The 2019 Pokémon TCG World Championships will begin Friday, August 16, 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 2019 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 Friday. 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 | 550 |
| Europe | 250 | 250 | 350 |
| Latin America | 250 | 250 | 250 |
| Oceania | 250 | 250 | 250 |
| 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 Friday'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
Players in Japan and South Korea will be awarded both Friday invitations and Day Two invitations as determined by each country's organized play system.
Players who earned invitations from the 2018 World Championships will play on Friday unless they qualify for Day Two based on their ranking.
Competition Format
This competition will use the rules for the 2019 Championship Series season Standard format. Players must bring their own tournament-legal 60-card deck. Players must adhere to the Tournament Rules.
Check-In
Day One players must check in at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Room 146 (located at street level near the North Lobby) on Thursday, April 15 between 5:00-8:00 p.m. If, due to unforeseen circumstances such as flight delays or missed connections, a player becomes unable to check in on Thursday, they should report to the check-in desk as early as possible on Friday (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 Friday morning.
All Pokémon TCG competitors with Day One invitations will need to turn in their deck list online before 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 15. Players may use cards from their home market in languages other than English. Online deck list submission is located here.
Players who earned a Day Two invitation may check in anytime Thursday evening or Friday until 3:00 p.m.
Deck lists for players competing on Day 2 must be submitted online by 8:45 a.m. on Saturday, August 17th. Players who advance from Day 1 to Day 2 may submit a new deck list through the same link. 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 Friday, August 16 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 Saturday 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 three 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.
Friday: 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 Saturday. 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
Saturday: All players, including those who earned Day Two invitations and those who advanced from Friday, will play in a new set of Swiss rounds. This will be treated as a new tournament: match records from Friday will not carry forward, and players are not required to use the same deck they played on Friday.
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.
Sunday: Final rounds will be played for all age divisions.
Event structure subject to change.
