The 2026 Pokémon World Championships closed out in spectacular fashion at San Francisco’s Chase Center this weekend, delivering a wave of major announcements alongside the franchise’s 30th anniversary celebrations. Running in tandem with the inaugural PokémonXP fan convention, the closing ceremony served as a launchpad for new games content, animated projects, and competitive Pokémon news — all introduced by Pokémon Company President and CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara.
The headline reveal was Pokémon: Wild Card, the franchise’s first feature-length animated film in seven years, slated for 2027. The movie centers on an aspiring Pokémon Trading Card Game competitor and the beloved Disguise Pokémon, Mimikyu. Animation studio CloverWorks, known for hits like My Dress-Up Darling and Bocchi the Rock!, is handling production alongside Story inc., with Katsuhiko Kitada directing and character designs by Akemi Hayashi. A brief teaser hinted the project could extend beyond a single film, with the tagline referencing a release “starting in 2027 and beyond.”
Wild Card wasn’t the only animated project to generate buzz. Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d & Pichu, a stop-motion series produced in collaboration with Aardman — the studio behind Wallace & Gromit — revealed its first teaser trailer during a PokémonXP panel. The show, which follows the comedic exploits of Sirfetch’d and Pichu across the Galar region, is set to premiere on Disney+ in 2027.
On the gaming front, Pokémon Champions will introduce Z-Mega Evolutions on September 9, adding Mega Lucario Z, Mega Garchomp Z, and Mega Absol Z to the roster alongside new additions Baxcalibur and Rillaboom, with Mega Heatran also teased. The Pokémon Trading Card Game unveiled a new ex★ series logo and a lineup of Mega attack rare cards featuring Mega Rayquaza, Mega Darkrai, Mega Greninja, and Mega Zygarde, while Pokémon TCG Pocket announced dual-type Pokémon arriving in October. Meanwhile, Pokémon GO is celebrating its own tenth anniversary by granting eligible Mega-Evolved Pokémon an extra Charged Attack, opening all Go Battle League tiers to Mega Pokémon, and bringing back Armored Mewtwo for the first time in six years. Pokémon UNITE also confirmed four new roster additions — Morpeko, Toxtricity, Jolteon, and Flareon — arriving through September and October.
The ceremony opened with an unexpected treat when Ed Sheeran took the stage for a surprise performance, playing his 2022 single “Celestial” — originally featured in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet — followed by an acoustic rendition of the iconic Pokémon anime theme song. The British musician’s appearance delighted the crowd and reinforced his ongoing relationship with the franchise.
Competitive highlights saw champions crowned across multiple divisions over the weekend, with the UK’s Vikram Thiagarajan claiming gold in the Video Game Senior Division. Ishihara also confirmed that the 2027 Pokémon World Championships will head to Singapore, marking the event’s return to Asia for the first time since its 2023 stop in Yokohama, Japan. Pokémon UNITE will also branch off into its own standalone tournament, the Pokémon UNITE Aeos Crown 2027 Tokyo, tentatively scheduled for late March.