2025 Pokémon World Championships Closing Ceremonies Recap

We’ve reached the end of the 2025 Pokémon World Championships, but before we said goodbye to sunny California, Mr. Tsunekazu Ishihara, the President & 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 GO, Pokémon TCG Pocket, Pokémon UNITE, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, and Pokémon Champions. As one final surprise, Mr. Ishihara also revealed the date and location of PokémonXP, a new celebration of all things Pokémon.

Rally with millions of Trainers worldwide for the grand conclusion of this year’s GO Fest with the Pokémon GO Fest 2025: Max Finale event! This unticketed event can be joined from anywhere in the world with the free GO Pass: Max Finale!

Trainers level 13 and above can brave a weeklong gauntlet of raids, Max Battles, and more for the chance to battle and catch every Dynamax and Gigantamax Pokémon that has ever appeared in Pokémon GO—plus the newly arrived Legendary Pokémon Eternatus makes its global Pokémon GO debut.

Mega Evolution is coming to Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket this fall! Get excited for the ever-fluffy Mega Altaria, the ghastly Mega Gyarados, and Mega Blaziken as they make their Pokémon TCG Pocket debuts as powerful Mega Evolution Pokémon ex.

Get ready to battle on Aeos Island like never before! Theia Sky Ruins returns with a new twist, and three more Pokémon will be making their Pokémon UNITE debut: Empoleon, Dhelmise, and Vaporeon. Trainers can also look forward to the debut of Groudon, a Legendary Pokémon from the Hoenn region, taking over for Rayquaza in the final stretch!

Mega Charizard X is returning to the Pokémon TCG—this time as a powerful Mega Evolution Pokémon ex. Watch the video for cool visuals of the Flame Pokémon in battle, in addition to a sneak peek at Mega attack rare Mega Charizard X ex*, Mega Gardevoir ex*, and Mega Lucario ex*. There’s also a teaser for new Mega Evolution Pokémon ex coming to the Pokémon TCG in 2026, including a reveal of the always-adorable Mega Dragonite ex*!

*Cards shown in footage are under development.

Watch the latest Pokémon Legends: Z-A gameplay trailer for a peek at the Z-A Battle Club’s real-time Link Battles! In four-player Ranked Battles, Trainers around the world will try to climb the ranks by defeating as many of each other’s Pokémon as they can within a three-minute time limit. You can also join up to three of your friends in Private Battles using local communication or the internet.

Watch the latest Pokémon Championships Trailer for a variety of updates, including one especially exciting for our Worlds competitors—Pokémon Champions is set to be the official platform for Pokémon VGC battles at the 2026 Pokémon World Championships in San Franciso, CA.

San Francisco is not only the site of the 2026 Pokémon World Championships—it is also set to host the very first PokémonXP! Look forward to an event that celebrates all things Pokémon, taking place August 28–30 at the Moscone Center in downtown San Francisco. There will be featured panels, unique workshops, special guests, exclusive merchandise, and so much more, so you won’t want to miss it. Join the fun and pick up a multiday pass when they go on sale September 17, 2025, with more details available on the official PokémonXP and Worlds websites.

Thank you for joining us this year at the 2025 Pokémon World Championships to celebrate the love of Pokémon and the spirit of friendly competition! You can always find more details and news about this and future events at the official Worlds website.