Pokémon’s first US World Championship in five years announces August dates for Hawai‘i tournament
Trainers will hit up the Aloha state to battle with cards, consoles and mobile devices.
Pokémon’s annual World Championship event is returning to Hawai‘i for the first time since 2012, and we now have dates and a venue for the massive tournament blowout. The 2024 World Championship will be held at the Hawai‘i Convention Center in Honolulu from August 16th through the 18th.
The World Championship hasn’t been hosted in the US since 2019’s Washington DC-based tournament. The Pokémon Company previously tapped Hawai‘i as hosts in 2010 and 2012 - both championships took place in Waikoloa Village. We learned about the company’s Hawai‘i plans last year, but no dates or venue was included in that initial announcement.
A short video with details accompanied the closing of the 2024 Pokémon Europe International Championships in London, a three-day competitive event that saw a select few players earn their Europe International Champion crowns and an invitation to the World Championship
Like the Europe International tournament, Pokémon’s World Championship will host contenders in a number of different games starring the eponymous critter. Competitive trading card game battles will be split across junior, senior and master divisions, as will video game bouts using the most current movelists and stats from Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. There will also be competitions for mobile sensation Pokémon GO and the more recent team-based MOBA video game, Pokémon Unite. A full list of the European finalists and winners can be found online.
Accompanying the Hawaiian event will be plenty of leis, beaches and island vistas, as you can see from the official announcement video posted to YouTube. The annual grand final serves as both spectator sport for folks to watch the best trainers on the year’s biggest stage, as well as a fan-focused event full of exhibition matches, pick-up games, attractions and plenty of officially licensed merchandise.
No ticket information or pricing is available on the World Championship’s official website. The Pokémon TCG remains one of the most popular titles in its field, holding ground in a more crowded market that now includes Disney Lorcana and Star Wars: Unlimited. In fact, it recently announced development on a lighter and more collection-focused mobile app called Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket.