The 2022 Pokémon TCG World Championships will begin Thursday, August 18, for all age divisions. Players must be in good standing with the Play! Pokémon program to participate, and they must have an active Play! Pokémon account with current and accurate information.

Qualifications

Pokémon TCG players may qualify through competitions in the 2022 Championship Series season. Players earn invitations to this prestigious event by performing at an exceptional level throughout the Championship Series season.

Top Pokémon TCG players from different rating zones receive invitations based on their Championship Points standing at the end of the season. Invitations will be divided into two tiers. Players who reach a certain Championship Points (CP) total receive an invitation to play in Day One on Thursday. Invitations will be distributed based on the number of CP earned as follows:

Championship Points Table

Rating Zone	Junior	Senior	Masters
US and Canada	350	400	500
Europe	250	250	350
Latin America	250	250	250
Oceania	250	250	250
Middle East and South Africa	150	150	250

*Championship Point requirements subject to change.

Day Two Invitations

The best players in each zone will earn an invitation that allows them to advance directly to Day Two without playing in Thursday's rounds. These invitations will also include Travel Awards. Day Two invitations are divided by rating zone as follows:

• The Top 16 players from the US and Canada rating zone

• The Top 22 players from the Europe rating zone

• The Top 8 players from the Latin America rating zone

• The Top 8 players from the Oceania rating zone

Additional Day Two invitations without a Travel Award are divided by rating zone as follows:

• Players in positions 17–32 from the US and Canada rating zone

• Players in positions 23–44 from the Europe rating zone

• Players in positions 9–16 from the Latin America rating zone

• Players in positions 9–12 from the Oceania rating zone

Players in Japan, South Korea, and Asia Pacific will be awarded both Thursday invitations and Day Two invitations as determined by each region’s organized play system.

Players who earned invitations from the 2019 World Championships will play on Thursday unless they qualify for Day Two based on their ranking.

Competition Format

This competition will use the rules for the 2022 Championship Series season Standard format. Players must bring their own tournament-legal 60-card deck. Players must adhere to the Tournament Rules.

Please note the following cards will not be legal for play in this tournament:

• Special Delivery Pikachu SWSH074

• Special Delivery Charizard SWSH075

• Lance’s Charizard V SWSH133

• Dark Sylveon V SWSH134

• Special Delivery Bidoof SWSH177

• Galarian Obstagoon SWSH193

• Pikachu on the Ball Futsal 001

• Eevee on the Ball Futsal 002

• Grookey on the Ball Futsal 003

• Scorbunny on the Ball Futsal 004

• Sobble on the Ball Futsal 005

Check-In

Day One players must check in at the ExCeL London events center Hall S16 on Wednesday, August 17, between 5:00 and 8:00 p.m. BST. If, due to unforeseen circumstances such as flight delays or missed connections, a player becomes unable to check in on Wednesday, they should report to the check-in desk as early as possible on Thursday (during the check-in hours, beginning at 8:00 a.m.) and notify a staff member. There is no guarantee of entry for players who check in late, and should the late entry be allowed by tournament officials, it may include a penalty of a first-round loss. All Day One players are required to be checked in and seated for their age division's player meeting on Thursday morning.

All Pokémon TCG competitors with Day One invitations must submit their deck list online with the RK9 Labs Deck List Creator by 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 17. Players may use cards from their home market in languages other than English.

Players who earned a Day Two invitation may check in anytime Wednesday evening or Thursday until 3:00 p.m.

Deck lists for players competing on Day Two must be submitted online with the RK9 Labs Deck List Creator by 8:45 a.m. on Friday, August 19. Players who advance from Day One to Day Two may submit a new deck list through RK9. Any new deck lists must be submitted by 8:45 a.m.

Player Meeting

A mandatory player meeting for all age divisions with a Day One invitation will start at the conclusion of the opening ceremonies, at approximately 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, August 18, in the Pokémon TCG play area.

Players with a Day One invitation who do not attend the player meeting may be dropped from the main tournament. However, they will still receive their badges, lanyard, and welcome kit, and will be permitted entry into the event space for the remainder of the competition.

All Pokémon TCG age divisions will start their first round of play once the player meetings end.

There is a mandatory player meeting on Friday, August 19, at 8:45 a.m. for all players who advance to Day Two, as well as all players who earned a Day Two invitation. Players who don't attend this meeting will be dropped from the event.

Tournament Schedule

The Pokémon TCG World Championships is run in three phases over four days. The number of Swiss rounds will depend on total attendance at the event. Swiss rounds will use the best-of-three game format. The Standard format will be used throughout the entire World Championships.

Thursday: All players with Day One invitations will play Swiss rounds. Players who reach the required number of match points during the Swiss rounds will advance to Day Two on Friday. Day Two will feature about half as many players as Day One, combining the top players from Day One with the players who received Day Two invitations.

Rounds	Required Match Points
4	6
5	9
6	12
7	15
8	18
9	21

• Match win = 3 match points

• Match tie = 1 match point

• Match loss = 0 match points

Friday: All players, including those who earned Day Two invitations and those who advanced from Thursday, will play in a new set of Swiss rounds to be completed over Friday and Saturday. This will be treated as a new tournament: match records from Thursday will not carry forward, and players are not required to use the same deck they played on Thursday.

There is a mandatory player meeting at 8:45 a.m. for all players. Any new deck lists must be submitted by then. Players who don't attend this meeting will be dropped from the event. The number of Swiss rounds to be played will be announced before play starts on Friday.

Saturday: The remaining Swiss rounds from Friday will complete, followed by a top cut. The TCG will use an 8-player single-elimination top cut.

Sunday: Final rounds will be played for all age divisions.

Event structure subject to change.