The Spirit of Pokémon: Inside the 2025 Europe International Championships
You may think you know Pokémon, but beyond the franchise’s animated series and many video games is a vast and fiercely competitive world, where players battle it out in the real world through four main events, with the hope of coming out on top as a true champion!
Coming from around the world, dedicated players test their skills across three tiers of competitive play. Regional Championships, International Championships and the final showdown, the World Championship. Competing across the Trading Card Game (TCG), Video Game Championships (VGC), Pokémon GO and Pokémon UNITE players aim to win as many Championship Points, the key for qualifying for the Worlds. But, these events aren't just about the high-stakes competition; it is ultimately a celebration of the Pokémon community.
Hosting its fourth major championship event, London’s ExCeL center has continued its reign as the premier Pokemon hotspot. Following the 2022 World Championships, it has since welcomed players to the Europe International Championship (EUIC) since 2023. From February, 21st to 23rd this year, the venue was filled to the brim with like minded fans;from seasoned competitors to enthusiastic spectators, there was something there for everyone.
With my weekend spectator ticket in hand, I made my way into a weekend full of excitement and everything Pokémon. The sense of community was palpable. More than other years, I noticed how the community took centre stage at EUIC with the Pokémon Company International and Play! Pokémon teams clearly putting in a lot of effort to make the event just as good for spectators as the competitors.
Furthermore, four well-known Pokémon TCG illustrators, Keiichiro Ito, Yuka Morii, Shinji Kanda and Yuu Nishida each had their own signing session for the first time at an International Championship. All you needed to ‘meet your heroes’ was an entry badge and a strong will for queuing to get an autograph. The sight was all too familiar to British eyes, with the lines to meet these artists stretching far across the hall and back on themselves several times. Among the exhibitors, Yuka Morii, an illustrator whose art of small clay sculptures of Pokemon features in the Trading Card Game even had a small museum display with some of her original models.
EUIC also debuted its cosplay showcase this year, allowing fans to dress as their favourite human characters. Though the official event excluded Pokémon cosplays, the venue became a special display of ingenuity and talent. Whether participating in the showcase or not, I got to see so many fans bring their favourite trainers and Pokémon to life with remarkable detail and enthusiasm.
Even though the Championship is all about the games, EUIC offers far more than just high-stakes competition. The Activity Zone provided fun for all ages, featuring carnival games, photo contests, and board games to name a few. Not only were there casual games, but side events too, where attendees could win big prizes. For a reasonable price, players could play different TCG, VGC and Pokémon Go formats, each of which awarded points that could be exchanged at the prize wall.
Adding to the atmosphere, three vendors offered cards and merchandise and a Collect & Trade area was even set up this year,having options for everyone regardless if you were looking to buy, trade or just have a look at others' impressive collections.
Now of course, no EUIC experience is complete without a visit to the pop-up Pokémon Center, the official merchandise store. Myself, like many others, got our laptops ready for when the clock struck 2pm on January 22nd. Reservations were fully booked within the first couple of hours, with the website also experiencing technical difficulties due to the sheer amount of interest. The pop-up offered exclusive EUIC 2025 merchandise, alongside merch staples like the Sitting Cuties plush line, which drew a lengthy queue within the store.
For newcomers and those who were looking to refine their skills, EUIC is also host to PlayLabs, a side event that offered crash courses in the Pokémon TCG. Kicking off on Thursday with early access for badge collection and Pokémon Center visits, the event’s early start allowed people to avoid the Friday morning rush. With Friday marking the official start of the competitive action. Soon enough, the competitors received their call times and plunged straight into the action.
To begin, Pokémon UNITE and Go featured group and bracket matches, while TCG and VGC began their Swiss rounds . Spectators were free to roam throughout the exhibition, catching matches on the main stage and taking part in all the available events. For those who could not make it, many events that took place on the live stage were broadcast live on the respective format's twitch channel. The start of the weekend brings with it a surge in attendance as people get off work and come to soak in the atmosphere. Saturday culminated in the highly anticipated top cut that determines the finalists in each age division and game ahead of the much anticipated Championship Sunday.
Championship Sunday, as expected, really did live up to its name, with the finals for each category unfolding in succession. Pokémon UNITE opened the day bright and early at 9am, then GO, TCG, and finally VGC took to the stage afterwards. Securing a seat for the finals was a challenge. People really brought the competition forth to getting a great viewing spot, with friends and families frantically trying to save seats the moment a space became available.
The VGC finals provided a thrilling conclusion to the day, and I was fortunate enough to witness the action from one of the elusive spectator seats. From the Juniors' and Seniors' strategic battles, the energy remained consistently high, culminating in the Masters division's dramatic showdown. The spotlight shone on the two finalists, fan-favourite Wolfe Glick, and home competitor Dyl Yeomans. After two close matches, each claiming a victory, Glick emerged victorious, securing his second International Championship win and an impressive 18th first-place tournament finish. Wolfe Glick could not have put it in better words at how large the scope of this tournament was, there were 1400 players who entered to compete, making it the biggest official Pokémon tournament of all time.
"1400 players trained their Pokémon, travelled to London, practiced with friends, worked on their team. 1400 people showed up to this tournament hoping and dreaming to win the entire thing... But it wasn't enough!"
The crowd erupted and Pokémon EUIC 2025 came to an end with Wolfe Glick at the top. It was amazing to see an event that took pride in the celebration of community and was a testament to the passion and skill of its players. I'm already counting down the days until Worlds in Anaheim, August 15th to 17th, where I know we'll witness even more of these incredible moments.
Edited by Karan Nimsons, Gaming Editor.
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