Pokémon GO Info
All events > 2026 Pokémon World Championships

Pikachu (World Championships 2026)

2026 Pokémon World Championships

Start
Finish
Status
The event has now finished.

This event celebrates the 2026 Pokémon World Championships, held in San Francisco from 28 to 30 August, where the winner is crowned Pokémon GO World Champion and receives the World Champion 2026 outfit. In the game, World Championships 2026 Pikachu makes its debut in one-star raids alongside the spacesuit Pikachu. Watching the streams unlocks Timed Research, including the Tinkaton the 2025 champion won with. The GO Pass that began with PokémonXP continues until the end.

Event bonuses

  • Up to 15 GO Battle League sets per day (75 battles), instead of five
  • Wider range of Attack, Defense and HP for Pokémon from GO Battle League rewards
  • World Championships arena and battle music in the GO Battle League from 24 August at 12:00 to 30 August at 23:59 PDT
  • Featured attacks for Pokémon caught or evolved: Alolan Sandslash (Shadow Claw), Primeape and Annihilape (Rage Fist), Lickitung and Lickilicky (Body Slam), Feraligatr, Greninja and Inteleon (Hydro Cannon), Quagsire (Aqua Tail), Gardevoir and Gallade (Synchronoise), Walrein (Powder Snow and Icicle Spear), Metagross (Meteor Mash), Togekiss (Aura Sphere), Hydreigon (Brutal Swing), Decidueye (Frenzy Plant), Incineroar (Blast Burn) and Corviknight (Air Cutter)
  • Event stickers from PokéStops, Gifts and the in-game shop
  • Live streams start at 9:00 PDT each day, on the Pokémon GO Twitch channel on days 1 and 2 and the Pokémon Twitch channel on day 3
  • Watch the stream for 30 minutes: Great League Timed Research, choosing from the Lickitung, Totodile and Paldean Wooper lines
  • Watch the stream for 60 minutes: Timed Research with the Tinkaton Beezleboy used to win in 2025, with a special background, plus an Elite Charged TM
  • Watch official co-streamers for 45 minutes: Timed Research with a World Championships 2026 Pikachu encounter
  • Watch the PokémonXP panel on 10 years of Pokémon GO for 30 minutes on 29 August: Timed Research with an encounter with Pikachu wearing a Cosmog-themed spacesuit
  • Code for the 2026 Worlds Tee (Green) avatar shirt, shown during the stream

In raids

Pikachu (World Championships 2026) Pikachu (World Championships 2026) ✦ Shiny
Encounter Min CP 100% IV
Caught (level 20) 493 536
Weather boosted (level 25) 616 670

Top counters

  1. Primal Groudon Mud Shot / Precipice Blades
  2. Mega Garchomp Mud Shot / Earth Power
  3. Landorus (Therian Forme) Mud Shot / Sandsear Storm
  4. Deoxys (Attack Forme) Zen Headbutt / Psycho Boost
  5. Mega Mewtwo Y Confusion / Psystrike
  6. Mega Heracross Fury Cutter / Earthquake
Pikachu (Cosmog Spacesuit) Pikachu (Cosmog Spacesuit) ✦ Shiny
Encounter Min CP 100% IV
Caught (level 20) 493 536
Weather boosted (level 25) 616 670

Top counters

  1. Primal Groudon Mud Shot / Precipice Blades
  2. Mega Garchomp Mud Shot / Earth Power
  3. Landorus (Therian Forme) Mud Shot / Sandsear Storm
  4. Deoxys (Attack Forme) Zen Headbutt / Psycho Boost
  5. Mega Mewtwo Y Confusion / Psystrike
  6. Mega Heracross Fury Cutter / Earthquake
Honedge Honedge ✦ Shiny
Encounter Min CP 100% IV
Caught (level 20) 742 794
Weather boosted (level 25) 927 993

Top counters

  1. Blacephalon Incinerate / Mind Blown
  2. Mega Delphox Fire Spin / Mystical Fire+
  3. Mega Chandelure Fire Spin / Ominous Wind+
  4. Mega Blaziken Fire Spin / Blast Burn
  5. Mega Gengar Lick / Shadow Ball
  6. Dawn Wings Necrozma Shadow Claw / Moongeist Beam

Research encounters

Pikachu (World Championships 2026) Pikachu (World Championships 2026) ✦ Shiny
Encounter Min CP 100% IV
Research reward (level 15) 369 402

Pikachu (World Championships 2026) currently has no evolutions in Pokémon GO.

Pikachu (Cosmog Spacesuit) Pikachu (Cosmog Spacesuit) ✦ Shiny
Encounter Min CP 100% IV
Research reward (level 15) 369 402

Pikachu (Cosmog Spacesuit) currently has no evolutions in Pokémon GO.

Tinkaton Tinkaton
Encounter Min CP 100% IV
Research reward (level 15) 914 964

Tinkaton evolves from Tinkatuff for 100 Candy.

Lickitung Lickitung ✦ Shiny
Encounter Min CP 100% IV
Research reward (level 15) 564 604

Lickitung evolves into Lickilicky (Sinnoh Stone) for 100 Candy.

Totodile Totodile ✦ Shiny
Encounter Min CP 100% IV
Research reward (level 15) 449 485

Totodile evolves into Croconaw for 25 Candy, then into Feraligatr for 100 Candy.

Paldean Wooper Paldean Wooper
Encounter Min CP 100% IV
Research reward (level 15) 247 275

Paldean Wooper evolves into Clodsire for 50 Candy.

In the wild

Alolan Sandshrew Alolan Sandshrew ✦ Shiny
Encounter Max CP
Wild (up to level 30) 1,108
Weather boosted (up to level 35) 1,201

Alolan Sandshrew evolves into Alolan Sandslash for 50 Candy.

Mankey Mankey ✦ Shiny
Encounter Max CP
Wild (up to level 30) 998
Weather boosted (up to level 35) 1,081

Mankey evolves into Primeape for 50 Candy, then into Annihilape for 100 Candy.

Lickitung Lickitung ✦ Shiny
Encounter Max CP
Wild (up to level 30) 1,209
Weather boosted (up to level 35) 1,310

Lickitung evolves into Lickilicky (Sinnoh Stone) for 100 Candy.

Totodile Totodile ✦ Shiny
Encounter Max CP
Wild (up to level 30) 970
Weather boosted (up to level 35) 1,051

Totodile evolves into Croconaw for 25 Candy, then into Feraligatr for 100 Candy.

Wooper Wooper ✦ Shiny
Encounter Max CP
Wild (up to level 30) 550
Weather boosted (up to level 35) 596

Wooper evolves into Quagsire for 50 Candy.

Foongus Foongus ✦ Shiny
Encounter Max CP
Wild (up to level 30) 839
Weather boosted (up to level 35) 909

Foongus evolves into Amoonguss for 50 Candy.

Froakie Froakie ✦ Shiny
Encounter Max CP
Wild (up to level 30) 851
Weather boosted (up to level 35) 921

Froakie evolves into Frogadier for 25 Candy, then into Greninja for 100 Candy.

Litten Litten ✦ Shiny
Encounter Max CP
Wild (up to level 30) 887
Weather boosted (up to level 35) 961

Litten evolves into Torracat for 25 Candy, then into Incineroar for 100 Candy.

Togetic Togetic ✦ Shiny
Encounter Max CP
Wild (up to level 30) 1,464
Weather boosted (up to level 35) 1,586

Togetic evolves from Togepi for 25 Candy, and into Togekiss (Sinnoh Stone) for 100 Candy.

Beldum Beldum ✦ Shiny
Encounter Max CP
Wild (up to level 30) 837
Weather boosted (up to level 35) 906

Beldum evolves into Metang for 25 Candy, then into Metagross for 100 Candy.

Shop

  • PokémonXP & 2026 Worlds Backpack: avatar item, on sale after the event ends

Also running

Pikachu (Excavator)
Pokémon Fossil Museum – Chicago
In person
22nd May
 Treecko
Pokémon GO and National Trust
Regional
18th Jul
 Latias
GO Pass: August
4th Aug
 Mewtwo
10th Anniversary Celebration
12th Aug

Source: the official announcement on pokemongo.com. Published .