Pokémon VGC 2026 Season Structure

The 2025-2026 Play! Pokémon season starts in September 2025 and will conclude in August 2026 at the 2026 World Championships in San Francisco, California! On this page, you'll find all important information regarding this season, from event types to how to qualify for the 2026 World Championships.

Check this page for all info on the Regulations played on Pokémon Scarlet & Pokémon Violet. At some point during the season, competitive play will move to Pokémon Champions, so stay tuned for more info.

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Age Divisions

Play! Pokémon events separate players into three age divisions based on the year they were born: Juniors (JR), Seniors (SR), and Masters (MA). The age division a player belongs to is set at the beginning of the season and does not change throughout the season.

• Juniors – Born in 2014 or later
• Seniors – Born 2010 to 2013
• Masters – Born in 2009 or earlier

This is only sometimes used in non-TPCi regions such as Southeast Asia but is used at the World Championships.

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Championship Points

Play! Pokémon events award Championship Points (CP) to top-performing players at each tournament. These points allow players to earn an invitation to the World Championships, depending on how many are required to qualify, as well as Travel Awards and Stipends to attend the International Championships based on the number of points earned during specific periods.

However, CP depends on the event's kicker and best finish limit.

• Best Finish Limit – The maximum number of tournaments of the same type counted towards the final rankings each season. For example, if a BFL at Regionals is 6, only a player's 6 best finishes at Regionals are counted for CP earned.
• Kicker – The minimum number of players that need to be in attendance for players in the lower standings to earn CP. For example, if the kicker for 65-128th place players to earn points is 256, at least 256 players will need to be in attendance for those players to earn CP towards their Worlds invite.

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League Challenge

Previously known as Premier Challenges, League Challenges are the lowest type of events, offering the fewest Championship Points to top-performing players. These events are great for players of all skill levels looking to battle and meet friends with other players in the area. These events are typically run out of card shops by local tournament organizers. Check the official event locator to find the closest League Challenge near you.

These events have a BFL of 4, meaning your 4 best finishes in the 2026 season will count towards your Worlds Invite. Players can earn up to 60 CP from League Challenges during the 2026 season.

Placement	Championship Points	Kicker
1	15 CP	0 players
2	12 CP	4 players
3-4	10 CP	8 players
5-8	8 CP	14 players
9-16	6 CP	25 players
17-32	4 CP	48 players

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League Cup

Previously known as Midseason Showdowns, League Cups are the largest local event, offering more Championship Points than League Challenges. These events are great for players of all skill levels looking to battle and meet friends with other players in the area. These events are typically run out of card shops by local tournament organizers. Check the official event locator to find the closest League Cup near you.

These events have a BFL of 4, meaning your 4 best finishes in the 2026 season will count towards your Worlds Invite. Players can earn up to 200 CP from League Cups during the 2026 season.

Placement	Championship Points	Kicker
1	50 CP	0 players
2	40 CP	4 players
3-4	32 CP	17 players
5-8	25 CP	48 players
9-16	20 CP	48 players
17-32	16 CP	80 players
33-64	13 CP	128 players

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Global & Grand Challenge

Select online events called Global Challenges and Grand Challenges award Championship Points to top-performing players. These events occur in-game on Battle Stadium over a weekend, allowing players to battle others from across the globe from the comfort of their homes. While Global Challenges are open to all players, including those in Japan and Korea, Grand Challenges are only open to players in TPCi regions, excluding players in the TPC and Pokémon Korea regions.

New to the 2026 season, Grand Challenges will award CP separately for each TPCi region.

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Regional & Special Championships

Regional Championships & Special Championships share the same CP payouts, although Regionals offer prize money and Special Championships do not. These events are open to players of all skill levels and take place in multiple regions, offering players a chance to earn large amounts of CP and their invite to the World Championships.

Continuing from the 2024 & 2025 season, Regional and Special Champions in each age division will earn an invite to the World Championships regardless of their final placement at the end of the season. These events have a BFL of 5, but that BFL is shared with International Championships.

Placement	Championship Points	Kicker
1	350 CP	0 players
2	325 CP	4 players
3-4	300 CP	8 players
5-8	280 CP	17 players
9-16	200 CP	33 players
17-32	160 CP	65 players
33-64	120 CP	129 players
65-128	80 CP	257 players
129-256	60 CP	513 players
257-512	40 CP	1025 players
513-1024	20 CP	2049 players

Prize money payouts at Regional Championships are not determined based on attendance.

Placement	Juniors & Seniors	Masters
1	$1,000	$6,000
2	$750	$4,000
3-4	$500	$2,000
5-8	$0	$1,000
9-16	$0	$750

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International Championships

The largest type of event in terms of CP and prize money payouts, International Championships are only held a select number of times each season. One International is held in these three rating zones: North America, Europe, and Latin America.

Continuing from the 2025 season, International semi-finalists in each age division will earn an invite to the 2025 World Championships regardless of their final placement at the end of the season. These events have a BFL of 5, but that BFL is shared with Regional & Special Championships.

Placement	Championship Points	Kicker
1	500 CP	0 players
2	480 CP	4 players
3-4	420 CP	8 players
5-8	380 CP	17 players
9-16	300 CP	33 players
17-32	240 CP	65 players
33-64	180 CP	129 players
65-128	140 CP	257 players
129-256	100 CP	513 players
257-512	80 CP	1025 players
513-1024	40 CP	2049 players

Top players in each region can earn Travel Awards and Stipends based on their performance and standing in their rating zone (North America, Europe, Latin America, or Oceania).

• Players who finish 1-4 in their region will receive a Travel Award before the event and are responsible for booking their travel and hotel.
• Traveling in region – $2,000 USD for players over age 18 and $2,500 USD for players under age 18.
• Traveling out of region – $3,500 USD for players over age 18 and $5,000 USD for players under age 18.
• Players who finish 5-8 in their region will receive a $1,000 USD Travel Stipend after the event, subject to them attending and competing in at least one round of the main event.
• Players who finish 9-16 will earn Priority Registration to an upcoming International Championship.

Prize money payouts at International Championships are not determined based on attendance.

Placement	Juniors & Seniors	Masters
1	$5,000	$15,000
2	$3,000	$10,000
3-4	$2,000	$7,000
5-8	$1,000	$5,000
9-16	$0	$3,000
17-32	$0	$2,000

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Booster Packs

Top-performing players will receive Pokémon TCG booster packs for competing at major Pokémon Regional and International Championships. The number of booster packs depends on a player's placements and the number of participants in an event.

#	<33	33-64	65-128	129- 256	257-512	513- 1024	1025- 2048	2049+
1	108	108	108	108	108	108	108	108
2	72	108	108	108	108	108	108	108
3-4	36	72	72	108	108	108	108	108
5-8	18	36	36	72	108	108	108	108
9-16	9	18	36	36	72	72	72	108
17-32	-	-	18	18	72	72	72	72
33-64	-	-	-	9	36	36	36	36
65-128	-	-	-	-	18	18	36	36
129-256	-	-	-	-	-	9	18	18
257-512	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	9

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Worlds Qualification

In a system that hasn't been used since 2015, only a select number of invites per region will be given to top CP earners at the end of the 2025 season. In addition to these select number of invites, Regional & Special Champions and the top four finishers at each International Championships will also earn invites to the World Championships. Invites earned through this method will not count toward the total invitations in a rating zone.

Rating Zone	Juniors	Seniors	Masters
North America	20 players	20 players	80 players
Europe	20 players	20 players	80 players
Latin America	15 players	15 players	60 players
Oceania	10 players	10 players	20 players
Middle East & South Africa	5 players	5 players	5 players
Japan	TBD (Depends on the results from the Japan National)
South Korea	TBD (Depends on the results from the Trainers Cup Finals)
Asia Pacific	TBD (Depends on the results of the Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand Master Ball Leagues)