2026 Pokémon Latin American International Championship — A tournament that continues to grow

We have been following Pokémon competitions for the past few years. With nearly four years of experience covering these events, it came as a surprise when I was invited to one of the preliminary tournaments last year, the Latin American International Championship, or LAIC. This weekend, we traveled to São Paulo, Brazil, to relive this experience, which has been revamped.

A tournament that continues to grow

Although our experience last year showed us an event with a production level well below Worlds, this time around, the situation was different. This year, Expo Center Norte, last year’s venue, was better utilized to present a competition that not only showed better production, but also managed to accommodate a larger number of attendees and competitors who visited during these three days.

In fact, the growth in attendance was confirmed by Nick Salazar, Associate PR Manager at The Pokémon Company International, who, in an interview, confirmed the “largest Latin American International Championship to date” with “7,000 attendees overall, of which 3,600 were competing, coming from 45 countries.” Compared to last year’s 2,500 competitors, this shows the growth in importance of this tournament, as well as the increase in players in the region in just one year.

More to do than just compete

The Expo Center Norte became a space that drew inspiration from the layouts of previous Worlds, allocating more space to the competition areas than to any other aspect. The central aisle ran through the different competition areas until it reached the main stage, where the most important matches took place. However, halfway down the hallway, an extra path appeared, which led us to an area focused on activities such as painting and origami for the little ones, ring toss and fishing, and memory games. On the other hand, there was also a very active sales area, where products were available not only in Portuguese but also in English, Spanish, and even Japanese.

Another important achievement of this event was its integration with Pokémon Home, allowing attendees to obtain commemorative medals for the event through this app, making it the first tournament to do so.

Controversy surrounding Worlds 2026

However, not everything about this tournament was perfect, as one of the favorites on the Pokémon Trading Card Game competitive scene was affected. Brazilian Gabriel Fernandez, who was crowned champion in 2023 in the Seniors category and who came very close to achieving the Grand Slam of the competitive circuit in Anaheim 2025 this year, was removed from the tournament after controversy over the way he shuffled his cards throughout the competition. On the day of the finals, Fernandez was removed by the judges after analyzing video footage and comments from some players who faced the Brazilian during the competition.

Apart from these aspects, the 2026 Latin America Pokémon International Championship was an event that impressed both in terms of its growth and its production. We are eagerly awaiting to see how this year’s competitive scene will continue to evolve as we approach August and Pokémon Worlds 2026 in San Francisco.

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