2025 Pokémon GO World Championships Preview

With the 2025 Pokémon GO World Championships taking place in Anaheim on August 15 to 17, 2025, Pokémon GO commentators Amanda Lundberg, Will Dunphey, and Martijn Versteeg weigh in on what to expect. From which Pokémon GO Trainers to keep an eye on to which Pokémon are expected to have the biggest impact, here’s what they had to say.

Which Trainers are you most excited to watch, and why?

Amanda Lundberg: There’s no shortage of star power heading into the 2025 Pokémon World Championships, but if we’re talking headline acts, we absolutely have to start with MartoGalde. The bronze medalist from last year’s Worlds didn’t ease up after securing his spot for 2025—he turned the rest of this season into a full-blown victory lap. After locking in his invitation in Honolulu, Marto went on to earn yet another direct invite by winning three tournaments: Lima, Mérida, and Santiago. He also took home the LAIC trophy in Brazil, adding an International Championship title to his track record. That’s five different ways he qualified for Worlds this year.

Next up is India’s own Beelzeboy. Competing under a completely different qualifying system, Beelzeboy topped the 2024 India Playoffs to secure his spot at the 2024 Worlds. Like Marto, he only fell to the eventual champion and runner-up, locking in a fourth-place finish and an automatic return invitation to the big stage. We haven’t seen or heard too much from him this season, but his sharp reads and composed style made him one of the most talked-about players of the tournament, and he’s back with unfinished business.

Then there’s the Spanish standout, P4t0M4N. After placing second in his very first tournament back in 2023 (the 2023 Pokémon Liverpool Regional Championships), he’s now qualified for three straight Worlds events—each more impressive than the last. He earned a direct invite in 2023 by placing second, then again in 2024 by winning a special event in Gdańsk. This year? He leveled up even further, qualifying by winning the 2025 EUIC—and nearly made it two Internationals in a row, falling just short on Championship Sunday at the 2025 NAIC!

Will Dunphey: The world’s most creative team-builder is Zzweilous, affectionately nicknamed “The Reverse Engineer” by the community. Zz’s ability to reverse engineer—and then core-break—the current meta is simply unrivaled. This season at EUIC, Zzweilous took second place with Primeape and Charjabug, and he also placed fourth at NAIC with Shadow Scizor, Greninja, and Galarian Weezing.

Despite his creativity and consistent success, a first-place trophy at the international level has eluded him thus far. Zzweilous’s teams consistently meet their foil in the grand finals, as evidenced by his three runner-up finishes this season. Look for Zzweilous to engineer his greatest team yet, one that will place him atop the podium in Anaheim.

Calm, cool, and collected—but scrappy, gritty, and relentless—Ilqm brings a unique balance of intensity and composure to the stage. 2025 has been his breakout season, as he won his first event in Toronto, and followed it up with another win in Atlanta. After a second-place finish at NAIC, Ilqm has more momentum than ever going into Worlds.

The key to Ilqm’s competitive success this season has been Shadow Drapion. While many Trainers use it, nobody has a better handle on that Pokémon than Ilqm. Drapion is known for wreaking havoc, and Ilqm will do exactly that on the Worlds stage in August.

After sweeping the South Korea qualifiers 7-0 in April, CharmingP0ri earned his Worlds invitation by going 5-0 in the South Korea playoffs. CharmingP0ri has also recently achieved competitive success outside of the Championship Series, sweeping numerous grassroots tournaments that were stacked with high-level competition from various regions.

CharmingP0ri’s lightning-fast reaction speed and seamless gameplay with bulky Pokémon like Dewgong make him a well-balanced player. Will he find himself on stage on Championship Sunday, like the previous South Korean great, Godanhada? Only time will tell.

Martijn Versteeg: The brand new 2025 NAIC Champion, the first Pokémon GO competitor to win two International Championships, and the 2023 World Champion! With many accolades to his name, ItsAXN is a fan favorite to watch. After his dominant Worlds run two seasons ago, ItsAXN seemed to fade from the spotlight—but this season, he is SO back. ItsAXN claimed gold at his last two competitions and is peaking just in time for the World Championships in Anaheim. What stands out even more is how he’s used his success—after making a name for himself, he started creating educational content on PvP. To many, “Master AXN” is not just a champion, but also a mentor.

If there were an award at the World Championships for heartwarming smiles, Richie1409 would win it hands down. I’ve not seen a single photo of him at a venue where he’s not smiling, and that joy is reflected in his gameplay. He clearly loves competing and seizes every opportunity with enthusiasm.

What Richie1409 has also shown is the power of teamwork. He builds his teams together with his friends and teammates like Iomero0 and SpartanL17—both fellow Worlds competitors. Their shared preparation has led to success for all of them, proving that having the right people in your corner can make all the difference.

If I had to name someone I predict to win the 2025 World Championships, it would be Richie1409.

While Japanese players have won multiple titles in the Video Game and Trading Card Game scenes, they’ve yet to win gold in the Pokémon GO World Championships. CrescentAngels came close with a third-place finish in 2022, but this season, he didn’t qualify. Now, the hopes of Japan rest in the hands of other talented competitors.

Japan has a fiercely dedicated player base. One standout competitor is pokemonemaker. They traveled to Australia twice in pursuit of a Worlds invite. The first attempt ended in an impressive third place, but the second time, they struck gold, winning the 2025 Pokémon Regional Championships in Melbourne!

And not only that, but some of the best Japanese competitors played in the Japan Championships. Pokemonemaker added a Top 8 finish to their already stellar season, cementing their status as the player to watch from Japan.

What are your most out-of-the-box predictions for what you think will happen at Worlds?

Amanda Lundberg: We have an incredibly stacked roster heading into Worlds this year. Big names, big resumes, and more than a few former finalists. ItsAXN, the 2023 World Champion, is back in the mix, and Yekai0904 returns to defend his title after an ultra-clean run last year. But I don’t think we’ll have a repeat World Champion this year, and that’s not even my out-of-the-box prediction! This is: We won’t see a repeat World Champion for at least the first TEN YEARS of competitive Pokémon GO. AT LEAST!

I know that’s a bold take, especially after ItsAXN’s incredible run this year. But hear me out: I think this game has one of the deepest competitive fields in the Pokémon franchise. The gap between the “top” and the rest of the competitors is narrowing every season. Our first-ever World Champion, DancingRob, didn’t even qualify this year. ItsAXN—one of only two players alongside MEweedle to win a Regional, an International, and a World Championship—has now added back-to-back NAIC titles to his already stacked résumé. But with that kind of success comes a huge target, and the field is hungry.

Yekai is another phenomenal player with incredibly smooth gameplay, but he’ll have to navigate a bracket full of rising stars. Just look at this year’s European Regional winners. Aside from Nickname29585, none had previously won a Regional. (Okay, Tontonbatteuse won EUIC in 2023, but you get my point.)

If you want more fuel for this house of wild claims, look at Doonebug97. He was the first to win three official events in a single season. And he’s still chasing that big Worlds moment. Or Ilqm, long known for consistency, who finally broke through this season.

There’s just too much talent in the room for history to repeat itself—at least not yet.

Will Dunphey: The Delightful Days update in Pokémon GO brought numerous buffs to Bug-type Pokémon. Most notably, an increase in damage for both Bug Bite and Fury Cutter. Golisopod appeared to be the obvious Bug type of choice, until ItsAXN dominated NAIC with his mighty Araquanid. My bold Bug type prediction for the 2025 World Championships is that another Bug Bite user will win gold on Championship Sunday. That Pokémon is…Forretress!

The best finish for Forretress this season was runner-up in Fortaleza, piloted by Brazilian great LNDsRargef. However, the Pokémon also finished top five in the PJCS, the last tournament of the season before Worlds. With its unique blend of bulk and Fast Attack pressure, Forretress has win conditions against Shadow Scizor, Araquanid, and Golisopod, plus a large swath of the top meta. I think it’s got what it takes to spin up a win in Anaheim.

My second bold prediction is that experience will prevail over natural talent. Last year’s World Championships in Hawaiʻi ushered in a new era of talented Trainers, with Yekai0904, PvpDavid07, and Beelzeboy dominating the stage. This year, I expect Championship Series veterans like OutOfPoket, Reis2Occasion, and Ashtonash to make deep runs through the bracket. In one of the more prediction-heavy metas in recent memory, seasoned competitors will have a slight edge.

Finally, I’d be remiss not to mention that our past Pokémon GO World Champions hail from Europe, North America, and Asia-Pacific. The two major regions without a crown are Latin America (LATAM) and Oceania. While it would be a remarkable story for a trainer from Oceania to win it all this August, I think 2025 is LATAM’s time to shine. Given the remarkable depth of talent, passion for Pokémon GO, and stadium-shaking crowd, I think the championship trophy will find a wonderful home south of the equator in LATAM for the first time. Could we have a LATAM vs. Oceania Grand Finals? Now, that would be remarkable.

Martijn Versteeg: So far, we’ve seen champions crowned from Europe, North America, and Asia-Pacific. But one major region is still chasing their first title: Latin America. One of the storylines I’m most excited about this season is whether they can finally make it happen. My bold prediction is that we’ll see at least four competitors from the Latin American region in the Top 8.

Let’s take that a step further. Compared to the Video Game and Trading Card Game, Pokémon GO is quite new to the competitive scene. Only recently have players begun forming or joining esports teams for Pokémon GO. Top competitors—like 2024 NAIC Champion OutOfPoket—have spoken before about how valuable it is to surround yourself with skilled, experienced teammates to share strategies and grow together. This mindset is quickly spreading across regions, and I think Latin America might just be leading the charge.

So where am I going with all this? Let’s rewind to the 2023 World Championships, where the top three finishers all came from North America. I’ve already mentioned Richie1409 and his team, but there’s more. Many of the Brazilian competitors with the ‘LNDs’ tag in their player username will be representing their region, and they’re not coming alone; they’re coming as a team.

That’s why I believe this year’s World Championships will be defined by teamwork and friendship.

Looking at the NAIC usage data, what changes do you expect to see at Worlds?

Amanda Lundberg: Day 1 usage at NAIC always gives us a solid snapshot of the general consensus across the field. Diggersby and Shadow Drapion stayed near the top, Azumarill held strong as a tried-and-true pick, and the meta shift gave non-traditional Pokémon like Dedenne a chance to shine. Mandibuzz, which was popular a few seasons ago, seemed to come home to roost, edging out Galarian Moltres as the preferred Dark- and Flying-type Pokémon option…at least for now.

By Day 2, the overall picture remained steady, but a few fringe picks started creeping in. Shadow Scizor appeared on both P4t0M4N’s and Zzweilous’s teams, helping them secure third and fourth place finishes. ItsAXN’s winning squad featured the surprise inclusion of Araquanid, while Ilqm, who just barely missed out on another gold medal, rounded out a standard team with the wildcard Golisopod. There was also no shortage of monkey business, with both Shadow Primeape and Annihilape punching their way onto top teams—sometimes quite literally.

Heading into the 2025 Worlds, I don’t expect major shakeups. There haven’t been enough new updates to introduce true threats, and practice tournaments have shown that the staples are staples for a reason. That said, I do expect Dusclops to continue its slow rise—it’s bulky, disruptive, and matches up well into top threats like Diggersby, Azumarill, and Fighting-type Pokémon. Galarian Moltres, now armed with Fly, could also soar back into favor.

But in the end, it’s not just about usage, it’s about ingenuity. The players who make it far at Worlds will be the ones who uncover something new: a single Pokémon, or a core that bends the meta in their favor. Not just strong picks, but smart ones. That’s what’s going to set them apart.

Will Dunphey: The North America International Championships showed us that Dedenne and Shadow Scizor can quickly dominate the battlefield and sweep entire games. While Dedenne is a polarizing choice in a Diggersby and Mud Slap–heavy meta, its ability to gain momentum by Parabolic Charging through soft targets like Mandibuzz and Araquanid makes it nearly insurmountable in later matchups. Shadow Scizor, on the other hand, is a neutral damage machine. Its Bullet Punches rapidly grind down opponents, while Night Slash and Trailblaze only serve to increase the pressure. Scizor fears opposing Fire-type Pokémon due to its double weakness, but those have been uncommon as of late. The World Champion will need to be prepared for these two Pokémon—and perhaps include them both on their team!

2025 Worlds might be the perfect moment for a Fire-type Pokémon that nobody is talking about: Ninetales (Kanto). Equipped with legacy Ember, Weather Ball (Fire), and Overheat, Ninetales has an all Fire-type kit that quickly farms down Bug and Steel types, baits away shields with Weather Ball, and chunks down opponents’ HP with Overheat. Some Trainers might opt to run Shadow Ninetales for added potency. It will require a lot of finesse to pilot effectively, but it has potential.

Spicy Fire types aside, competitors are entering Worlds in an unpredictable meta game. Therefore, I expect these Trainers to gravitate towards safe picks. Pokémon like Furret and Diggersby will remain high on the usage charts, along with Shadow Drapion and Azumarill. Dusclops stomped its way into relevancy at NAIC, and I expect its usage to remain high at Worlds. Trainers will likely reach for some unique picks as well, like Shadow Annihilape, Stunfisk (Unova), Galarian Moltres, Corviknight, and Blastoise. Each of these Pokémon presents unique team building challenges, so be ready for a blend of safe and unconventional teams. This is going to be a diverse and exciting Worlds!

Martijn Versteeg: Let me start by saying I was genuinely surprised to see Mandibuzz ranking so high in usage at the 2025 NAIC. It was not what I expected, mainly due to its extremely polarizing matchup against Dedenne. The Dark- and Flying-type I expected to thrive was Galarian Moltres, which can learn one of the most powerful Fast Attacks in the game: Sucker Punch. And while it also wants to avoid Dedenne, it can at least deal a lot of damage back.

But here’s the twist. Everyone who brought Dusclops to NAIC made a brilliant call. With Ice Punch, it can actually take down Mandibuzz. And with Galarian Moltres not widely used, Dusclops faced very few hard counters. I expect to see a lot of Dusclops at the World Championships.

But this reflects the usage of all the teams; you don’t see all the successful Pokémon on this chart. Araquanid, Golisopod, and Greninja all made it very far at the NAIC and are likely to shape the meta as well, even if they don’t dominate the usage charts.

Let’s zoom in on some other off-meta picks we may see as well.

Runerigus: Discussed among many before NAIC, but only brought by ArceusAurelius, known by fans as the Viking Warrior. The Norwegian believed in its potential, and managed to finish Top 16 with it! The second Pokémon we might see is Charjabug. It was on the winning team last year, and I think it could make a return with its buffed Fast Attack, Bug Bite. It chews through Dark- and Grass-type Pokémon, and even handles Ground-type Pokémon such as Diggersby and Quagsire much better now.

And finally a fan favorite. Furret is a Normal-type Pokémon with a very versatile moveset to tackle the common Ghost- and Water-type Pokémon. It may not top the usage charts, but don’t be surprised if Furret makes a broadcast appearance.

Follow the 2025 Pokémon GO World Championships live with the Pokémon GO Twitch channel at 9:00 a.m. PDT on August 15 and 16, 2025. On Championship Sunday, August 17, 2025, tune in to the Pokémon Twitch channel at 9:00 a.m. PDT.

Amanda Lundberg (Lundberger) is a contributing writer for Pokemon.com and the favorite Pokémon GO commentator of two World Champions’…moms! Follow her Pokémon travel adventures at youtube.com/@LundbergerPoGo or on x.com/Lundberger.

Will Dunphey is an esports commentator for the Pokémon GO Championship Series, having casted more than 35 official events, as of July 2025. Will began creating content for Pokémon GO PvP in 2020, the same year he became a grassroots World Champion. He is a leading voice in the Pokémon GO community, and the speediest of all the chiefs. Follow him on social media at @SpeediestChief2.

Martijn “Inadequance” Versteeg