Players at the 2023 Pokémon GO World Championships will be competing for the title of Pokémon GO World Champion, as well as great prizes. Play will begin on August 11 and conclude on August 12.
Pokémon GO players qualify for this event by participating in competitions during the 2023 Championship Series season. Players can earn invitations to the prestigious 2023 Pokémon GO World Championships by performing at an exceptional level at one of these events.
Players must be in good standing with the Play! Pokémon program to participate, and they must have an active Play! Pokémon account with current and accurate information.
Players must comply with the Tournament Rules.
Players will be placed in pods and compete in double-elimination brackets beginning after the opening ceremonies on Friday, August 11, at approximately 9:30 a.m. JST. Players must be in the Pokémon GO play area and ready to follow the instructions of tournament officials. Players who are not in the tournament area may receive a match loss. Play will occur until 32 total players remain.
On Saturday, August 12, the brackets will resume and be played until the competitors in the Grand Finals match are determined.
No lunch break is planned on either day.
Tournament pairings will be posted to Challonge. Please familiarize yourself with Challonge prior to the event.
Matches are best of three, except for the Winners Finals, Losers Finals, and Grand Finals, which are best of five.
When you show up at a Pokémon GO tournament, you will need to have a team of tournament-legal Pokémon for the Great League format in your Pokémon GO account.
Players will compete on smartphones provided by the organizer. Players will be expected to log in and log out during the tournament. It is a player’s responsibility to log out of the device during the tournament and to ensure their personal device is available and charged if they need it for two-factor authentication.
Players will be provided with a copy of their team list at the beginning of the tournament; they are responsible for looking after this as they will need to present it to each of their opponents at the start of the match.
Proof of age may be requested, and failure to provide proof of age may result in the player being denied participation in the tournament at the organizer’s discretion.
Players who have qualified for the Pokémon GO World Championships will be contacted directly by an administrator of the Play! Pokémon program.
Players must be in good standing with the Play! Pokémon program, and they must have an active Play! Pokémon account with current and accurate information.
Team lists must be submitted using the RK9 Labs Team List Creator by 8:00 p.m. on the day prior to the event. Any lists not submitted on time may result in a Round 1 loss. Please read RK9’s support article about preparing for a Pokémon GO event
Your birth date is required to make sure you play in the correct age division for the event you are attempting to register for. Without the ability to confirm your birth date, you cannot register online for any event.
Refunds for registration are not available for this event. Additionally, registration is locked to a specific player and cannot be transferred. If circumstances change before the event begins and you are unable to attend, please submit a support ticket to the RK9 support team.
Pokémon GO players must check in at the Yokohama Pacifico Annex Hall on Thursday, August 10 between 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. JST.
If, due to unforeseen circumstances such as flight delays or missed connections, a player is unable to check in on Thursday, they should report to the check-in desk and notify a staff member as early as possible on Friday, beginning at 8:00 a.m. There is no guarantee of entry for players who check in late, and should a late entry be allowed by tournament officials, it may include a penalty of a first-round loss.
The format of each prize is dependent on the age of the recipient. Here are the International Championships prizes for the 2023 Play! Pokémon Championship Series season.
18 years of age and older:
Awards of $5,000 or more: choice of scholarship or cash
Awards under $5,000: cash
Under 18 years of age:
Awards of $5,000 or more: choice of scholarship or Pokémon Visa® prepaid card
Awards under $5,000: Pokémon Visa® prepaid card
Prizes are based on attendance per age division. Unless otherwise specified, all prizes are paid in US dollars and are subject to applicable tax withholding. Prize winners should consult a qualified tax professional regarding their tax obligations.
| Placement | Award |
| 1st place | $10,000 |
| 2nd place | $7,500 |
| 3rd place | $5,000 |
| 4th place | $4,000 |
| T-5th place | $3,000 |
| T-7th place | $2,250 |
| T-9th place | $1,500 |
| T-13th place | $1,000 |
Additionally, the Top-32 Pokémon GO players will receive the following prizes, as well as 72 Pokémon TCG booster packs, regardless of how many competitors are in attendance. All participants will earn 5 Play! Points.
| Placement | Prizes |
| 1st place |
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| 2nd place |
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| 3rd place |
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| 4th place |
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| 5th-8th place |
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| 9th-16th place |
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| 17th-32nd place |
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Prizes and prize distribution may be subject to change.