The 2026 Pokémon World Championships in San Francisco doubled as a celebration of the franchise's 30th anniversary and the debut PokémonXP fan event, with the closing ceremony used to unveil a wave of upcoming media and game content. Highlights included the first new feature-length animated film in years, "Pokémon: Wild Card" (2027), and a first look at Aardman's stop-motion series "Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch'd & Pichu", set for Disney+ in 2027. The announcements matter as a signal of Nintendo and The Pokémon Company's continued expansion of the franchise across film, television, games and merchandise well beyond its core video games.

On the games side, Z Mega Evolutions arrive in Pokémon Champions on 9th September, while the Trading Card Game and TCG Pocket are getting new Mega and dual-type cards respectively. Pokémon Go marked its own 10th anniversary with battle changes for Mega-Evolved Pokémon and the return of Armoured Mewtwo, and Pokémon Unite is adding four new characters. Britain's Vikram Thiagarajan won gold in the Video Game Senior Division, Ed Sheeran made a surprise musical appearance, and the next World Championships will be held in Singapore.