And their Pokémon partners from the 2026 Pokémon World Championships.
The best in Pokémon Battles were crowned at the 2026 Pokémon World Championships, which took place from 28 to 30 August in San Francisco.
Bringing together top players who had fought their way through qualifiers around the world, the event saw competitors vie for the world title across each category: the Pokémon Trading Card Game, Pokémon Champions, Pokémon GO and Pokémon Unite.
What went through the winners’ minds as they clinched victory? Which Pokémon were their loyal companions along the way? Hear it straight from the champions!
Pokémon Video Game Championships (Pokémon Champions)
-Junior
Player name: Kazuki Kage
Composition: Froslass, Scovillain, Basculegion, Kingambit, Lycanroc, Sneasler
How did you decide on your team composition?
“At first, I built my team around Blaziken and Lycanroc, but then I decided to add Frosslass because it pairs well with Lycanroc. Then I decided that Frosslass was the better choice, and from there, I added Scovillain because it pairs well with Frosslass. After that, I researched online for compositions that would work well with those three Pokémon and played with the team many times to refine it.”
Who’s your favourite Pokémon?
“Rowlet”
-Senior
Player name: Vikram Thiagarajan
Composition: Charizard, Swampert, Archaludon, Grimmsnarl, Pelipper, Venusaur
How did you decide on your team composition?
“Two weeks before I was on a completely different team. And then the day before Worlds I thought some of the match-ups with are just not very good with my old team, and I switched to the ‘Sun Rain’ team that I played before I decided on my Worlds team.
“So yeah, night-before change. I changed teams so I could counter the ‘Delphox Blastoise’ teams that were popping up everywhere. And it was a good idea because I faced two in my run. One in my win-and-in for Day 2 and one in my Top 8 match. So very glad.”
Who’s your favourite Pokémon?
"It’s actually Bulbasaur. So that’s why I love using Venusaur. Although in this tournament, Venusaur may not have been the strongest choice, in the finals it clutched up so I can’t complain."
-Master
Player name: Takuma Yamazaki
Composition: Dragonite, Floette (Eternal Flower), Basculegion, Garchomp, Kingambit, Sneasler
How did you decide on your team composition?
“This team was inspired by one that a friend who’s here with me today used to play. We worked together to refine it and make it even better.”
Who’s your favourite Pokémon?
“Mawile”
Pokémon GO
Player name: GGs489hiromaru
Composition: Jellicent, Lickilicky, Hippowdon, Ninetales, Electrode (Hisuian Form), Tinkaton
How did you decide on your team composition?
I wanted to use Hippowdon and built my team around it. I then selected a well-balanced team of five more Pokémon, including ones that compensate for Hippowdon’s weaknesses.
Who’s your favourite Pokémon?
“It’s Hippowdon! To be honest, I don’t have a favourite Pokémon – I’ve just always loved Hippowdon. I want people to say, ‘You must really like Hippowdon’, to the point where it just becomes a given.”
Pokémon Unite
Team name: ZETA Division
Composition: Trevenant, Zacian, Umbreon, Mew, Urshifu, etc.
How did you decide on your team composition?
“Since we practised a lot and always used these same Pokémon, we decided that this was the team we would bring.”
Who's your favourite Pokémon?
Vitoppo: “Zoroark and Machamp”
Nomu: “Trevenant”
Rom: “Jirachi”
ResTA: “Alolan Vulpix”
Mizutama: “Greninja”
1LevUp: “Magnemite”
You can now watch the finals on The Official Pokémon YouTube channel. Or better yet, play Pokémon Champions, Pokémon GO and Pokémon Unite on iPhone and iPad – and get ready to join the next World Championships yourself!
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