The 2022 Pokémon VGC World Championships will begin on Thursday, August 18, 2022, 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 VGC (Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield) 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 VGC 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	200	250	400
Europe	200	250	300
Latin America	200	250	400
Oceania	200	200	300
Middle East and South Africa	100	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 8 players from the US and Canada rating zone

• The Top 16 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 9–12 from the US and Canada rating zone

• Players in positions 17–24 from the Europe rating zone

• Players in positions 9–12 from the Latin America rating zone

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

Players in Japan, South Korea, and the Asia Pacific region 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 Championship Points.

Competition Format

This competition will use the rules and format for the 2022 Video Game Championships Series 12. Players must have the following things with them to participate in this tournament:

• Pokémon Sword or Pokémon Shield (physical or digital) for the Nintendo Switch family of systems with the latest game patch installed

• A fully charged Nintendo Switch or Nintendo Switch Lite system with working USB-C port

• A team of tournament-legal Pokémon (see the Tournament Rules and check back regularly before the event for updated rules)

• Players are strongly encouraged to bring a charger for their systems, as tournament staff will not have chargers available for loan

• Players are strongly encouraged to bring a wired Nintendo Switch Pro controller to improve their gameplay experience

• Proof of age may be requested, and failure to provide proof of age may result in the player being denied participation in the tournament (at the organizer's discretion)

Check-In, Battle Teams, and Team Sheets

Day One players must check in at the ExCeL London events center in on Wednesday, August 17, between 5:00 p.m. − 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 a late entry be allowed by tournament officials, it may include a penalty of a first-round loss.

Day One players must lock their Battle Teams and submit their team list online with the RK9 Labs Team List Creator by 8:00 p.m. during Wednesday check-in. Players will also pick up their welcome kits at this time.

All Day One players are required to be checked in with their Battle Teams locked, and must be seated for their age division's player meeting on Thursday morning. Day One players who fail to lock a Battle Team during check-in will not be allowed to participate in the World Championships.

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

Player Meetings

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 video game 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 be permitted entry into the event space for the remainder of the competition.

All Pokémon VGC age divisions will start their first round of play once the player meetings are over.

There is a mandatory player meeting on Friday 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. Battle Team locking will occur before the Day Two player meeting.

Tournament Schedule

The Pokémon VGC World Championships is run in three phases over four days. The number of Swiss rounds will depend on total attendance at the event.

Thursday: All players with Day One invitations will play Swiss rounds. Players who finish on Thursday with two or fewer losses, and no ties, will advance to play on Friday.

Friday: Players who earned Day Two invitations and players 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 team as on Thursday.

Battle Team locking will take place from 8:00 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. on Friday in the video game tournament area. Players must be in line by 8:15 a.m. Team lists for players beginning play on Day Two must be submitted online with the RK9 Labs Team List Creator by 8:45 a.m. on Friday, August 19. Players who advance from Day One to Day Two may submit a new team list through the RK9 Labs Team List Creator. Any new team lists must be submitted by 8:45 a.m.

As mentioned above, there is a mandatory player meeting on Friday 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. 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. Players with two or fewer losses, and no ties, will advance to a single-elimination Top Cut that will begin on Saturday and play until two players remain Saturday night.

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

The event structure is subject to change.