The Pokémon Company has officially unveiled the schedule for its 2025 esports season, with huge changes coming to how players can qualify for the World Championships from next year.
Previously, players needed to reach a set Championship Point (CP) threshold to get an invite, with everyone who hit this threshold qualifying. From next year, however, only a set number of players from each rating zone, age division, and game will earn a spot, with invitations based on Championship leaderboard standings.
In addition, players who get individual top performances at major events like EUIC and NAIC will earn an automatic invite to Pokémon Worlds regardless of their CP points total, making winning an event much more critical. These invites will be given to the top four finishers at the three individual international events.
This is a huge change, as it means players must be consistent and constantly fighting for top spots until the very end of the season to get a Worlds qualification spot—and might lead to players having to travel to more regional events to keep up with the pack. Hopefully, This should lead to a better pool of players at Worlds, as those in attendance have been consistently the top performers throughout the year.
On top of this change, the dates and locations for LAIC, NAIC, and EUIC have been revealed. These are as follows:
- LAIC: November 15 to 17 in Sao Paulo, Brazil
- EUIC: Feb 21 to 23 in London, U.K.
- NAIC: June 13 to 15 in New Orleans, U.S.A.
Travel prizes are still available for the top-performing players on the CP leaderboard at the end of the year, but this change could fundamentally shake up the scene as we know it and lead to many players likely missing out on a Worlds spot at the end of the year.
We cannot wait to see how this unfolds.
