Several Brazilians Qualified for the Pokémon World Championships 2026

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Thousands of Brazilian players competed in Pokémon TCG, GO, and VGC tournaments at the Curitiba Regional Championships 2026, each aiming for a coveted spot at the World Championships 2026 in August. More than a thousand competitors from Brazil, Argentina, and other parts of South and North America convened at Expotrade. By the end of the weekend, only one Argentine player had disrupted what was nearly a clean sweep for the Brazilian contingent.

In the Pokémon VGC tournament, Leonardo Ritter, known as Leozin, triumphed over fellow Brazilians Luciano Begot and Allan Gabriel. Ritter’s victory secured him a monetary prize and a place in the World Championships 2026, to be held in late August in San Francisco. In the Seniors VGC category, Luis G.A. of Brazil took first place, while Vinicius B. won the Juniors category; both earned their tickets to the World Championships. Standout Pokémon choices throughout the Curitiba tournaments included Flutter Mane, Rapid Strike Style Urshifu, Incineroar, Raging Bolt, and Incarnate Forme Landorus.

The Curitiba Regional Championships, an official event for Pokémon GO, VGC, and TCG this season in Latin America, marked the sixth Regional-level event and fifth main event of 2026. Registration details are as follows: The Masters division began on March 14, 2026, at 8:30 AM São Paulo time, with Junior and Senior divisions starting at 9:00 AM (3 GMT-3) on the same day. Registration closed on March 11, 2026, at 11:59 PM (3 GMT-3), and team lists were due by March 14, 2026, at 5:30 AM (3 GMT-3). The entry fee was R$150.00 for Junior and Senior divisions and R$220.00 for the Masters division, with refunds available (minus a processing fee) until March 8, 2026. Registrations were non-transferable and valid only for the named player. The venue was Expotrade Hall B Pavillion in Pinhais, PR 83330-167, with CRANE as the host organizer. Competitors were limited to one Regional Championship tournament during the event; multiple sign-ups led to disqualification from additional tournaments. Competitors freely customized their teams using VGC Regulation Set F.

While Leonardo Ritter did not participate in the Pokémon UNITE regional events at the Curitiba Regional Championships 2026, he did win the Dragon Ball Super Card Game: Masters Offline Regional 2026. Numerous other card game events are upcoming, including regional competitions for the Dragon Ball Super Card Game: Fusion World Championship 2026, Gundam Card Game 2026, and Digimon Card Game 2026. Additionally, an event called test1 is scheduled for Santiago on March 16, 2028, and the Pokémon GO Championship 2026 will be held in Lima on May 23. A Regular Sanctioned Tournament named test1 is also planned for Santiago on March 16, 2028. Currently, information is lacking regarding the Pokémon UNITE community’s involvement in regional qualifiers for the World Championships in San Francisco from August 28–30, and it’s unclear if the Santiago and Lima tournaments are part of larger 2026 event series.

In Pokémon GO, Ewerton from Tuzzy ESports secured his victory, adding to his two prior regional tournament wins and guaranteeing his presence at the World Championships 2026. In Pokémon TCG, Argentine Matias Matricardi emerged as the overall champion, the sole non-Brazilian to claim a tournament win. While no Brazilian reached the top 3 in the TCG Masters category, Riquelme P. won the TCG Seniors division, and Pietro D. took first place in TCG Juniors; both Seniors and Juniors top 3 were exclusively Brazilian. Following the Curitiba Regional Championships, the competition shifts to the United States for the Houston Pokémon Regional Championships 2026, followed by the Seville Pokémon Special Championships 2026 in Europe in late March. Ewerton (LNDsRargef) expressed his excitement on March 16, 2026, tweeting: “Curitiba will always bring me amazing memories. Grateful to be with my friends once again and become champions together. 2x Curitiba Champion 5x Regional Champion Proud to represent TuzzyEsports.” Leozin (Leofkn) cheekily tweeted on March 15, 2026: “Sera que esse cara e bom” (Is this guy any good?) – possibly in reference to Ewerton’s performance.

Pokémon Community Thrives at Curitiba Regional Championships, Advancing to World Championships Anticipation

The Curitiba Regional Championships delivered thrilling matches and underscored the diverse talent within the Pokémon community, building anticipation for the upcoming World Championships.