London, UK., June 15 — After an electric weekend in New Orleans that saw competitors battle it out in Pokémon Champions, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, Pokémon GO and Pokémon UNITE, the 2026 Pokémon North America International Champions have been crowned. Trainers around the world were also treated to new announcements for PokémonXP and the 2026 Pokémon World Championships taking place in August in San Francisco. Next year’s host for the 2027 Pokémon North America International Championships, Chicago, was also announced. 

First Look at PokémonXP and 2026 Pokémon World Championships Partners 

Trainers in attendance in New Orleans and watching at home via livestream on Pokémon channels were treated to a first look at some of the partners that will be exhibiting at PokémonXP and the 2026 Pokémon World Championships in San Francisco later this year, including LEGO, Santa Cruz, Crocs, Funko, Stern Pinball, Build-A-Bear, Jazwares, Bandai Spirits, Sideshow and more. More information can be found here. 

2026 Pokémon World Championships Paradise Resort Card, Promo Card and Welcome Kit Revealed 

A first look at the much-anticipated 2026 Pokémon World Championships Welcome Kit, Champion’s line, 2026 Paradise Resort card, 2026 Pokémon World Championships promo cards and the PokémonXP promo card were debuted in New Orleans as well, giving Trainers a tease of what they can expect when they make their way to San Francisco later this year. More information can be found here, including how to collect these cards at local stores for those who aren’t able to join their fellow Trainers in San Francisco. 

Pokémon North America International Championships Move to Chicago in 2027 

In 2027, the Pokémon North America International Championships will take place at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago. After a wonderful three years in New Orleans, the competition will head to the Windy City for what is sure to be a thrilling new era of competition for Trainers on their journey to become a North America International Champion. 

2026 North America International Champions Crowned 

Congratulations to all of the competitors who competed across a stirring weekend of competition in New Orleans, and to the 2026 North America International Champions who were crowned this weekend: 

Video Game Junior Division:  1st place: Damon Zhu [NZ] 2nd place: Asher Garrett [US]  Video Game Senior Division:  1st place: Conner Pietrusinski [US] 2nd place: Matteo Boschmans [BE]   Video Game Masters Division:  1st place: Francisco Pio Pero [IT] 2nd place: Eric Rios [ES]  Trading Card Game Junior Division:  1st place: Luke Giffen [US] 2nd place: Annabelle Oono [US]  Trading Card Game Senior Division:  1st place: David Boehmler [US] 2nd place: Hikaru Handa [AU]   Trading Card Game Masters Division:  1st place: James Kowalski [US] 2nd place: Neddy Kosek [CZ]   Pokémon GO:  1st place: Ryan “PsyRhino” Shoushi [US] 2nd place: Sameep “TheTaurian22” Grover [CA]   Pokémon UNITE:  1st place: Dignitas [North America] 2nd place: Evil Geniuses [North America]  Stay up to date with the latest news on PokémonXP and the 2026 Pokémon World Championships, and to find out more about the Play! Pokémon program, be sure to visit Pokemon.com/uk/play-pokemon. 

About The Pokémon Company International 

The Pokémon Company International manages the Pokémon property outside of Asia and is responsible for brand management, licensing, marketing, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, the animated TV series, home entertainment and the official Pokémon website. Pokémon was launched in Japan in 1996 and today is one of the most popular children’s entertainment properties in the world. For more information, please visit www.pokemon.co.uk. 

About Nintendo 

Nintendo Co., Ltd., headquartered in Kyoto, Japan, has been providing a wide range of entertainment products and experiences since its founding in 1889, beginning with the manufacture and sale of Hanafuda playing cards. Since the 1983 release of the Family Computer (Famicom) system in Japan, and continuing through Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo’s focus has been the development, manufacturing, and sale of its gaming systems and software. To date, Nintendo has sold more than 6.1 billion video games and over 860 million hardware units globally, and has created franchises such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, The Legend of Zelda™, Pokémon™, Metroid™, Kirby™, Animal Crossing™, Pikmin™, and Splatoon™. Nintendo strives to expand the number of people who have access to its characters and worlds. Its continuing mission is to put smiles on the faces of everyone it touches with unique entertainment experiences, centered on its integrated video game hardware and software products. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of Europe, based in Frankfurt, Germany, serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in Europe. For more information about Nintendo of Europe, please visit the company’s website at https://www.nintendo.com/eu.