2023 Pokémon San Diego Regional Championships – How To Watch, Schedule, Teams & More

Trainers worldwide can get excited because the 2023 Pokémon Regional Championships have finally commenced in San Diego, USA. As this event eventually leads to the Pokémon World Championships later in the year, Trainers will compete for glory, honor, and amazing prizes across multiple Pokémon titles.

This event will feature matches for Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG), Pokémon Video Games (VG), and Pokémon GO, with Pokémon UNITE resuming events in February 2023. That said, let's look at the complete viewers' guide to the 2023 Pokémon Regional Championships, including the event schedule, format, how to watch, and more.

2023 Pokémon San Diego Regional Championships –Schedule

The first Pokémon Regional Championship event for 2023 has begun with the North American leg kicking off in sunny San Diego, California, USA. Trainers will engage in competitive action across three days between the 7th and 8th January 2023, which spans various Championship Series.

Players from Pokémon TCG and Pokémon GO will be in action again; however, the Pokémon UNITE tournaments will begin in February 2023. For the first time, representing the Pokémon Video Game Championship (VGC), competitive Trainers from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will go head-to-head, testing their "battling skills."

How To Watch Pokémon San Diego Regional Championships

All Championship Series events will be broadcast on the official Pokémon Twitch and YouTube channels. All streams will begin at 9 am PST | 12 pm EST | 5 pm GMT, and you can also catch the streams on the following Twitch channels:

• Official Pokémon VGC Twitch channel
• Official Pokémon TCG Twitch channel
• Official Pokémon GO Twitch channel

2023 Pokémon San Diego Regional Championships – Format

The age eligibility for all Trainers participating in this year's Pokémon San Diego Regional Championships has increased by one year across all competing games. This year, the age eligibility for the following divisions looks as follows: 

• Junior Division: Trainers born in 2011 and years after that
• Senior Division: Trainers born in the years between 2007 and 2010
• Masters Division: Trainers born in the year 2006 and earlier

The rules and format for the Pokémon TCG Championship Series have gone unchanged, and it will continue its decision to suspend all Championship Point (CP) tournaments played locally or until event organizers and The Pokémon Company make an announcement.

Each competing Trainer's deck should adhere to the event's format stated in the official Pokémon Tournament Rules, as decks eligible are from Sword & Shield onwards and use the D Regulation Mark. In addition, those competing in either the Pokémon Video Game Championship (VGC) series or mobile games should participate in teams that meet the rules and regulations for this specific Championship tournament.

All Trainers must have a Player ID and a Trainer Club account with a good record with no suspensions or other notable offenses they'll need to register with to compete in the Championship series.

Additionally, all matches will be played through Double Battles, which will utilize the Paldean Pokédex. There are several Pokémon that Trainers won't be able to use in battles, including Paradox Pokémon, for the Pokémon Video Game Championship (VGC) series, which we've detailed below:

The VGC series will follow an "open team list" in which they'll need to submit a list of all Pokémon the team will use. Lastly, depending on the event format, all competing Trainers must have teams of four to six Pokémon, which must be obtained in-game and remain unchanged until the end of the series.

The rules and format for the Pokémon GO Championship series utilize the format for the Great League and should have a max Combat Power (CP) of 1,500. Like with the VGC series, certain Pokémon are banned from this event, including Ditto, Galarian Articuno, Galarian Moltres, Galarian Zapdos, and Shedninja.

2023 Pokémon San Diego Regional Championships – Prizes

Trainers in top positions for every age division will be awarded prizes and earn points and other awards through the Play! Pokémon program. Depending on the Trainer's age, those competing in either the Pokémon TCG, VGC, or Pokémon GO series will receive the following prizes:

• Trainers 18 years and younger:
  • $5,000 or more in either a scholarship choice or Pokémon Visa Prepaid Card
  • $5,000 or less in Pokémon Visa Prepaid Card
• Trainers 18 years and older:
  • $5,000 or more in either scholarship choice or cash prize
  • $5,000 or less in cash prize

All Trainers are to gain three Play! Points for competing in the Pokémon TCG or VGC series while Pokémon TCG, VGC, and GO participants are to receive a Pokémon Regional Championships promo card. According to Pokémon source Serebii, this promo card is for Sword & Shield, which features the trainer, Serena, as part of the Welcome Pack.