The 2026 Pokémon World Championships ran August 28–30 in San Francisco, and Championship Sunday moved to Chase Center for the finals — the largest venue to ever host a Pokémon event, and a sellout. Fitting, given this year doubled as the franchise's 30th-anniversary celebration.
Masters Division: Andrew Hedrick
Andrew Hedrick (USA) took the Masters Division title piloting Dragapult ex, the deck that had defined the format all season, finishing the event 13-2-0. He beat 2017 World Champion Diego Cassiraga in the final. Reigning champion Riley McKay didn't get the chance to defend the title, eliminated on Day Two.
Senior & Junior Divisions
Jake Ng took the Senior Division with an Alakazam build out of the Mega Evolution expansion — a genuine departure from the Dragapult mirror matches dominating much of the bracket. In the Junior Division, Yuta Araki won a Dragapult ex mirror against Luke Giffen to close out the youngest title of the weekend.
What's next
The 2027 World Championships were announced for Singapore during the closing ceremony, alongside the surprise reveal of "Pokémon: Wild Card" — the franchise's next theatrical film, which we covered separately. As the format resets heading into the new season, it'll be worth watching whether Dragapult ex holds its grip on the format or whether something like Hedrick and Ng's builds signal where the meta's headed next.