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The biggest Pokémon event in the world is coming to Anaheim. Here's how to get tickets
The Pokémon World Championships return to Anaheim in August. The competition was last held in the city in 2017. Pictured is the giant Pikachu that loomed over fans at the 2019 Worlds in Washington, D.C.
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Topline:
Pokémon fans can now register for a chance to buy tickets to watch the world's very best trainers compete in Anaheim this August.
The backstory: The 2025 Pokémon World Championships will take place at the Anaheim Convention Center Friday, Aug. 15 through Sunday, Aug. 17. The annual competition attracts the top trading card game, videogame, and "Pokémon Go” trainers and thousands of fans. One reporter described the event as “a massive Pokémon theme park… a Super Bowl for the game, but also Disneyland."
Economic impact: Pikachu and friends debuted in a videogame almost three decades ago and are now part of one of the most lucrative media franchises ever. The Pokémon Company made nearly $11 billion last year in licensing alone. World competitions attract thousands of spectators and shoppers seeking exclusive merch. The Hawai'i Tourism Authority estimated visitors to the 2024 competition in Honolulu spent more than $57 million and generated $6.7 million in taxes.
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Get tickets: Trainers have to win their way into the competition and prospective spectators will need a bit of luck. For the chance to buy tickets, sign up for the “spectator interest list” now through March 23. If demand exceeds the number of tickets (which is all but guaranteed), there will be a random drawing for the chance to buy tickets from $39 (one-day) to $99 (multi-day).
Just the beginning: In past years there has been a separate raffle for an opportunity to shop the pop-up Pokémon Center and several free events (peep last year’s agenda for an idea).
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