Pokémon Premier Events are returning in early 2022. Compete for prizes, travel awards, and glory with four different ways to play: the Pokémon TCG, Pokémon video games, Pokkén Tournament DX, and, for the first time, Pokémon GO. As already announced, some players will age up to new age divisions for the 2022 season. All players who earned points in the 2020 season, which was canceled in March 2020, will have their points transferred to the 2022 season.
Players attending Pokémon tournaments will be required to comply with Pokémon’s COVID-19 policies, which mandate that all participants be vaccinated. More info about the Play! Pokémon COVID-19 policies can be found here. Information is subject to change based on shifting governmental health mandates, and participants should check with organizers for the most up-to-date information. Some events may require masks and social distancing in addition to vaccination.
Prize and Championship Point schedules for each event series for the 2022 season will mostly mirror what was already established for the 2020 season.
Since 2022 is a shorter season than usual, players will only be able to earn travel awards for the 2022 North American Championships based on points earned during the period from when the Championship Points events begin again through April 24, 2022. Though the European Championships are taking place in April 2022, there will be no travel awards for the event because travel awards and stipends were provided to all players who qualified for the 2020 European Championships, which were subsequently canceled.
Pokkén Tournament DX returns to Worlds in 2022. Players who already earned a travel award from the Oceania Championship will have that award honored for the 2022 World Championship. Additional awards are available in the Senior and Masters divisions at the European and North American International Championship.
More details about the 2022 Play! Pokémon season will be announced soon.
For the first time, Pokémon GO players can take part in Play! Pokémon events with the very first official Pokémon GO Championship Series, held in partnership with Niantic. Qualifier events for the 2022 Pokémon GO World Championships will be held around the world at some Regional and International Championships. Players who place highly at these events can earn prize money as well as an invitation to compete at Worlds in London in August.
To register for Pokémon GO Championship Series events, you must be your home region’s age of digital consent or older. Also, you need to have linked your Pokémon GO account to a Trainer Club account, have a Player ID, and have opted in to the Play! Terms of Use. The ability to create an account link will be available in late 2021, and registration for the first events will open in January.
Additionally, as previously announced, access to early registration will be granted to Pokémon GO players who perform well in the GO Battle League. For the first batch of events, players must achieve Legend Rank in Season 9 in order to qualify. Details for later events will be added once information about the corresponding GO Battle League season is announced.
Tournaments for Pokémon GO will operate Senior and Masters age divisions and run the Great League format. For specific format details, stay tuned for the rules document that will be available soon. To ensure an even playing field, participants at most Qualifiers will be required to log in to their Pokémon GO account and battle using smart devices provided onsite. If this is not the case for a specific event, the organizer of that event will announce that separately. Specific details on provided devices will be included in the upcoming rules document.
Battle hard, Trainers!
