Key Pokémon Announcements from the World Championships Closing Ceremony

If you missed the action this weekend, the highlight of the Pokémon calendar, the World Championships, wrapped up on Sunday. This is the ultimate gathering for top competitive players and die-hard fans, who navigate a tricky lottery system for a chance to attend. Each year, The Pokémon Company crowns champions in Pokémon Go, the Trading Card Game, and, for the first time, Pokémon Champions. After the competitions, we also get a glimpse of what’s next for the franchise. If you couldn’t catch the closing ceremony live, here’s a recap of the key announcements.

The event kicked off with a musical performance by Loren Allred, followed by an introduction from Pokémon Company CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara. The first big news was for Pokémon Go, which will now allow Mega Evolved Pokémon to join official competitive play, starting with the Go Fest Mega Finale event on September 5. Armored Mewtwo is also making a comeback after a six-year hiatus.

Next up was an update on the Trading Card Game, which is set to release a new set called TKTK. This expansion will introduce several Mega Evolutions from Legends: Z-A, including the Z Mega Evolutions from the Mega Dimension DLC. The Legendary Beasts will also make an appearance, along with a new card called ex star, though details on that are still under wraps.

The Pokémon Company also announced a new animated movie titled Pokémon Wild Card, which appears to focus more on the Trading Card Game than previous films. Mimikyu is featured in the teaser, marking the first movie in the series in seven years, set to release in 2027.

Moving on to Pokémon Champions, a new trailer showcased upcoming Pokémon for the battle simulator, including Z Mega Evolutions for Absol and Lucario, as well as Mega Heatran. These additions will be available starting September 9.

The event concluded with the announcement that next year’s World Championships will be held in Singapore from August 13 to 15.

And it looks like we’re still waiting on a new trailer for Winds and Waves. It’s surprising, especially since we haven’t heard anything since their reveal on Pokémon Day back in February. Looks like we’ll have to hold tight a bit longer for more details on the Switch 2 RPGs set to launch next year.