Trainers from around the world converged in Anaheim, California for the 2025 Pokémon World Championships (August 15–17, 2025), the premier global tournament for the franchise's competitive games press.pokemon.com. Over the three-day event, competitors battled in four disciplines – the Pokémon Video Game Championships (VGC), the Trading Card Game (TCG), Pokémon GO, and Pokémon UNITE – vying for world titles. When the dust settled, new world champions had been crowned in each category. The event also set the stage for 2026 by announcing next years championship venue and new additions to the Pokémon esports lineup.

Pokémon Video Game Championships (VGC)

Team USA dominated the VGC competitions. In fact, Americans claimed all three age-division titles in the Scarlet & Violet Video Game Championships. Junior division champion Luke Whittier and Senior division winner Kevin Han each brought home titles for the USA , and the Masters title was won by Giovanni Cischke (USA) . In the Masters final, Cischke faced compatriot James Evans and emerged victorious 2–1esportsinsider.com – marking Cischke's first World Championship victory in Pokémon VGC. Overall, the United States swept the VGC side of Worlds, taking Gold in Masters, Seniors, and Juniors :

• Masters: Giovanni Cischke (USA) – defeated James Evans (USA) 2–1 in the final.
• Senior: Kevin Han (USA) – claimed the Senior division title .
• Junior: Luke Whittier (USA) – took the Junior division crown .

Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG)

In Pokémon TCG, Canada's Riley McKay had a dominant run. McKay defeated most of his playoff opponents, including a victory over Justin Newdorf in the Masters final , to claim his first-ever TCG World Championship. His triumph in the Masters division earned McKay a $50,000 first-place prize. Other division winners were China's Fuguan Liao (Senior division) and Japans Yuya Okita (Junior division). In summary, the TCG finals saw:

• Masters: Riley McKay (Canada) – beat Justin Newdorf (USA) to win the Masters title (earning $50,000).
• Senior: Fuguan Liao (China) – topped the Senior division.
• Junior: Yuya Okita (Japan) – took the Junior division championship.

McKay's victory completes a milestone in his career – he now holds a Pokémon World Championship trophy in TCG.

Pokémon UNITE Championship

The Pokémon UNITE finals produced a surprise champion. South American team PERÚ UNITE – representing the Latin America South region – stormed through the bracket to win the UNITE title. Despite finishing second in their initial group, PERÚ went on a Cinderella run: they upset North American favorites Luminosity Gaming in the semifinals and then defeated Japan's ZETA Division in the Grand Final. In the end, Team PERÚ UNITE was crowned 2025 Pokémon UNITE World Champions, marking the first World Championship title for this squad.

Pokémon GO Championship

The Pokémon GO Masters division was won by Ved “Beelzeboy” Bamb of India. Bamb had placed fourth at last years GO World Championship, but in 2025 he captured the crown by beating Spain's Leo “P4T0M4N” Marín in a two-set Grand Final (3–1 and 3–2). This victory by Ved “Beelzeboy” Bamb is historic – he is the first Indian player ever to win a Pokémon World Championship title.

In short:

• Pokémon GO Masters Champion: Ved “Beelzeboy” Bamb (India) – defeated Leo “P4T0M4N” Marín (Spain) to take the title.

Bamb's win highlights the growing global reach of Pokémon esports.

Also Read This Post By @Akshay Naik : A Moment of Glory: India's Beelzeboy is the 2025 Pokémon Go World Champion 

Looking Ahead to 2026

The closing ceremonies in Anaheim also looked forward to 2026. Next years World Championships will move to San Francisco. The event will feature two venues: the Chase Center arena (home of esports events) will host the Championship Sunday finals, and the Moscone Center will host a new fan expo called PokémonXP. Multiday passes for the San Francisco Worlds will go on sale starting Sept. 17, 2025. Additionally, 2026 will see the debut of Pokémon Champions, a new free-to-start strategy video game for Switch and mobile that will serve as the platform for the VGC competition. (Pokémon Champions will include features like Mega Evolution – for example, a Mega Dragonite – when it launches) In summary, the announcements for 2026 include:

• 2026 Championship Venue: San Francisco, with finals at Chase Center and a fan event at Moscone Center.
• Pokémon XP: A new fan experience at Moscone Center to run alongside Worlds.
• Pokémon Champions: A new free-to-play VGC game launching in 2026 with Mega Evolution mechanics.

With Anaheim 2025 complete, the Pokémon competitive scene looks ahead to an exciting new chapter in San Francisco next year.

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