Ed Sheeran made a surprise appearance at the Pokémon World Championships in San Francisco this weekend, performing during the closing ceremony of the event's finals day. He opened with his 2022 single Celestial, before switching to an acoustic version of the original Pokémon anime's theme tune, delighting fans gathered for the 2026 championship's conclusion.

The performance took place on Championship Sunday at the Chase Center and builds on Sheeran's existing ties to the franchise, as Celestial previously featured on the end credits of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet and its 2022 launch included a music video of Sheeran interacting with Pikachu and other Pokémon. Separately over the same weekend, The Pokémon Company International and Aardman unveiled a teaser trailer for Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch'd & Pichu, a new stop-motion series set for release on Disney+ next year.