The Pokemon North America International Championships have found a new home for the 2027 edition and are set to move away from New Orleans, the competition's home for the past three years.

As the Pokemon celebration culminated at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, The Pokemon Company announced that the NAIC will move to Chicago and be held at the McCormick Place Convention Center.

Director of Global Esports & Events, Chris Brown, highlighted the growth of the competition as one of the major reasons behind relocating next year's competition to a much larger arena.

"We weren't really able to kind of grow that event. It's gonna be pretty flat here every year," Brown explained. "Not because the demand's not there, the demand is there. We sold out a lot of our competitions in seconds. But we don't have the space."

Brown also highlighted the ease of access to travel, stay, and other amenities in Chicago as another major reason behind the decision to move from New Orleans.

Chicago is also a much bigger market, and while New Orleans will be dearly missed, this is an opportunity for Pokemon NAIC to cater to the growing demand of the Pokemon enthusiasts, especially with the current competitions being sold out in mere seconds.

Pokemon NAIC is one of the largest competitive events held by The Pokemon Company, with players joining the celebration to compete in titles such as the Video Game Championship (VGC), the Trading Card Game (TCG), Pokemon GO, and Pokemon Unite.

It is one of the four international events that award points necessary to qualify for the annual Pokemon World Championships.

What Else Did Pokemon Reveal at the NAIC?

While the arena shift for the 2027 edition became a major talking point, there were other important revelations made at the 2026 NAIC.

Fans were treated to the news of major brands like LEGO, Funko, Crocs, Build-A-Bear, Santa Cruz, Stern Pinball, Jazwares, Bandai Spirits, Sideshow, and more being a part of this year's Pokemon XP.

Along with it, the much-awaited details of the upcoming Pokemon World Championships in August were divulged at the event. Attendees saw a preview of the 2026 World Championships' promo card, welcome kit, and more that will be available in San Francisco to attendees this August.

An exclusive Pokémon XP-stamped Rayquaza card and a World Championship-exclusive Pikachu card were unveiled along with the Paradise Resort Stadium card during the NAIC event.

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Written by

Abhisek Bajaj

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi