This year’s Pokémon World Championships looked nothing like the ones from a decade ago, and a big part of that change is being led by Christopher Brown, Director of Global Esports and Events at The Pokémon Company International. During PokémonXP and 2026 Worlds in San Francisco, we had the chance to sit down with Brown to talk about the event’s growth, the future of competitive Pokémon, and what it takes to run a show of this size.

Format Changes and Bringing the Whole Pokémon World Together

Brown confirmed that Pokémon Unite will not be part of the World Championships next year. “We’re just changing some of our strategy around the World Championships,” he said, adding that a separate event is being planned in Japan early next year, along with qualifiers leading up to it.

On the shift from the mainline games to Pokémon Champions, Brown said the new format has made life easier for players putting their teams together. “For the players I think, putting their teams together has never been more accessible,” he said. Running the tournament itself, though, is a different story. He pointed to one factor in particular: internet connections.

“In markets like North America, where we’re running 1,000 player Swiss events, that’s also incredibly difficult to do, just because of the internet component.”

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Sweeping this series 3-0, they’re ready to put their hearts on the line in Championship Sunday of #PokemonWorlds!

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Brown drew a comparison to how things worked a decade ago. “If I were to compare that to 10 years ago when on DS’s it was infrared connection, that was very easy,” he said. Despite the connectivity challenges, he was quick to point out the trade-off.

“The internet component is very difficult, but otherwise I think for the player experience, it’s the most accessible game we’ve ever had to get in competitively.”

He also touched on efforts to improve the game beyond the tournament floor. “We’re also working with the game developers through broadcast, through opportunities to make the game more watchable and accessible,” he said, before adding a note of optimism about where the format is headed.

“I think it’s going to be a very powerful eSport for Pokemon well into the future.”

Day 2 of #PokemonWorlds was a whirlwind of excitement! Are you ready for tomorrow’s Finals in the big arena⁉️#PokemonVGC pic.twitter.com/fHu0NER45z

— Pokémon Champions (@Pokemon_Champs) August 30, 2026

Asked whether an event on the scale of PokémonXP could ever happen in Asia, Brown said he couldn’t speak to specifics for other markets, but explained the thinking behind the event. “The philosophy of this event really is about bringing the whole world of Pokemon together,” he said. He added that this approach isn’t limited to Pokémon XP alone.

“Even our competitive events that are not run with the PokemonXP branding, we’ve been branching out more and more to include non-competitive experiences.”

Winning, Losing, and Life Lessons

When asked what he’s learned about winning and losing after years around the competitive scene, Brown shared a story about a parent whose child had won their first three matches at Worlds before losing the next four. He pointed out that since there’s only one champion, almost everyone ends up losing at some point.

“I think actually Pokemon is a fantastic opportunity for the players and also the parents who are supporting maybe their children who are playing to teach life lessons about both winning and losing with grace, about how to learn from mistakes, about how to maybe come back stronger from those losses.”

He also recalled a moment from a Pokémon Go match where the player who lost raised the winner’s hand to recognize them as champion. “I don’t know many sports necessarily that you see that, but we see it in Pokemon all the time,” he said.

“I’d say that a lot of the players do lose with grace and they do acknowledge when they’ve been outperformed.”

A Decade of Growth: San Francisco 2016 vs. 2026

Brown gave a detailed comparison between the 2016 World Championships, also held in San Francisco, and this year’s event. Back in 2016, the event was held at the Marriott Marquis, covering about 70,000 square feet with around 4,000 total attendees and roughly 1,500 players. This year’s event has about 2,700 players, 50,000 unique attendees, and representatives from over 52 countries and regions, spread across more than a million square feet, plus a separate arena show at the Chase Center for the finals.

To manage an event of that scale, Brown said the team now has around 2,000 staff on-site, more than 300 judges, and about 80 interpreters just for the tournament side. “We have 2,000 staff-ish now versus 4,000 total attendees 10 years ago, to give some idea of just the immense growth,” he said. He explained that the event has grown too large for one team to run alone, so different groups now handle different parts of the show independently.

“The biggest challenge, I’d say, is the campus size now is so large that one team cannot run this show.”

Building Fair Competition Across Regions and Age Groups

Asked whether Japan is still generally seen as the strongest region, Brown said that historically, both Japan and the United States have had the strongest player bases because those markets have been playing the games the longest. But he pointed to Pokémon Go as an example of how things can shift: “Last year’s world champion for Pokemon Go was from India,” a market that hasn’t traditionally had a strong presence in other Pokémon titles. “My hope is that all competitors from anywhere feel they have a great chance to win,” he said, “that their local market continues to develop so that they get stronger.”

On age divisions in VGC, Brown explained that The Pokémon Company International handles North America, Europe, Latin America, and Oceania, while other Asia-Pacific markets are managed by the parent company. He shared that right now, there are about twice as many Masters division players at Worlds compared to Juniors and Seniors combined. “Our hope eventually over the next five years is to one day make that even,” he said, adding that the plan isn’t to cut Masters spots but to help more younger players qualify.

“It’s an active goal for us.”

Planning for the Future: Scaling Up and Taking Worlds on the Road

Brown reflected on how PokémonXP started as a pitch about six years ago, at a time when World Championship attendance hadn’t even crossed 10,000 people. He said the biggest reward has been seeing how the community responded, but noted a new challenge has come with that success: over 100,000 people signed up for interest in this year’s event, while only 50,000 badges were available. Looking ahead, he said, “if I were to think about the future, my future lens is really we have 50,000 this year. What does it look like maybe to do a quarter million in five or ten years.”

He was also asked about the possibility of hosting the World Championships outside the United States again, following past events in London and Yokohama. “The goal of the World Championships is to move around,” he said, confirming that returning to California this year was meant to help build up experience for hosting Pokémon XP. He didn’t share specific future locations, but was clear about the long-term intent: “we don’t intend to always be in the US, if that’s the question.” As for whether Pokémon XP will become a yearly event, Brown kept things open-ended.

“We want to hold it the first time and see how this goes.”

Behind the Scenes: Balancing Four Games

Brown explained how the team manages logistics with four different games at Worlds: the Trading Card Game, VGC, Pokémon Go, and Pokémon Unite. He said player numbers at the event partly reflect how long each game has been part of Worlds, with the Trading Card Game dating back to 2004 and VGC introduced a few years later, while Go and Unite were added after the pandemic.

On hall placement, he shared an interesting detail: digital titles are positioned closer to the main stage, while the Trading Card Game is kept further back. “The stage generates a lot of noise and lights, and the TCG players can get a little more distracted by that,” he explained, noting that digital games are less affected by the commotion. Despite the different placements, he was quick to point out that every title gets its moment. “Each one, you know, has a place on stage,” he said.

“On Final Sunday, each finals will have its moment. And that’s really important for us to make sure that each world champion gets honored.”

Early Impressions and a Personal Favorite

Brown said he’s been encouraged by the response to PokémonXP so far, especially from first-time attendees and the roughly 10,000 local fans from California who came out. “Really encouraged,” he said, adding that he’s also seen more families with kids than in past years. He admitted to being nervous about whether the panel stages built for general fans would actually draw crowds, but said the turnout beat his expectations.

“It felt like it was very full and that the audience received those panels well.”

On a lighter note, Brown shared that he started playing Pokémon Red at age 11 and picked Charmander as his starter. “My favorite Pokemon is Charizard,” he said, noting it was the character featured on the cover of Pokémon Red, before it had reached legendary status in the games. He also mentioned that his three-year-old daughter picked her own favorite early on, crawling toward a Squirtle plush when she was just one year old.