PokémonXP, a new “event that celebrates all things Pokémon,” is coming to San Fransisco August 28-30, 2026. Teased during the 2025 Pokémon World Championships closing ceremonies, PokémonXP will occur alongside the 2026 Pokémon World Championships at the Moscone Center.
We don’t know much about the fan event, but we do know the multi-day pass prices and a vague description of the “range of Pokémon-centric festivities.”
From the official website: “This event will feature an expansive selection of Pokémon experiences and partners together in one place. Attendees will join a celebration of community and all things Pokémon as they enjoy featured panels, unique workshops, special guests, exclusive merchandise, and so much more.”
The Pokémon Center Pop-Up Store, usually exclusive to the Pokémon World Championship attendees, will be open to PokémonXP badge holders that weekend as well.
It sounds like PokémonXP will be a massive fan convention just for Pokémon, aiming to be an even bigger celebration than the Pokémon World Championships.
The first wave of multi-day pass registration for PokémonXP starts on September 17, 2025 at 9 a.m. PT. A second wave will become available on September 17, 2025 at 8pm PT. Single-day passes are set to be released alongside the full program schedule in spring 2026.
There are two types of multi-day passes: The multi-day pass, and the multi-day + arena experience pass, which includes admission to the arena to watch the Pokémon World Championships finals on Championship Sunday. Both pass types include two Pokémon Trading Card Game booster packs, a PokémonXP collectible pin, and a lanyard.
Multi-day passes for youths under 18 start at $70, and multi-day passes for adults 18 and over start at $120. It says on the official website that the first wave of sales will be at this lower “Pidgey” pricing, which is limited.
This year, The Pokémon World Championships hosted Championship Sunday in an arena for the first time, and in 2026, they’re upscaling it even more, bringing Championship Sunday to the massive Chase Center, which has a seating capacity of 18,064 (at least, for basketball games). Compare that to the Anaheim Convention Center Arena, with a capacity of 7,500. Which, I heard, was filled to capacity this year.
IGN was at the Pokémon World Championships in Anaheim this year, where we watched 2025 Pokémon World VGC Champion Kevin Han make history, and played a first-ever demo of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. Plus, read about everything else announced at Pokémon Worlds this year.
Casey DeFreitas is a deputy editor on the guides team at IGN and this year is the second time she’s covered the Pokémon World Championships in Anaheim, CA. Catch her on socials @ShinyCaseyD.
