PokémonXP and the 2026 Pokémon World Championships Closing Ceremonies Recap

PokémonXP and the 2026 Pokémon World Championships took over San Francisco, California, all weekend long, igniting the passionate fervor of fans from all over the globe. The events and battles are over, but we had plenty to share during the weekend at exclusive PokémonXP panels and made our proper goodbye to San Francisco at the 2026 Worlds Closing Ceremony.

Over the weekend at PokémonXP, news was shared regarding the highly anticipated Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d & Pichu series, as well as a future update to the hit app Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) Pocket.

Following the conclusion of the 2026 Pokémon World Championships, Mr. Tsunekazu Ishihara, the President and CEO of The Pokémon Company, discussed some exciting new information during the event’s closing ceremonies. In addition to news about the Pokémon Trading Card Game, he shared updates about Pokémon Champions, Pokémon GO, Pokémon UNITE, and an upcoming animated film. As one final surprise, Mr. Ishihara also revealed the date and location of next year’s World Championships!

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Fans were treated to a special “Behind the Scenes with Aardman—Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d & Pichu” presentation at PokémonXP. Pokémon’s Phil Rynda, Director of Original Animation, was joined by key creatives from one of Britain’s most celebrated animation studios, Aardman.

Aardman’s Tom Parkinson (Director), Nat McKay (Creative Director, IP Development), and James Young (Model Making Creative Lead) shared behind-the-scenes details on how the series came together, and revealed Disney+ as the exclusive worldwide streaming home for the series.

Beginning October 2026, players will be able to expand their card collections in the globally popular Pokémon TCG Pocket app with the introduction of dual-type Pokémon in the game’s next series. More information will be available at a later date.

After the Pokémon UNITE Grand Finals, Morpeko, Toxtricity, Jolteon, and Flareon were announced as the latest playable Pokémon coming soon to Pokémon UNITE. Stay tuned for further updates on their unique moves and roles in the game.

The power of Mega Evolution is expanding in Pokémon GO! Get ready to bring your Mega-Evolved Pokémon into all levels of the GO Battle League and take advantage of a special third Charged Attack exclusive to Mega-Evolved Pokémon. You’ll be able to start battling with these Mega-Evolved Pokémon in all levels of the GO Battle League once GO Fest 2026: Mega Finale begins. The event also teases the return of Armored Mewtwo, so you won’t want to miss it.

Mega Lucario Z is making its Pokémon TCG debut as a powerful Mega Evolution Pokémon ex. Watch the video for first looks at Mega Lucario Z ex* and Sigilyph ex*, and fancy visuals highlighting sneak peeks at Mega attack rare cards featuring Mega Darkrai ex*, Mega Zygarde ex*, Mega Greninja ex*, and Mega Rayquaza ex*. There’s also a teaser featuring a new series logo: ex★!

*Cards shown are under development and may differ from the final products.

A short trailer was shown announcing the all-new movie Pokémon: Wild Card. The animated trailer featured a Pokémon TCG player and Mimikyu, the Disguise Pokémon. Stay tuned for more details about this upcoming feature-length animated film!

Pokémon that can undergo Z Mega Evolution will make their debut in Pokémon Champions on September 9, 2026! Look forward to battling with Mega Lucario Z, Mega Garchomp Z, and Mega Absol Z. You’ll also see Rillaboom and Baxcalibur—two Pokémon that have made their mark in the Pokémon Championship Series. Mega Heatran was also revealed, so stay tuned for more details.

The 2027 Pokémon World Championships will make its return to Asia, visiting beautiful Singapore for the very first time. Trainers will compete and fans will celebrate at Singapore EXPO over the weekend of August 13–15, 2027.

Thank you for joining us this year at PokémonXP and the 2026 Pokémon World Championships to celebrate the love of Pokémon and the spirit of friendly competition!