- Starts
- at Local Time
- Ends
- at Local Time
The Pokémon GO celebration surrounding the 2026 Pokémon World Championships begins on August 25 with PokémonXP before transitioning into the main Worlds event from August 28–30. Trainers worldwide can encounter two new costumed Pikachu, hunt event-themed Pokémon, obtain valuable featured attacks, progress through a limited-time GO Pass and earn exclusive Timed Research through Twitch Drops.
Meanwhile, the world’s top Pokémon GO players will compete live in San Francisco for the title of 2026 Pokémon GO World Champion!
PokémonXP & 2026 Pokémon World Championships Pokémon GO Events
PokémonXP
Tuesday, August 25, at 10:00 a.m. to Friday, August 28, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. local time.
2026 Pokémon World Championships
-
Friday, August 28, at 10:00 a.m. to Sunday, August 30 at 8:00 p.m. local time
Pokémon Debuts
New costumed Pokémon will appear during this event:
Event Bonuses
The following bonuses are active during the event:
The maximum number of sets you can play per day will increase from five to 15
—for a total of 75 battles.
Pokémon encountered via GO Battle League rewards will have a wider
variance of Attack, Defense, and HP.
Raid
The following Pokémon will appear in raids. Different Pokémon will appear in raids on different days of the event:
PokémonXP: August 25 at 10:00 a.m. – August 28 at 10:00 a.m. local time
1-Star Raids
2026 Pokémon World Championships: August 28 at 10:00 a.m. – August 30 at 8:00 p.m. local time
1-Star Raids
Field Research Tasks
Complete Field Research tasks for a chance to encounter event-themed Pokémon.
Wild Encounters
There will be different Pokémon featured on different days of the event. The following Pokémon will appear more frequently in the wild:
PokémonXP: August 25 at 10:00 a.m. – August 28 at 10:00 a.m. local time
If you are lucky, you may encounter the following:
2026 Pokémon World Championships: August 28 at 10:00 a.m. – August 30 at 8:00 p.m. local time
If you are lucky, you may encounter the following:
Certain Pokémon caught or evolved during the event will know a featured attack:
- Alolan Sandslash will know the Fast Attack Shadow Claw.
- Primeape will know the Charged Attack Rage Fist.
- Lickitung will know the Charged Attack Body Slam.
- Feraligatr will know the Charged Attack Hydro Cannon.
- Quagsire will know the Charged Attack Aqua Tail.
- Gardevoir will know the Charged Attack Synchronoise.
- Walrein will know the Fast Attack Powder Snow.
- Walrein will know the Charged Attack Icicle Spear.
- Metagross will know the Charged Attack Meteor Mash.
- Lickilicky will know the Charged Attack Body Slam.
- Togekiss will know the Charged Attack Aura Sphere.
- Gallade will know the Charged Attack Synchronoise.
- Hydreigon will know the Charged Attack Brutal Swing.
- Greninja will know the Charged Attack Hydro Cannon.
- Decidueye will know the Charged Attack Frenzy Plant.
- Incineroar will know the Charged Attack Blast Burn.
- Inteleon will know the Charged Attack Hydro Cannon.
- Corviknight will know the Charged Attack Air Cutter.
- Annihilape will know the Charged Attack Rage Fist.
GO Pass and GO Pass Deluxe
A GO Pass is a free, limited-time progression track available during a specified period. By collecting GO Points, you can increase your rank to earn rewards.
Trainers can earn GO Points by completing Pass Tasks, unlock milestone rewards through ranking up, and access premium items by upgrading to the Deluxe version via the Pokémon GO Web Store. The full rewards list will be added here once available, so be sure to check back for updates.
Trainers will automatically receive GO Pass: : PokémonXP & 2026 Worlds on Tuesday,
August 25, at 10:00 a.m. local time.
-
You can collect GO Points and rank up to get additional rewards through Sunday, August 30, at 8:00 p.m. local time.
Additionally, from Saturday, August 29, at 12:00 a.m. to Sunday, August 30, at 7:59
p.m. local time,, there’s no daily limit for how many GO Points you can earn!
Rewards unlocked in the GO Pass will expire on Tuesday, September 1, at 7:59 p.m. local time, so be sure to claim your rewards before they expire.
For US$4.99 (or equivalent pricing tier in your local currency), Trainers can upgrade to the GO Pass Deluxe, a paid version of the GO Pass that offers upgraded rewards and faster progression.
For US$6.99 (or equivalent pricing tier in your local currency), Trainers can upgrade to the GO Pass Deluxe + 6 Ranks to also automatically earn enough GO Points to reach Rank 7.
Featured Pokémon and Rewards
Complete Pass Tasks to rank up your GO Pass to earn the following:
- Encounters with event-themed Pokémon
Trainers who upgrade to the GO Pass Deluxe can also earn the following rewards:
- 2026 Worlds/PokémonXP Backpack**
- Encounter with Zapdos^
- Additional encounters with event-themed Pokémon
- And more
**The 2026 Worlds/PokémonXP Backpack will also be available to purchase in the in-game shop after the event ends.
^Zapdos encountered via GO Pass: PokémonXP & 2026 Worlds will have a wider variance of Attack, Defense, and HP.
Major GO Pass Milestone Rewards
Reach Major Milestones on your GO Pass to unlock the following bonuses:
Tier 1 – Rank 10
2× Stardust for catching Pokémon.
Tier 2 – Rank 20
An additional 3,000 XP from raids.
Upgrade to the GO Pass Deluxe to strengthen the following bonus:
Tier 2 – Rank 20 Deluxe Pass
Receive up to two additional free Raid Passes from spinning Gym Photo Discs.
Twitch Streams
Tune in and watch all the action beginning at 9:00 a.m. PDT each day:
- Day 1: Pokémon GO Twitch Channel
- Day 2: Pokémon GO Twitch Channel
- Day 3: Pokémon Twitch Channel
Watch the Twitch Streams to earn bonus timed research!
Team Building: Great League Bonus Timed Research
Friday, August 28 at 9:00 a.m. to Sunday, August 30, 2026 at 8:00 p.m. Pacific Time watch for 30 minutes to earn a bonus timed research.
Create a championship-ready Great League team by choosing from the branches of Lickitung, Totodile, and Paldean Wooper.
2025 World Champion’s Timed Research
Last season, Beezleboy overcame the odds with an unconventional team build and earned the title of Pokémon GO World Champion. By watching 2026 Worlds, you can earn Timed Research featuring the exact same Tinkaton that Beezleboy used in his Championship team, with a unique Special Background. This Timed Research also includes an Elite Charged TM to take your team to the next level. Watch the stream for 60 minutes to obtain this timed research.
Greetings from San Francisco! Bonus Timed Research
Tune in to official Pokémon GO co-streamers during the World Championships for 45 minutes to earn Timed Research featuring an encounter with World Championships 2026 Pikachu.
PokémonXP Panel: Celebrating 10 Years of Pokémon GO
On Saturday, August 29 at the inaugural PokémonXP event, Pokémon GO will celebrating its 10-year anniversary with a special panel that will also be broadcasted live. Tune in for this exciting moment and watch for 30 minutes to earn Timed Research featuring a Pikachu wearing a Cosmog-themed spacesuit.
How to get Twitch Drops
- Connect your Pokémon Trainer Club account to Twitch
- Enable Twitch Drops on your Twitch account, tune into Twitch.tv/PokemonGO.
- Watch twitch.tv/pokemongo for 30 minutes, 45 minutes or 60 minutes.
- Claim the Twitch Drop in your Twitch Inventory (Click on Notifications) for the Timed Research.
- Go to rewards.pokemon.com to obtain a one-time redemption code.
- Redeem the code on store.pokemongo.com.
World Championships Battlegrounds
In celebration of the 2026 Pokémon World Championships, the GO Battle League will feature a different arena and background battle music between August 24 at 12:00 p.m. PDT and August 30, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. PDT.
New Avatar Items
During the twitch broadcast there will be a code for the following T-shirt for your avatar:
- 2026 Worlds Tee (Green): Available globally via a code shared during the World Championships stream.
There will also be a special 2026 Worlds Tee (Red) available to trainers taking part in the in-person adventures at Worlds.
The following avatar item will be available to purchase in the in-game shop after the event ends:
- PokémonXP & 2026 Worlds Backpack
Stickers
You’ll be able to get stickers by spinning PokéStops, opening Gifts, and purchasing them from the in-game shop.
