Link to newsround

Meet the young UK Pokémon trainers preparing for the World Championships

Three young pokemon trainers, surrounded by pokemon imagery including the logo for the 2026 World Championships, the badges of different types of pokemon, electric, fire, water, psychic, Pokemon cards as well as the pokemon Eevee and Jolteon in the bottom right. The Pokémon Company / BBC

Eevee, Pikachu, Mewtwo... choose your ultimate team and prepare for battle, as some of the world's top Pokémon players are about to go head-to-head.

The 2026 Pokémon World Championships will take place at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California in the United States from Friday 28 August.

The championships are the biggest event of the competitive Pokémon calendar. Players from around the world will battle for trophies, prizes and the title of world champion.

There are competitions featuring the Pokémon Trading Card Game, known as the TCG, as well as Pokémon video games, Pokémon GO and the team game Pokémon UNITE.

But, you can't just rock up like a Geodude at the World Champs hoping to compete.

Most competitors earn an invitation by collecting Championship Points at official events during the season. Players compete in different age groups, so younger Trainers face opponents of a similar age.

Several young players have travelled from the UK to take part this year.

A tightly cropped image of a boy in a cap.

Nine-year-old Oakley from Suffolk, who will compete in the video game contest

They include nine-year-old Oakley from Suffolk, who will compete in the video game contest. He finished inside the top 16 at his first World Championships in 2025, making this his second appearance on the world stage.

Oakley became interested after his dad gave him Pokémon Shining Pearl for the Nintendo Switch. "I played through the whole game and liked it," he said.

A young boy with black hair with his Pokémon decks in his hand.

Declan has been playing the game since he was eight

Declan, 11, from Portsmouth, is competing in the junior TCG division at his third World Championships. He started playing competitively when he was eight and has since taken part in events across the UK and Europe.

"The goal is to win but I don't really mind how I do as long as I have fun," Declan said.

Declan reached the semi-finals at the Lille Regional Championships in France and finished as a finalist at the Stuttgart Regional Championships in Germany.

Which ultimately, secured his invitation to the Pokémon World Championships, but for Declan it's not all about winning.

"It's a great community - I'm excited to see my friends," he added.

Brothers Oliver and Edward aged 13 and 11. The boys both wear glasses and are sitting next to each other at a board game cafe.

13-year-old Oliver (left) and his brother Edward, 11, will compete at the Pokémon World Championships

Oliver, 13, from Nottinghamshire, who became a European champion aged 12, will compete alongside his brother Edward, 11, who will play in the junior division.

The brothers practise the card game with their mum, who learned to play so she could help them.

For the world championships, the prize money for first place is $50,000 (about £37,000).

If he wins, Oliver says: "I would probably just save it." Adding that "We play with our mum almost every day. She learned how to play so she can test us."

Oliver and his little brother Edward competed in the 2025 Pokemon World Championships in Anaheim. Oliver finished 26th in the world in the Junior TCG category, and was the top finisher for the UK.

With thousands of experienced Trainers gathering in one place, the competition will be tougher than taking on a Charizard with a Magikarp.

But whatever happens in San Francisco, the young players have already levelled up their real life XP, earning a place among the world's best.