2025 Pokémon World Championships
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World Championships |
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| Location | |
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| Venue | Anaheim Convention Center |
| Dates | August 15-17, 2025 |
| Supported games | VGC, TCG, GO, UNITE |
| Regulation set | Regulation Set I |
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| Format | 2025-26 Standard |
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| League | Great League |
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| Map | Theia Sky Ruins Rayquaza |
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The 2025 Pokémon World Championships was held in Anaheim, California, United States on August 15-17, 2025. It was the twentieth invitation-only world championships for players of the Pokémon Trading Card Game, the fifteenth for players of the Pokémon video games, and the fourth for players of Pokémon GO and Pokémon UNITE. It was the seventeenth time the Pokémon World Championships had been held in the U.S., and the third time the event has been held in Anaheim.
For the Championships Sunday, all four branches of the Pokémon World Championships (VGC, TCG, GO, UNITE) are held on one stage with dynamic LED floor lighting indicating specific Pokémon or effects used during each match.
Trading Card Game Championships
The 2025-26 Standard format was used for the Pokémon TCG Championships, allowing all cards with regulation mark G or later; in essence, this includes the entirety of cards released during the Scarlet & Violet Series, with the exception of certain SV-P Promotional cards. Players received invitations from gaining enough Championship Points throughout the year, winning a Regional or Special Event Championships, or finishing in the top 4 at International Championships. The top 4 of each age division from the previous World Championships also received a direct invite.[1]
Day One was composed of Swiss rounds, with players earning enough match points moving on to Day Two. These players continued playing Swiss rounds on Day Two, and at the conclusion of the Swiss rounds players with match points equal to or greater than the 8th placed player in the post Swiss standings were placed in an asymmetrical single elimination bracket, with the finals taking place on Day Three. All games were best of three.
Junior Division
A total of 351 players competed in the Senior Division. Sakuya Ota was the defending champion but was eligible for the Senior Division. He was knocked out on Day One with a final record of 5/3/0.
Yuya Okita became the new Junior Division World Champion with a final record of 12/1/1.
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Championship match | ||||||||||
| Haruki Okunishi Gholdengo ex |
2 | |||||||||||
| Shimpei Yamaguchi Gardevoir ex |
0 | |||||||||||
| Haruki Okunishi Gholdengo ex |
0 | |||||||||||
| Jose Cruz Galindo Resendiz Dragapult Dusknoir |
2 | |||||||||||
| Akito Hirabayashi Ancient Box |
0 | |||||||||||
| Jose Cruz Galindo Resendiz Dragapult Dusknoir |
2 | |||||||||||
| Jose Cruz Galindo Resendiz Dragapult Dusknoir |
0 | |||||||||||
| Yuya Okita Raging Bolt Ogerpon |
2 | |||||||||||
| Minato Iida Marnie's Grimmsnarl ex |
0 | |||||||||||
| Yuya Okita Raging Bolt Ogerpon |
2 | |||||||||||
| Yuya Okita Raging Bolt Ogerpon |
2 | |||||||||||
| Cedrik Balk Milotic ex |
0 | |||||||||||
| Cedrik Balk Milotic ex |
2 | |||||||||||
| Mana Kato Charizard ex |
0 | |||||||||||
Senior Division
A total of 353 players competed in the Senior Division. Evan Pavelski was the defending champion but was eligible for the Masters Division. He was knocked out on Day One with a final record of 3/3/0.
Fuguan Liao became the new Senior Division World Champion and the first Pokémon World Champion from mainland China, with a final record of 11/0/3.
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Championship match | ||||||||||
| Kosei Matsumoto Dragapult Dusknoir |
1 | |||||||||||
| Fuguan Liao Gholdengo Joltik Box |
2 | |||||||||||
| Fuguan Liao Gholdengo Joltik Box |
2 | |||||||||||
| Riku Nishihashi Raging Bolt Ogerpon |
1 | |||||||||||
| Riku Nishihashi Raging Bolt Ogerpon |
2 | |||||||||||
| Eisu Yoshimoto Flareon ex Box |
0 | |||||||||||
| Fuguan Liao Gholdengo Joltik Box |
2 | |||||||||||
| Gabriel Fernandez N's Zoroark ex |
1 | |||||||||||
| Gabriel Fernandez N's Zoroark ex |
2 | |||||||||||
| Leonore Budka Gholdengo ex |
0 | |||||||||||
| Gabriel Fernandez N's Zoroark ex |
2 | |||||||||||
| Joseph Bjerg Gholdengo ex |
0 | |||||||||||
| Joseph Bjerg Gholdengo ex |
2 | |||||||||||
| Zachary Oberelli Dragapult Dusknoir |
1 | |||||||||||
Master Division
A total of 721 players competed in the Masters Division. Fernando Cifuentes was the defending champion and was knocked out on Day Two with a final record of 7/3/1.
Riley McKay became the new Masters Division World Champion with a final record of 12/1/2.
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Championship match | ||||||||||
| Öjvind Svinhufvud Charizard ex |
1 | |||||||||||
| Riley McKay Gardevoir ex |
2 | |||||||||||
| Riley McKay Gardevoir ex |
2 | |||||||||||
| Shizuki Nakagawa Raging Bolt Ogerpon |
0 | |||||||||||
| Shizuki Nakagawa Raging Bolt Ogerpon |
2 | |||||||||||
| Piper Lepine Gholdengo ex |
1 | |||||||||||
| Riley McKay Gardevoir ex |
2 | |||||||||||
| Justin Newdorf Dragapult Dusknoir |
0 | |||||||||||
| Mateusz Łaszkiewicz N's Zoroark ex |
1 | |||||||||||
| Junya Tanaka Charizard ex |
2 | |||||||||||
| Junya Tanaka Charizard ex |
0 | |||||||||||
| Justin Newdorf Dragapult Dusknoir |
2 | |||||||||||
| Marco Cifuentes N's Zoroark ex |
0 | |||||||||||
| Justin Newdorf Dragapult Dusknoir |
2 | |||||||||||
Video Game Championships
Players in territories managed by The Pokémon Company International received invitations from earning Championship Points throughout the year and placing highly enough on the leaderboard at the end of the season (the exact placement needed varied by rating zone and age division). [1] Players in Japan and South Korea (managed by The Pokémon Company and Pokémon Korea) earned invites by placing well in their respective National Championships, which were qualified for via in-game Official Competitions via Battle Stadium. Players in the Asia Pacific region qualified through placing well in their respective countries Master Ball League, which were open entry tournaments. Additionally, the top 4 in each age division from the previous Pokémon World Championships received a direct invite. Starting with this year, any player was able to earn a direct invite by winning a Regional Championship, winning a Special Event, or finishing in the top 4 at an International Championship (previously, these direct invites were only available to players in TPCi managed territories). Unlike previous Pokémon World Championships, no round 1 byes are awarded at the 2025 Pokémon World Championships.[1]
Day One was composed of Swiss rounds, with players earning enough match points moving on to Day Two. These players continued playing Swiss rounds on Day Two, and at the conclusion of the Swiss rounds players with match points equal to or greater than the 8th placed player in the post Swiss standings were placed in an asymmetrical single elimination bracket, with the finals taking place on Day Three. All games were best of three.
Matches took place in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet and were all Double Battles. Levels for all Pokémon were adjusted to level 50 and no duplicate Pokémon or items were allowed. Battles used the Regulation I ruleset, which allowed for every Pokémon available in Scarlet and Violet, except for Mythical Pokémon and Battle Bond Greninja. Players are allowed up to 2 restricted Special Pokémon per team.
Junior Division
Kevin Han was the defending champion but was eligible for the Senior Division.
Luke Whittier of the United States defeated Sosuke Arinori of Japan to become the new Junior Division VGC World Champion, with a final record of 10/2/0.
Senior Division
Ray Yamanaka was the defending champion and finished in the Top 32.
Kevin Han, the Junior Division 2024 World Champion, became the new Senior Division World Champion with an undefeated 13/0/0 final record. After Ray Rizzo, Han is the second VGC player to have won Pokémon World Championships more than once in a row. Han is also the first player to win the VGC Pokémon World Championships in both the Junior and Senior age divisions.
Master Division
Luca Ceribelli was the defending champion and finished in the Top 64.
Giovanni Cischke defeated James Evans to become the new Masters Division VGC World Champion with a final record of 14/1/0.
Pokémon GO Championships
Pokémon GO uses a champions points qualification system, similar to the one used in the Video Game and Trading Card Game Championships. Players received invitations from gaining enough Championship Points throughout the year or from the previous Pokémon World Championships.
Competitors for the Pokémon GO Championships were grouped into four double elimination pods to determine a Top 32. Top 32 competed in another double elimination bracket on Day Two, with grand finals taking place Day Three. The Great League format was utilized. All non-finals matches were best of three, while finals were best of five.
Yekai0904 was the defending champion and was knocked out on Day One.
Ved "Beelzeboy" Bamb became the new Pokémon GO World Champion, and the first Indian Pokémon World Champion.
Pokémon UNITE Championships

Teams qualified for the Pokémon UNITE Championships by having the most Championship Points within their regional zone, winning their Regional Finals, or winning the Aeos Cup or Final Stretch tournaments. Regional zones had the following number of invitations: four from Asia-Pacific West and Asia-Pacific East; three from North America, Europe, Latin America - North, and Japan; two from Brazil and Latin America - South; and one from Oceania, Korea, and India.
All matches were 5-on-5 and took place on Theia Sky Ruins. Players were allowed to play on any of the three available platforms for the game (Nintendo Switch, iOS/iPadOS, Android). Day One had the teams compete in a best of three Single Round Robin bracket to determine Top 16. On Day Two, the Top 16 competed in a best of three single elimination bracket, with semifinals and finals being best of five.
The team FENNEL were the defending champions but did not attend Worlds this year. Other teams were invited to Worlds but ended up withdrawing or unable to attend; the Peruvian team INFAMOUS cited visa issues as their reason for not attending.[2]
The team PERÚ UNITE from Peru (Axel "Khea" Xavier Rivas Perez, Erick "Zynuz" Jean Bartolo Cotrinae, Salvador "DrakenN" Vasquez, Jose "Anemo" Arias, Jeremy "Tempo" Wilman Rivas Nunura, and Carlos "Carlo" Arias) defeated Japan's ZETA DIVISION to become the new Pokémon Unite World Champions.
| Top 16 | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Championship match | ||||||||||||||
| Latin America - North | STMN Esports | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| Latin America - South | PERÚ UNITE | 2 | Latin America - South | PERÚ UNITE | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Brazil | Aegis Flames | 2 | Brazil | Aegis Flames | 0 | ||||||||||||
| Japan | INSOMNIA | 1 | Latin America - South | PERÚ UNITE | 3 | ||||||||||||
| Europe | Nouns Esports | 2 | North America | Luminosity Gaming | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Asia Pacific - East | Talon | 0 | Europe | Nouns Esports | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Japan | QT DIG | 0 | North America | Luminosity Gaming | 2 | ||||||||||||
| North America | Luminosity Gaming | 2 | Latin America - South | PERÚ UNITE | 3 | ||||||||||||
| Korea | Team Ex | 2 | Japan | ZETA DIVISION | 1 | ||||||||||||
| North America | Orange Juicers | 1 | Korea | Team Ex | 0 | ||||||||||||
| Asia Pacific - East | Hi5 | 0 | Japan | ZETA DIVISION | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Japan | ZETA DIVISION | 2 | Japan | ZETA DIVISION | 3 | ||||||||||||
| Asia Pacific - West | CakeKaLok | 2 | Latin America - North | Santos Laguna | 0 | ||||||||||||
| Asia Pacific - West | Paper Rex | 0 | Asia Pacific - West | CakeKaLok | 0 | ||||||||||||
| Japan | REJECT | 0 | Latin America - North | Santos Laguna | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Latin America - North | Santos Laguna | 2 | |||||||||||||||
Distributions
Several Pokémon and item distributions were made through serial codes and live stream Twitch Drops throughout the event.
Event Pokémon
This Toedscool was distributed via serial code to attendees.
| Wonder Card 524 | Worlds25’s Toedscool Gift | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| This Pokémon's Scale value is random. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This Pokémon may only be redeemed once per save file. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date received is the date on the system when the gift is redeemed. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This Pokémon is set to the same language as the game that received it. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In addition, this Farigiraf is based on 2024 VGC Masters Division Champion Luca Ceribelli's Farigiraf and was distributed alongside the event with the password W0RLDSARM0RTA1L.
| Wonder Card 525 | Luca's Farigiraf Gift | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| This Pokémon has a fixed Scale value of 128. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This Pokémon may only be redeemed once per save file. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date received is the date on the system when the gift is redeemed. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This Pokémon is Italian in origin, regardless of the language of the game. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other games

- The code
Z3USC2JQS9LWNgave players a white T-shirt featuring the Pikachu from the event's key art.[3] An alternate yellow-colored version of the shirt is distributed at Anaheim for event attendees.[4] - The following are rewarded via Twitch Drops:
- For the first 24 hours of the event (August 15), watching one of the official Pokémon GO Twitch channels for 30 minutes gave players a code for a Timed Research that rewards a Skarmory, inspired by Yekai0904's World Champion Skarmory.[4] Alternatively, the following code may be used until August 31, 2025:
NG94RKDHXWMUL.[3] - For the second 24 hours of the event (August 16), watching one of the official Pokémon GO Twitch channels for 30 minutes gave players a code for a Timed Research with three branching paths, each one rewarding either of the following Pokémon: Lapras, Sableye, and Lileep; or Squirtle, Stunfisk, and Inkay; or Sentret, Paldean Wooper, and Wimpod.[4] Alternatively, the following code may be used until August 31, 2025:
V7L7NS9HRKSL4.[3] - From August 15 - 18, watching a Pokémon GO co-streaming partner Twitch channel for 30 minutes rewarded a Costumed Pikachu (Pikachu with a varsity jacket) Timed Research.[5][6] Alternatively, the following code may be used until August 31, 2025:
JST9U45YFXGNQ.[3]
- For the first 24 hours of the event (August 15), watching one of the official Pokémon GO Twitch channels for 30 minutes gave players a code for a Timed Research that rewards a Skarmory, inspired by Yekai0904's World Champion Skarmory.[4] Alternatively, the following code may be used until August 31, 2025:

- The code
WCS25TCGLgave players a copy of each of the following: Hilda, N's Plan, Tynamo, Eelektrik, Eelektross. All cards are in their Illustration Rare and Ultra Rare prints. - The following are rewarded via Twitch Drops:
- From August 15 - 17, watching the official PokemonTCG Twitch channel for 30 minutes rewarded the following Illustration Rare and Special Illustration Rare prints of these cards: Deino, Zweilous, and Hydreigon ex. Watching the official PokemonTCG Twitch channel for 90 minutes rewarded a deck box, card sleeves, and a coin featuring the Worlds 2025 key art.
- From August 15 - 17, watching a Pokémon Trading Card Game co-streaming partner Twitch channel rewarded a copy of each of the following: Hilda, N's Plan, Frillish, Jellicent ex, and an alternate art 2025 Pokémon World Championships deck box, coin, and card sleeves. All cards are in their Illustration Rare and Special Illustration Rare prints.[5]
- From August 15 - 17, watching the official PokemonTCG Twitch channel for 30 minutes rewarded a gift code that can be redeemed for 12 Wonder Hourglasses and 12 Pack Hourglasses.
- The code
WORLDS25gave players a 2025 Pokémon World Championships sticker (August 15 - 22, 2025). - From the start of the event until the finals, watching the official PokémonUNITE Twitch channel for 30 minutes rewarded a platinum Murkrow Boost Emblem, 500 Aeos coins, and a Gift Box that contains a randomized selection from the following: Jersey Select Box, License Select Box, Fashion Select Box.
Other
The Toyota Engineering Society Miraidon model, created for the Toyota Miraidon Project in 2023, was put on display at the event venue.
Related articles
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Pokémon Championship Series (2025). Pokemon.com
- ↑ (August 6, 2025). Tweet by Gøhan. (@CapyGohan04). Twitter.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Twitch Drops for 2025 Pokémon World Championships — Leek Duck
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 2025 Pokémon World Championships — Rewards
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 2025 Pokémon World Championships — Co-Streaming
- ↑ (August 12, 2025). "Get codes for exclusive Timed Research during the 2025 Pokémon GO World Championships Twitch broadcast." Pokémon GO Official Website.
External links
- VGC tournament rules:
- Event site
- RK9 event landing
| This article is part of both Project TCG and Project Games, Bulbapedia projects that, together, aim to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon Trading Card Game and Video Game Championship Tournaments. |