Pokémon GO will celebrate PokémonXP and the 2026 Pokémon World Championships with a two-part event beginning August 25, according to the game’s official event announcement. The festivities will bring new costumed Pikachu, extra GO Battle League matches, special attacks, timed research, and a limited-time GO Pass.
The 2026 Pokémon World Championships will take place from August 28 through August 30 in San Francisco, California. The top qualifying Pokémon GO players from around the world will compete for the championship title, with the winner receiving the World Champion 2026 avatar outfit. More information about the in-person event is available through the 2026 Pokémon World Championships website.
Event schedule and new Pokémon
The celebration will run across two connected windows:
- PokémonXP: Tuesday, August 25, at 10:00 a.m. through Friday, August 28, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. local time.
- 2026 Pokémon World Championships: Friday, August 28, at 10:00 a.m. through Sunday, August 30, 2026, at 8:00 p.m. local time.
Two costumed Pokémon will appear during the event: Pikachu wearing a Cosmog-themed spacesuit and World Championships 2026 Pikachu. Shiny versions may also appear for lucky Trainers.
Battle League bonuses and raids
The event will raise the daily GO Battle League limit from five sets to 15, allowing up to 75 battles per day. Pokémon earned through GO Battle League rewards will also have a wider range of Attack, Defense, and HP values.
Raids will change as the event moves from PokémonXP into the World Championships celebration:
- PokémonXP, August 25 at 10:00 a.m. through August 28 at 10:00 a.m. local time: Pikachu wearing a Cosmog-themed spacesuit and Impidimp will appear in One-Star Raids.
- 2026 Pokémon World Championships, August 28 at 10:00 a.m. through August 30 at 8:00 p.m. local time: Pikachu wearing a Cosmog-themed spacesuit, World Championships 2026 Pikachu, and Honedge will appear in One-Star Raids.
Field Research will also offer encounters with event-themed Pokémon, with Shiny encounters possible.
Wild encounters by event phase
Wild Pokémon will rotate between the two parts of the celebration. During PokémonXP, Trainers will see more of the following:
- Ralts
- Numel
- Spheal
- Drifloon
- Elgyem
- Sobble
- Pawmi
Deino may also appear during this period. Shiny versions are possible for the Pokémon marked as event encounters.
When the 2026 Pokémon World Championships portion begins, the featured wild encounters will change to:
- Alolan Sandshrew
- Mankey
- Lickitung
- Totodile
- Wooper
- Foongus
- Froakie
- Litten
Togetic and Beldum may also appear during the World Championships portion, and Shiny encounters are possible.
Featured attacks
Some Pokémon caught or evolved during the event will learn special attacks. The full selection includes:
- Alolan Sandslash: Shadow Claw, Fast Attack
- Primeape: Rage Fist, Charged Attack
- Lickitung: Body Slam, Charged Attack
- Feraligatr: Hydro Cannon, Charged Attack
- Quagsire: Aqua Tail, Charged Attack
- Gardevoir: Synchronoise, Charged Attack
- Walrein: Powder Snow, Fast Attack, and Icicle Spear, Charged Attack
- Metagross: Meteor Mash, Charged Attack
- Lickilicky: Body Slam, Charged Attack
- Togekiss: Aura Sphere, Charged Attack
- Gallade: Synchronoise, Charged Attack
- Hydreigon: Brutal Swing, Charged Attack
- Greninja: Hydro Cannon, Charged Attack
- Decidueye: Frenzy Plant, Charged Attack
- Incineroar: Blast Burn, Charged Attack
- Inteleon: Hydro Cannon, Charged Attack
- Corviknight: Air Cutter, Charged Attack
- Annihilape: Rage Fist, Charged Attack
Avatar items, stickers, and GO Battle League arenas
A green 2026 Worlds Tee will be available globally through a code shown during the World Championships broadcast. The PokémonXP & 2026 Worlds Backpack will go on sale in the in-game shop after the event ends.
Event-themed stickers will be available by spinning PokéStops, opening Gifts, and visiting the in-game shop.
The GO Battle League will also receive a World Championships makeover. A different arena and background music will be available from August 24 at 12:00 p.m. PDT through August 30, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. PDT.
GO Pass: PokémonXP & 2026 Worlds
Trainers will automatically receive the free GO Pass: PokémonXP & 2026 Worlds on Tuesday, August 25, at 10:00 a.m. local time. Collecting GO Points will raise the pass rank and unlock rewards through Sunday, August 30, at 8:00 p.m. local time.
From Saturday, August 29, at 12:00 a.m. through Sunday, August 30, at 7:59 p.m. local time, there will be no daily limit on the number of GO Points Trainers can earn.
- GO Pass Deluxe: US$4.99, or the equivalent local pricing tier, with better rewards and faster progression.
- GO Pass Deluxe + 6 Ranks: US$6.99, including enough GO Points to reach Rank 7 automatically.
Trainers can upgrade at any point and still claim rewards from ranks they unlocked before upgrading. GO Pass rewards will expire Tuesday, September 1, at 7:59 p.m. local time.
GO Pass rewards and milestones
The free pass will provide encounters with event-themed Pokémon. Deluxe rewards will include the 2026 Worlds/PokémonXP Backpack, an encounter with Zapdos, more event-themed encounters, and other items. Zapdos may be Shiny.
Reaching Rank 10 will unlock a Tier 1 bonus of 2× Stardust from catching Pokémon. Rank 20 will unlock a Tier 2 bonus that adds 3,000 XP from raids. The Deluxe pass will also provide up to two extra free Raid Passes from spinning Gym Photo Discs as part of the Rank 20 rewards.
Watch the World Championships and earn research
The World Championships broadcast will run from Friday, August 28, at 9:00 a.m. through Sunday, August 30, 2026, at 8:00 p.m. Pacific Time. The first two days will stream on the Pokémon GO Twitch Channel, while Day 3 will air on the Pokémon Twitch Channel.
Watching for 30 minutes will unlock Team Building: Great League Bonus Timed Research. Trainers will choose between branches featuring Lickitung, Totodile, and Paldean Wooper to build a Great League team.
A 60-minute watch will unlock 2025 World Champion’s Timed Research. The research will feature the same Tinkaton used by 2025 champion Beezleboy, along with a special background and an Elite Charged TM.
Watching official Pokémon GO co-streamers for 45 minutes will award Greetings from San Francisco! Bonus Timed Research, which includes an encounter with World Championships 2026 Pikachu.
PokémonXP’s 10th anniversary panel
On Saturday, August 29, PokémonXP will host a live panel celebrating 10 years of Pokémon GO. Thirty minutes of viewing the PokémonXP Twitch Channel will unlock research featuring Pikachu wearing a Cosmog-themed spacesuit.
With two Pikachu costumes, a full set of battle rewards, and plenty of reasons to watch the championship stream, Pokémon GO will give Trainers a lot to do between August 25 and August 30.
Share your thoughts on the PokémonXP and World Championships event in the comments, and follow the latest updates on X, Bluesky, YouTube, and Instagram.
Pokémon Go
Developed by Niantic Labs, The Pokémon Company
Pokémon Go is an augmented reality mobile game that uses GPS to let players locate, capture, train, and battle Pokémon in real-world locations. Players explore their physical surroundings to find PokéStops for items, battle at Gyms for team control, participate in Raid Battles cooperatively, and compete in the Go Battle League's player-versus-player format. The game is free-to-play with in-app purchases and features Pokémon from across multiple generations of the franchise.
- Genre Role-playing (RPG), Simulator
- Platforms Android, iOS
- Perspective Third person, Bird view / Isometric, Side view
- Modes Single player, Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO)
- Release July 6, 2016
- Publisher Niantic Labs
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