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Ed Sheeran gives surprise performance of Pokémon anime theme and Celestial at World Championships
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.
In short
- Ed Sheeran surprised fans at the 2026 Pokémon World Championships in San Francisco
- He performed Celestial and an acoustic Pokémon anime theme
- Pokémon also teased a new Aardman stop-motion Disney+ series
Explained simply
The Pokémon World Championships bring together players from around the world to compete in Pokémon video games and trading card games. The event also draws fans of the wider franchise, which includes animated series, films and music.
Ed Sheeran is a British singer-songwriter whose song Celestial was released in 2022 and featured in the end credits of the video games Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. His music video for the song also showed him alongside Pokémon characters, including Pikachu.