This past weekend, thousands of Pokémon competitors arrived at the ExCel Center in London, England, to compete in the Europe International Championships. Over the course of three days, talented players rose through the ranks across four different sections: the Pokémon Trading Card Game, GO, Unite, and Scarlet & Violet. Those who qualified over the course of the event will travel to Anaheim, California this August to compete in the Pokémon World Championships. But - much like Ash Ketchum - I learned that there's a lot more to the world of Pokémon than just becoming a competitive Pokémon Master.

I am, ittedly, somewhat of a newbie when it comes to the world of Pokémon. It took a hands-on preview of TCG Pocket last year for me to get fully hooked on the IP for the first time. Though I know enough now to not embarrass myself, attending EUIC still felt a bit like jumping in the deep end of the fandom, but I came out of the weekend with more appreciation than ever for the franchise and its community.

The EUIC Pokémon Center

Exclusive Merch & The Psyduck Sweater Struggle Of 2025

The very first thing I did after arriving at the ExCel Center was head over to the Pokémon Center, because I was desperate to get my hands on the exclusive Psyduck jumper. The overly-stressed duck was one of the stars of EUIC 2025 alongside Ogerpon, with most of the event’s special merch featuring one of them. Though limited-edition merch at Pokémon Championships is nothing new, designers struck gold this year with the Psyduck jumper - demand was so high for it on the first day that afterwards they stuck them behind a separate counter, where the limit was one per customer.

The Pokémon Center was a highly-coveted appointment all weekend, and when I checked out my cashier told me how the day prior was a “madhouse.” The entire Center was way larger than I’d expected, filled both with lots of EUIC-specific merch like pins and magnets, Ogerpon deck boxes and sleeves, and Psyduck playmats and water bottles, and lots of the merch that can be found at other Pokémon Centers and online. While I could’ve - and should’ve - limited my purchases to things only at EUIC, I was far too tempted by things like a Vulpix robe to limit myself to that.

The Broader EUIC Experience

Side Events, Activity Zone, Playlab, & More

Though the competition is obviously the core focus of the event, EUIC - in many ways - is a much broader celebration for the fandom, with competing and watching battles only making up a fraction of what there is to do in the convention center. The main area, excluding the Pokémon Center and Playlab, was all part of one large hall at ExCel. The competition stage was on one end and side events and an Activity Zone on the other, with competition tables in the middle and a myriad of themed decorations and displays throughout.

There was an exhibit highlighting past winners and a meta-defining card of each year, another of every entry in the Pokémon video game series, and a third highlighting the work of the four artists that were participating in gs, Keiichiro Ito, Shinji Kanda, Yuka Morii, and Yuu Nishida. The Activity Zone was filled with an overwhelming amount of options, with so many I didn’t even get a chance to try them all. There were coloring and origami stations, a trading section, a Pokémon Red speedrun to catch Pikachu, face painting, board games, ring toss, even guided yoga sessions with Pikachu.

The side events were even more elaborate, split into four different sections for Pokémon TCG, GO, Unite, and Scarlet & Violet. Each day had scheduled events that could be ed, from regular style battling to things like the video game’s Chaos Cup, which utilizes randomly built teams of Pokémon, and the Progressive Booster Battle, where players build a deck over three rounds, receiving a new booster pack after each battle. After each event, players are awarded prize tickets based on their wins, which can be redeemed at a massive prize wall filled with plushies, deck boxes, card packs, and more.

I participated in multiple card battles, first through the side event Ditto Booster Battle. Decks are made from a single booster pack, with extra energies provided, and evolutions can be utilized via a special Ditto token that evolves basics into different Pokémon. The Play Lab, which is designed to offer short-form experiences across each Pokémon game, also had a card battling section, which was slated as a Pikachu ex deck versus Charizard ex. I lost more than I won, once to a child who couldn’t have been more than eight, but the special Playlab Glaceon pin made it worth it.

The Competitive Side Of EUIC

Keeping Up With The Fast-Paced Battles

At over 5,000 total, the number of competitors at EUIC was some of the highest in history for the event. The first two days leading up to the finals were extremely chaotic when it came to trying to keep up with each competition. There were often multiple battles across different games happening onstage, with commentary and crowd reactions to both happening concurrently. Despite the chaos, it was still interesting stopping over between some of the aforementioned extracurriculars and seeing the standings and state of the crowd.

For finals, each competition happens individually, beginning with Unite, then GO - both of which only have one section of competitors - followed by TCG and Scarlet & Violet, both of which have a Juniors, Seniors, and Masters section of players. The crowd energy during it all was absolutely unmatched, with cheers and gasps ringing out constantly. Even to a novice like me, there were a few moments that stood out, like when TCG player Ryuki Okada knocked out Natalie Millar before she even took a turn utilizing a Klawf deck, or Wolfe’s nail-biting victory in the VGC Masters final.

Final Thoughts On Pokémon EUIC

An Absolutely Electric Event Full Of Welcoming Fans

From the opening ceremony, which featured a musical performance from The Longest Johns as the stage was surrounded by pyrotechnics, to the closing ceremony where the crowd cheered as the art for Anaheim Worlds was revealed, the energy at EUIC was something extremely unique. I’ve been to plenty of fan-centric events before, like Comic Con, but I think because those attendees are there for such a variance of interests, it doesn’t have the same effect. At EUIC, on the other hand, every person there is united by a love for Pokémon.

I expected EUIC to be very competitive - which it was - but, just like the anime, it wasn't all about the battling, it was about people meeting people and sharing a genuine love for the world of Pokémon. Looking back at Ash, Misty, and Brock, their journey is almost echoed in my experience: the world of Pokémon is so much more than who reigns as Pokémon Master.

At any given time, I was walking past amazing cosplays, excited children and parents enjoying the hobby together, people meeting beloved creators, and fully-costumed Pokémon starters wandering around meeting fans. It was also such a welcoming space for all levels of fans, from high-level competitors to those looking to learn more about the games for the first time. Between the amazing community fostered at the event and the absolutely electric energy throughout the competition, after attending my first Pokémon championship event, I couldn’t be more excited for World 2025.

The Pokémon World Championships will take place August 15–17.