Pokémon World Championship 2026 Finale: The Pokémon Company Teases New Games
The Pokémon World Championship 2026 has wrapped up, and with it came the usual end-of-event spotlight: The Pokémon Company used the closing ceremony as a stage to reveal updates across several Pokémon-adjacent game projects, while also looking ahead to the next competitive stop.
Despite early disruption caused by the initial disqualification of three players, the tournament still delivered a strong showing for Italy. Three Italian competitors reached the Top 8 in key divisions, with Stefano Greppi and Giovanni Pecitelli placing seventh and eighth, respectively, in the VGC Master category. Alberto Fabi finished sixth in the Senior category.
Movie, cards, and game updates revealed after the event
One of the biggest surprises came from the announcement of a new animated Pokémon film after a six-year gap since the last movie. Titled Pokémon: Wild Card, the film is set in the world of the collectible card game, and it will release in 2027. The story centers on a Pokémon TCG player and their partner Mimikyu, with the film focusing on what it takes to reach their goals when the time comes to play their cards.
Production is handled by Story Inc. and the animation studio CloverWorks. Katsuhiko Kitada is listed as the director, with credits including The First Slam Dunk and The Elusive Samurai. Character design is attributed to Akemi Hayashi, who has worked on titles such as Fruits Basket, Banana Fish, and Lazarus.
On the game side, new content was detailed across multiple platforms. For Pokémon Champions, Mega Lucario Z and Mega Absol Z are arriving alongside Baxcalibur and Rillaboom on September 9, with Heatran following after that.
For the collectible card game format, new card reveals were announced for Pokémon TCG, including Z-EX cards, new Mega Attack cards, and Raikou, Entei, and Suicune EX★.
Pokémon UNITE is also expanding its roster with Morpeko, Toxtricity, Jolteon, and Flareon.
Meanwhile, Pokémon GO is set to introduce two Mega Mewtwo forms, plus the iconic Mewtwo wearing armor.
VGC’s next chapter: Pokémon World Championship 2027 in Singapore
The final competitive announcement targeted the next World Championship. Pokémon World Championship 2027 is scheduled to be held in Singapore from August 13 to August 15, 2027.
