NAIC 2026 Champions Crowned in New Orleans as the Event Sets a 2027 Move to Chicago
The 2026 Pokemon North America International Championships wrapped in New Orleans with James Kowalski taking TCG Masters and Francisco Pio Pero winning VGC. Organizers also confirmed NAIC moves to Chicago in 2027.
The 2026 Pokemon North America International Championships wrapped up Sunday in New Orleans, and the hobby has its new champions. NAIC was the last major checkpoint before the World Championships, and the results from the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center are already rippling out into deck demand and Championship Point standings.
Your 2026 NAIC champions
The headline trophies went to a global field. In the Trading Card Game Masters Division, the United States' James Kowalski took first, with the Czech Republic's Neddy Kosek finishing as runner-up. On the video game side, Italy's Francisco Pio Pero won the VGC Masters title over Spain's Eric Rios in the first International ever decided on the new Pokemon Champions title.
- TCG Junior: Luke Giffen (US) over Annabelle Oono (US)
- TCG Senior: David Boehmler (US) over Hikaru Handa (AU)
- VGC Junior: Damon Zhu (NZ) over Asher Garrett (US)
- VGC Senior: Conner Pietrusinski (US) over Matteo Boschmans (BE)
- Pokemon GO: Ryan "PsyRhino" Shoushi (US)
- Pokemon UNITE: Dignitas (NA)
NAIC is leaving New Orleans
Alongside the results, organizers confirmed that the North America International Championships will move to Chicago in 2027, ending the event's recent run in Louisiana. The announcement also came packaged with fresh details on the road ahead, including updates for PokemonXP and the 2026 World Championships that this weekend's finalists are now pointed toward.
Why it matters for collectors
International finals are where chase decks and breakout players are minted. The lists that win or place at NAIC tend to drive demand for the exact cards they lean on, and a title win raises the profile of every signature card in a champion's deck. With Worlds now the next stop, expect the cards behind these winning lists to stay in the conversation through the summer.
Three days, six divisions, and a new competitive era on the video game side — NAIC 2026 closed the International season and set the stage for a Chicago debut in 2027.