Sea of trainers swarm San Francisco for 2026 Pokémon World Championships; largest in event’s history

By CBS Bay Area

Pokémon fans from across the country and around the world are pouring into San Francisco this weekend for the largest Pokémon World Championships in the event’s history, along with the first-ever Pokémon XP fan convention.

An estimated 50,000 fans were expected to attend, bringing millions of dollars in spending to the city.

Hundreds of attendees streamed into Moscone Center the moment doors opened at 7 a.m. Friday for the opening ceremonies, which kicked off both the World Championships and Pokémon XP. The convention center has been transformed into what looks like its own Pokémon universe.

For many fans, the event is a chance to celebrate a franchise that has spanned generations. This year marks Pokémon’s 30th anniversary.

“I love Pokémon. I’ve been a fan since I was a kid, and since it’s the 30th anniversary, I just needed to come out,” one attendee from Cincinnati said. “It’s crazy here. The energy is just electric.”

Other fans described the weekend as a wave of childhood nostalgia.

“I’ve been a Pokémon fan since ’96, when I was real little. I remember playing Game Boy Color in the car with a little light, waiting for streetlights,” one fan from Eastern Washington said. “It’s definitely been like my childhood, and I still enjoy it now as an adult.”

For thousands of young competitors, Pokémon has become sport. Alice Rigsby, who traveled from Macon, Georgia, is one of roughly 2,500 people competing in the World Championships.

“I got cards from school. That’s how I got involved,” Rigsby said. Her goal for the weekend: “I want to make Day 2. I want to make top 32.”

Competitors are representing at least 45 countries at this year’s championships. Among the visitors is Bolek, a father from Poland who traveled to watch his son compete.

“I want to see how this event is unveiled, because I was a professional bodybuilder, so I was competing in sport with muscles — and here it’s with the brain,” Bolek said, chuckling.

Fans also traveled from across the U.S. to attend, including visitors from Missouri and Houston. Jared, a Pokémon fan from eastern Washington, said the trip marked a personal milestone.

“This is my first time flying, so my first time for a big trip,” he said.

For Bay Area Pokémon enthusiasts, having the event in San Francisco is too good to pass up.

“This is my big first tournament for me to go watch. And it also happens to be in San Francisco, which is great so I won’t have to travel too far,” Wenjie Wu, who is from San Mateo, told CBS News Bay Area. 

Wu is familar face at Red Heart TCG, a shop in South San Francisco where people can buy, sell, and trade Pokémon cards among other collectibles. 

“I got into it because of the nostalgia, watching the show, playing the videogames,” he said. 

He shared that he began competing in his own tournaments not too long ago. And while he won’t be competing in the Pokémon World Championships, he is excited to be watching from the stands.  

“It really feels like there’s a new love, there’s a new breath of fresh air with the championship coming in,” Wu said.

“We’re actually super close to the airport, so we’re getting a lot of international tourists over here,” said Wally Wu, business parter at Red Heart TCG. “We actually just got a couple of customers yesterday from Germany, Singapore, and Tokyo as well. So, it’s definitely been a really new crowd for all of us,” he said. 

Pokémon popularity means safety, security is top of mind

With more than 20,000 cards on site, Wally Wu said keeping these collectibles safe is their utmost priority. 

“We have slabs there that are worth $5.8K, we have $6,000 here,” Wally Wu said, showing some Pokémon cards. “One of the things we’re looking to implement is getting a rolling gate to go out from the front, so on top of the locking our doors, we will also implement a gate so we’ll be able to have that double layer of protection.”

Leonie Patrick, general manager of the Moscone Center, and said security is at the top of her list. 

“There are police all around the public areas, there are undercover police” Patrick said. “There’s quite a lot of security and probably more than we even know.”

With the increase in foot traffic, Patrick said that the event coordinators themselves will be providing security from three different groups. Additionally, there will be weapon-scanning devices and law enforcement officials patrolling the event site.   

“It is amazing, It’s something that you can’t understand until you see it,” Patrick said. “It is a huge part of the gaming industry.” 

Patrick the community is excited for this three-day event with a total of 53,000 tickets sold for the event.   

“On Saturday, I believe is the most anticipated day, at over 38,000 or so,” she said. “It’s a revenue driver for the city. We generate hotel rooms, and obviously economic impact from the people that come through the building.”

As for Wenjie Wu, Pokémon is not just a hobby or an interest. It’s something that brings everyone together. 

“Anyone can really just come in and start playing the game. Pretty easy to learn,” he said. 

The Pokémon World Championships wrap up Sunday with the finals, held at Chase Center.