The 2026 Pokémon World Championships arrive at Moscone Center in San Francisco August 28-30, alongside the first-ever PokémonXP fan festival — the highest level of competitive Pokémon play in the world, open to spectators. Players who compete at Worlds have qualified through regionals and nationals across a full season. The Masters Division bracket represents the best Pokémon TCG, VGC, and GO players in the world — people who have studied the metagame with the intensity of professional athletes. Watching the tournament floor is watching optimization happen in real time: deck construction decisions made months ago either pay off or they don't, and the margins are sometimes one card, one turn, …