Pokémon World Championship Spectator Badges: Price Increase Raises Eyebrows
The Pokémon community recently had the opportunity to sign up for spectator badges for the upcoming Pokémon World Championship in Anaheim, California. However, the prices for these badges surprised many fans.
The Pokémon World Championship, scheduled for August 15-17th, 2025, has opened registration for the Spectator Badge interest list until March 23rd. When fans clicked on the registration link, they were taken aback by the higher prices compared to previous years.
The Pokémon World Championship 2025 will include competitive events for TCG, VGC, UNITE, and GO. The TCG and VGC communities, in particular, have seen significant growth in their competitive scenes over the past few years.
In the early 2010s, regional events would attract a few hundred competitors, but recent tournaments have seen participation numbers skyrocket. The most recent international event for VGC saw over 1,000 competitors, the highest turnout ever.
The surge in interest in Pokémon, whether from competitive players, fans, or collectors, has led to an increase in event pricing. While the cost to register for competitions has steadily risen, the biggest shock came with the pricing of Spectator Badges.
- Single-Day Pass: $39 (~£30)
- Multi-Day Pass: $99 (~£76.50)
This significant jump from previous years did not go unnoticed by the Pokémon community. One trainer commented, “I think I paid $10 for London Worlds… That also had 50k attendees though so maybe they’re trying to reduce the amount of people going so it’s not overwhelmed. But also putting more money in their pockets…” Another said, “$100 is seeming kind of greedy, NGL. Hearing it was only $40 last year doesn’t help.”
If you’re still interested in experiencing the growing Pokémon esports scene at Worlds 2025, you can find more information about Spectator Badges on the official website.