The Pokémon Regional Championships return to Houston for a premier competitive weekend at the George R. Brown Convention Center on Saturday and Sunday, June 20 and 21, 2026, bringing the Play! Pokémon 2025-2026 competitive season to one of its marquee North American stops. Houston has become a fan-favorite Regionals city for the Pokémon organized play community — central location, great venue, and a passionate local Pokémon scene combine to produce some of the most electric Regional weekends on the entire tour.
The event features the full Play! Pokémon competitive format slate: Pokémon TCG for Juniors, Seniors, and Masters divisions with massive Swiss rounds leading into single-elimination top cuts, Pokémon Video Game Championships (VGC) for all divisions running on Scarlet and Violet VGC regulations in effect for the 2025-2026 season, and Pokémon GO TCG and Pokémon UNITE side events when scheduled by The Pokémon Company International. Side events run continuously throughout the weekend including Last Chance Qualifiers for players hoping to earn day-two invites, League Challenges and Cups, Learn to Play sessions for newer attendees, and artist signings, as well as the official TPCi merchandise booth with exclusive Regional Championship pins, playmats, and apparel.
Beyond competitive play, the vendor area surrounding the main event hall is one of the best in the Pokémon TCG calendar. Dealers bring raw singles across every generation from Wizards of the Coast base set through the latest Scarlet and Violet era expansions, sealed booster boxes, elite trainer boxes, premium collection tins, Japanese exclusive products, and graded slabs from PSA, BGS, and CGC including iconic Charizards, first edition base set staples, and modern alternate art chase cards. Tournament accessories including sleeves, playmats, deck boxes, binders, and dice are stocked heavily.
The Pokémon Regional Championships run Saturday, June 20 with player check-in and registration opening early morning, Round 1 TCG and VGC starting around 9:00 AM, and Swiss rounds running through the evening. Sunday, June 21 features Day 2 Swiss rounds for players who made the cut, followed by Top Cut single elimination and on-stream finals in the afternoon. Player registration is done through the official Play! Pokémon events portal at events.pokemon.com with registration typically opening approximately two months before the event. Spectator admission is free, and children accompanied by adults are welcome throughout the venue.
The George R. Brown Convention Center at 1001 Avenida de las Americas is one of the largest and most well-appointed event venues in Texas, offering the kind of spacious table layout and climate-controlled lighting that Pokémon Regionals demand. Adjacent parking garages, Marriott Marquis, Hilton Americas, and downtown dining make it a perfect multi-day destination for competitive players traveling into Houston.
This event is essential for competitive TCG players chasing Championship Points and Worlds invites, VGC trainers testing the current season regulations, serious Pokémon collectors shopping one of the deepest vendor areas of the season, first-time attendees learning competitive play through Learn to Play sessions, and spectators who want to watch top-tier Pokémon competition live.
For the best experience, register for the main event in advance through the Play! Pokémon portal, arrive at the venue well before Round 1 for check-in and deck list submission, bring extra sleeves, a backup playmat, snacks, and cash for vendors, and follow @PokemonTCG and @PlayPokemon on X for live event updates and stream announcements.