The 2026 Pokémon World Championships land at Moscone Center and Chase Center this August. New SF-themed promo cards just dropped, and the single-day ticket interest list closes June 18.

The Pokémon Company just revealed the promo card for the 2026 World Championships, and it's exactly what you'd hope for: a Pikachu squaring off against a Gardevoir with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. The card arrives alongside a hard logistical deadline — the single-day ticket interest list for the event closes Wednesday, June 18.

The championship runs August 28–30 in San Francisco, with preliminary rounds filling all three Moscone Center buildings (Howard Street, SoMa) and Championship Sunday finals moving to Chase Center in Mission Bay. About 3,000 competitors from around the world are expected; this is SF's second time hosting the event.

Tickets aren't sold directly — The Pokémon Company uses a randomized interest-list system where applicants are drawn at random, then given 72 hours to check out. The multi-day pass window closed in April, but single-day passes are still in play:

  • Friday or Saturday: $60 adult / $40 youth (6–17)
  • Sunday: $40 all ages / under 5 free
  • Each pass covers the holder plus one adult and up to three youth guests

Single-day selections are announced in mid-July. Sign up at pokemon.com before Wednesday.

Running alongside the competition is PokémonXP, a concurrent fan festival with panels, cosplay competitions, and exhibitors including LEGO, Funko, and Crocs. The attached Pokémon Center pop-up is attendees-only, with competitors getting first priority.

Four promo cards have been confirmed. The standard Pikachu (#133/M-P) — the card circulating on social this week — hits GameStop and select retail August 21–30; a winner-stamped version of the same design goes only to division champions (Junior, Senior, Masters) and past champion promos have cleared several hundred dollars on the secondary market. A competitor-only Paradise Resort card and an attendee Rayquaza for PokémonXP round out the set.

Total prize pool: $2 million-plus, with the Pokémon GO division alone offering $100,000.

Insider note: The Pokémon Center pop-up at Moscone is strictly for registered pass-holders and competitors — no walk-up access. If the fan experience (not the competition) is the goal, the PokémonXP single-day pass is your cleaner path in.