Pokémon World Championships in London suspended until 2022

After being cancelled last year, the Pokémon World Championships 2021 will now no longer take place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Confirmed in a post on the official Pokémon website, this means all Play! Pokémon events including League Challenge, League Cup, Premier Challenge and Midseason Showdown will continue to be suspended until 2022.

All invitations to the 2020 Pokémon World Championships will be honoured at the 2022 championships, which will still take place in London, UK.

“We are closely monitoring health mandates, guidelines, and recommendations from appropriate government agencies to determine when the resumption of events and operations will be safe for our communities,” a statement reads.

“We continue to examine each country on a case-by-case basis, informed by the latest updates and mandates issued by appropriate government recommendations and in consultation with medical experts.”

While it’s perhaps to be expected, the news is unfortunate because this year marks Pokémon’s 25th anniversary, which is set to be celebrated later this month.

There will however still be official online tournaments to take part in, including the Pokémon Players Cup and the Play! Pokémon Team Challenge.