Plan a trip to a championship
Your child wants to play in a big tournament. Here is the whole thing explained simply, from setting up their account to packing the bag, with a checklist you can tick off as you go.
Regionals and Internationals
Regional Championships are the main events most families go to. They are open to anyone, you register online, the entry fee is small, and they can sell out. In Australia they are run by ESL Australia, with recent Regionals in Melbourne and Brisbane.
International Championships are the next level up, bigger and held overseas (recently London, New Orleans and Sao Paulo). They are the aspirational trip.
Worth knowing. There is no longer an Oceania International Championship. It last ran in Melbourne in 2023 and was removed from the calendar. So for an Oceania family, the realistic home events are the Australian Regionals, and an International means travelling overseas. Top point-earners can sometimes get help with that overseas trip through Pokémon's Travel Awards.
The 2027 World Championships is the closest Worlds we have had in years. It runs at the Singapore Expo from 13 to 15 August 2027, announced at the closing ceremony in San Francisco. Singapore is roughly eight hours from Sydney and about ten and a half from Auckland, against something like thirteen and a half hours to San Francisco, and it is only two to three hours off Australian eastern time. If Worlds has ever felt out of reach on cost or on flying a child halfway around the planet, this is the year to run the numbers. Australia won the Senior Division in 2026, so the invitation is worth chasing.
The quick facts
Age division: Junior
Born 2014 or later
Age division: Senior
Born 2010 to 2013
Age division: Masters
Born 2009 or earlier
Typical entry fee
About AUD 25 for an AU Regional
Deck
60 cards, max 4 of a card name
Guardian
Must stay with a Junior or Senior all day
Divisions move forward by one birth year each season, so always check the current season before you register. Fees and exact rules vary by event, so confirm on the event's RK9 page.
The two accounts to set up
This is the part that confuses most first-time families. Your child needs two separate things.
1. A Pokémon Trainer account with a Player ID
This is your child's official Pokémon identity. It earns their Championship Points and rankings. You, the parent, create your own account first, then use Add a Child to make your child's account and verify your identity. A child cannot sign themselves up.
2. An RK9.gg account
RK9 is the website used to register for the event, submit the decklist, and check who your child plays each round. You make this with an email address. It is separate from the Pokémon account.
One more important rule: a Junior or Senior must have a parent or guardian with them at the event all day. If that adult is not there, the child is removed from the tournament. The good news is that a Junior or Senior entry includes one free guardian pass.
Your plan, step by step
Tick these off as you go. Your progress saves on this device only, so print your plan if you want a copy to carry.
Set up the accounts (before registration opens)
Register and book (on the day sales open)
Prepare the deck
Your ticks are saved only on this device. Nothing is sent anywhere.
What to pack
The night before, pack the bag
Your ticks are saved only on this device. Nothing is sent anywhere.
New to building a deck? Our deck guide and deck analyser can help you get one ready.
Join our parents' Discord
Swap tips, lifts to events, deck help and encouragement with other parents across Oceania. It is a parents-led community, so children take part through a parent.
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