The final two players then battled it out on Sunday (Day 3) to become the World Champion!
Final Standings of 2016 (Video Game Championships)
| Place | Junior Division (U13) | Senior Division (13-16) | Masters Division (17+) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Cory Connor |
Carson Confer |
Wolfe Glick |
| 2nd | Shu Harasaki |
Yuki Wata |
Jonathan Evans |
| 3rd | Rikuto Noda |
Mostafa Afr |
Markus Stadter |
| 4th | Enzo Reci |
Kazuki Ogushi |
Eduardo Cunha |
Final Standings of 2016 (Trading Card Game)
| Place | Junior Division (U13) | Senior Division (13-16) | Masters Division (17+) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Shunto Sadahiro |
Jesper Eriksen |
Shintaro Ito |
| 2nd | Riku Ushirosako |
Connor Pedersen |
Cody Walinski |
| 3rd | Roan Godfrey-Robbins |
 Rafli Attar |
Samuel Hough |
| 4th | Yuta Ozawa |
Raphael Souto |
Ross Cawthon |
Images for kids
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Attendees of the 2014 World Championships
