The UK will play host to the Pokémon World Championships in 2020, it’s been confirmed.
The announcement came during the closing ceremony of the 2019 World Championships, which took place in Washington on the weekend. It was later confirmed on the official Pokémon Twitter account:
You don’t have to ask us twice!
Trainers, the 2020 Pokémon World Championships will be held in London, England! ?? pic.twitter.com/BKWEVQRp9R
— Pokémon @ #PokemonWorlds (@Pokemon) August 18, 2019
The news comes after it was announced that a Pokémon pop-up shop will be opening in London this October.
The Pokémon World Championships is an invitation-only event held in a different location every year, for which players can qualify by competing in various local, regional, and international tournaments.
The best trainers from around the world attended the 16th annual event in Washington last weekend, playing Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, Pokken Tournament DX and the the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG). More than 7,000 players and fans attended live.
Young British player Teddy French finished runner-up in the Junior Division of the 2019 Pokémon Video Game World Championships on the weekend, losing out to Taiwan’s Pi Wu in the final. This division is for those born in 2008 or later.
This year’s champions were awarded a one-of-a-kind Pokémon World Championships trophy (one of which broke after the winner received it), an invitation to the 2020 Pokémon World Championships, and a monetary prize in the form of a scholarship, cash prize, or Travel Certificate. The prize pool this year totaled more than $500,000.
2019 winners and runners-up
2019 POKÉMON TRADING CARD GAME WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Junior Division Finalists
World Champion: Haruki Miyamoto [JPN]
Second Place: Isaac Terceira [USA]
Senior Division Finalists
World Champion: Kaya Lichtleitner [DEU]
Second Place: Grant Shen [USA]
Masters Division Finalists
World Champion: Henry Brand [AUS]
Second Place: Shintaro Ito [JPN]
2019 POKÉMON VIDEO GAME WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Junior Division Finalists
World Champion: Pi Wu [TWN]
Second Place: Teddy French [GBR]
Senior Division Finalists
World Champion: Ko Tsukide [JPN]
Second Place: Lewis Tan [AUS]
Masters Division Finalists
World Champion: Naoto Mizobuchi [JPN]
Second Place: Hirofumi Kimura [JPN]
2019 POKKÉN TOURNAMENT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Senior Division Finalists
World Champion: ashninja1 [USA]
Second Place: Kato [JPN]
Masters Division Finalists
World Champion: Subutan [JPN]
Second Place: Haruyuki [JPN]
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
Where in London is the championship?
I don’t believe the venue has been announced yet.
Yeah plz