The 2026 Pokémon World Championships arrive in San Francisco from 28 to 30 August — and for the first time ever, they run alongside PokémonXP, an all-new official fan convention celebrating 30 years of the franchise. Whether you are a competitive player tracking your region’s qualifiers or a fan who simply wants to watch the world’s best trainers battle it out, here is everything Singapore and Southeast Asia fans need to know.
Four Formats, One Stage — Including Pokémon Champions’ Debut
This year’s championship features four competitive formats. The big addition is Pokémon Champions, The Pokémon Company’s new video game title, which makes its debut at Worlds 2026 for the VGC format. Alongside it, the Pokémon Trading Card Game runs on the 2026-27 Standard format, Pokémon GO uses Great League rules, and Pokémon UNITE brings team-based MOBA competition to the stage.
Preliminary rounds and Swiss matches take place at the Moscone Center on 28–29 August. Championship Sunday on 30 August is the Grand Finals — and for the first time at Worlds, the VGC and TCG finals move to the Chase Center, home of the Golden State Warriors, for a proper arena experience.
Southeast Asia at Pokémon Worlds 2026
Southeast Asia is well represented this year. In Pokémon UNITE, the Singapore and Malaysia combined qualifier sent TeamMYS (Malaysia) through to San Francisco. Other SEA teams making the trip include Team Nemesis from the Philippines, Strong Basketball Player 1 from Thailand, and ONIC Rise and Tryhard from Indonesia.
For Pokémon GO, Singapore players competed through the Pokémon GO Asia Championship Series 2026 Great League qualifier, which covered Singapore as part of the APAC bracket; top-ranked players from that series earned a Day 1 spot at Worlds. For VGC and TCG, SEA players earned Championship Points through sanctioned live tournaments across the 2025-26 season to qualify individually.
PokémonXP — Pokémon’s First Fan Convention Alongside Worlds
New this year: PokémonXP, an official fan event running concurrently with the championships at the Moscone Center and the adjacent Yerba Buena Gardens. It is Pokémon’s first dedicated convention experience tied to a World Championships, and it is open to fans who are not competing — you do not need to be a qualified competitor to attend.
The programming spans panels with TCG illustrators and franchise creators, a hands-on Workshop Zone where attendees can make their own Pokémon crafts, a PlayLab for beginners, an Autograph Room with special guests, and cosplay showcases. There is also a pop-up Pokémon Center store selling exclusive merchandise and the Worlds 2026 Champion Line.
Qualified competitors receive a Welcome Kit on-site that includes a San Francisco 2026 backpack, a Crown Pikachu plush, a lanyard, a Competitor cap, a Pokémon TCG deck box, a playmat, and a t-shirt. The kit also includes an exclusive promo TCG card: Paradise Resort, a Trainer Stadium card illustrated by Naoki Saito that reduces Psyduck retreat costs — and already looks like a must-have collectible.
How to Watch Pokémon Worlds 2026 Free from Singapore
All four formats are streamed live and free. Tune in at the Play! Pokémon Broadcast Hub, on the Official Pokémon YouTube channel, or on the Official Pokémon Twitch channel. A Japanese-language stream also runs on YouTube and Niconico.
Be prepared for late nights: preliminary rounds begin at roughly 9am PDT (midnight–1am SGT) each day, with matches running through to late afternoon PDT. Championship Sunday on 30 August starts with Pokémon UNITE, followed by Pokémon GO, the TCG final, and finally the VGC Grand Final — the last match could run into the early hours of 31 August SGT.
The upside: Twitch Drops are active. Watch via a linked Twitch account during the live streams to earn a battle-ready Blastoise in Pokémon Champions, special illustration rare cards in Pokémon TCG Live, and more in-game rewards. Details are on the Pokémon Championship Series site.
Heading to San Francisco? The pre-event Pokémon Worlds Night at Oracle Park with the San Francisco Giants takes place on 27 August — the night before Worlds opens — with a limited Pikachu jersey giveaway and a post-game drone show. Ticket info is available through the Giants’ official site.
More details and the full daily schedule are available at worlds.pokemon.com and pokemonxp.com. For more Pokémon coverage, check out our game news section.