Play! Pokémon | How Ace Trainer Rewards will Work During the 2025 Pokémon Championship Series

Aces and Eights.

EUIC has already become a memory and Worlds is still months away, but after the previous tease as to how Ace Trainer Rewards will impact the 2025 Pokémon Championship Series, The Pokémon Company has now provided a complete statement as to what competitors can expect in the Championship to come:

2025 Pokémon Championship Series Update: Ace Trainer Rewards

Learn more about this new program that rewards players for earning Championship Points.

Last June, several changes to the 2025 Pokémon Championship Series were announced, including an update to how players qualify for the Pokémon World Championships via Championship Points (CP). This new qualification system changed how Trainers qualified per rating zone, and a new Championship Points season rewards program was teased to provide Trainers of all experience levels something to battle for. Today, that new program is being unveiled, complete with details for the 2025 season: Ace Trainer Rewards.

The Ace Trainer Rewards program celebrates Trainers who participate in tournaments in CP-earning regions and operates on a CP threshold, meaning there is no limit to the number of players who can earn rewards. For the 2025 season, these rewards include a Play! Pokémon-stamped Celebratory Fanfare, a Pokémon TCG promo card previously exclusive to Asia, and an exclusive deck box and card sleeves in Pokémon TCG Live.

Celebratory Fanfare has been awarded as a promo card to Trainers in Asia since 2021, often featuring unique artwork that celebrates the spirit of the season. Here’s a look at past prints of Celebratory Fanfare that were available exclusively in Asia. New artwork will be created to celebrate the 2025 season, and the newest version of Celebratory Fanfare will be distributed to Trainers outside of Asia for the first time!

Pokémon TCG, Pokémon VGC, and Pokémon GO players can earn Ace Trainer status by earning 200 CP, and a set number of Pokémon UNITE teams (players will receive rewards individually) from each Regional Zone will earn Ace Trainer status based on their CP leaderboard standings at the end of the season. To learn more about the eligibility requirements, program requirements, and rewards distribution for the Ace Trainer Rewards program, visit the official hub page here.

Due to logistical constraints, Trainers in Latin America are currently ineligible for the Ace Trainer Rewards program. We are committed to supporting our global Play! Pokémon community and hope to continue evolving the program for competitors all over the world, so stay tuned for more updates in future seasons.

For details regarding “eligibility requirements, program requirements, and rewards distribution for the Ace Trainer Rewards program,” we’ve gone ahead and compiled them below:

Eligibility:

Individual Eligibility. Individual Trainers from North America, Europe, and Oceania rating zones who accumulate 200 CP during the 2025 season in Pokémon TCG, Pokémon VGC, or Pokémon GO will be eligible to qualify for ‘Ace Trainer’ status.

CP are earned separately by competing in Championship Series events on each game (Pokémon TCG, Pokémon VGC, and Pokémon GO) and depend on what position trainers finish or place during those events. – for more information about events, see our pages for League Challenges & Cups, Global & Grand Challenges, Regional & Special Championships, as well as International Championships.

For information about how CP are earned in each game including any limitations on acquiring CP and related event terms, please visit our CP overview page here for further details.

CP don’t accumulate across games and are not transferrable. So, for example, you can’t add your CP earned in Pokémon TCG to the CP you earned in Pokémon VGC.

All individual Trainers must be at least 6 years old to participate in the individual ‘Ace Trainer Rewards’ program and meet the eligibility requirements set out in Section 2 of our Tournament Rules Handbook. For full details on individual Trainer eligibility, participation rules, limitations and restrictions, please see our Tournament Rules Handbook which can be found here.

CP will be calculated based on finalized leaderboards. CP are updated periodically upon Trainers’ completion of events that earn CP. Trainers can check their CP total by accessing their Pokémon Trainer Club account to see if they are eligible to opt-in for the Rewards.

UNITE Team Eligibility. The Trainers from the North America, Europe, and Oceania rating zones in the top Pokémon UNITE teams (each made up of a maximum of 6 Trainers from each Regional Zone) will qualify for Ace Trainer status based on their team’s CP leaderboard standings at the end of the season. CP for UNITE Teams are awarded to the UNITE Team and not the Trainers individually, so Trainers in the final qualifying UNITE Team will be eligible to earn the Ace Trainer (as the qualifying UNITE Team) status subject to the applicable eligibility criteria. If, for example, a Trainer leaves their UNITE Team during the season, such outgoing Trainer will not be eligible for the ‘Ace Trainer’ status where their old UNITE Team has qualified for such Ace Trainer status. CP earned by the UNITE Team will be awarded and remain with that UNITE Team. For example, if a UNITE Team finishes in the top 12 of all teams in the EU, each of the players on that team at the end of the season will qualify for Ace Trainer status. If a UNITE Team does not finish in the top number of eligible teams, that UNITE Team will not qualify for Ace Trainer status.

The team eligibility thresholds by region are below.

UNITE Regional Zone	Number of Eligible Teams
EU – Europe	12
NA – North America	12
OC – Oceania	2

Different eligibility requirements may apply to UNITE Team Trainers depending on the Trainers’ location in Regional Zones. UNITE Team trainers from the North America, Europe, and Oceania rating zones must be at least 16 years old to be eligible to participate in the UNITE Championship Series. For full details of UNITE Team eligibility criteria, CP supported Regional Zones and limitations and restrictions on participation for UNITE Teams, please see our Pokémon UNITE Championship Series Official Rules found here.

The eligibility threshold for individual players (i.e., the number of accumulated CP required to qualify for Ace Trainer status) is determined annually and may change each season. Similarly, the number of UNITE teams that qualify from each Regional Zone may change from season to season.

Ace Trainer Status:

Once a Trainer accumulates sufficient CP to reach Ace Trainer status and has satisfied the eligibility requirements (as applicable for individual Trainers or as UNITE Teams), they will receive their Rewards following the conclusion of the 2025 Pokémon Championship Series season. Ace Trainers can expect to have their Rewards shipped by January 31, 2026.

Trainers can qualify for Ace Trainer status (for both individual and UNITE Team Trainers) once per current season, after which all CP are reset to zero. Trainers must re-earn CP in the next season to qualify for Ace Trainer status again, as there is no carryover of CP between seasons.

Access Requirements:

Championship Series events are either operated by TPCi (by way of our official events) or by our approved independent organizers. Some events may be free to enter whilst others may require an entry fee. Some third party organized events may not award CP, so please check before participating. You may need access to internet to participate in certain events and mobile or internet carrier charges may apply. For more details on participating in Championship Series Events and accumulating CP, visit our Championship Series overview page and the event locator page to find events near you. Trainers are recommended to read associated entry requirements for each event and whether CP are awarded at those events. Attending events may require parental or guardian consent and supervision for participants under 18.

Rewards:

For the 2025 season, Trainers who achieve Ace Trainer status, subject to the qualifying criteria, will receive a Celebratory Fanfare card (a Pokémon TCG promo card previously exclusive to Asia) as well as a set of exclusive deck box and sleeves in Pokémon TCG Live (“Rewards”).

Trainers that achieve Ace Trainer status are not automatically invited to the World Championships. To learn how you can qualify for the World Championships and have the chance to win associated rewards visit our page here.

The Celebratory Fanfare has been awarded as a promo card to Trainers in Asia since 2021, often featuring unique artwork that celebrates the spirit of the season, and we’re excited that the 2025 version of Celebratory Fanfare will be the first to be available outside Asia!

Qualifying Trainers will receive an email confirming that they have qualified together with a reminder to opt-in for rewards, update their email address, address details and on their Pokémon Trainer Club account by a specified designed date to claim their Rewards.

Rewards will be sent to Ace Trainers at no additional cost to the address details stated in their Play! Pokémon account.

The Rewards are also subject to change each season. There is no limit to the number of players that can earn Rewards.

We anticipate having sufficient stock to meet the demand and distribution of Rewards to all qualifying Ace Trainers. Distribution of the Rewards may be subject to availability due to production exigencies and while supplies last. Qualifying Ace Trainers may be notified of anticipated delays or issues associated with the distribution of Rewards at the end of the season.

Ace Trainer Rewards have no cash value. All rewards are subject to substitution or change. Any substitutes or changes to Rewards will not comprise cash alternatives.

Program Requirements:

Players must have a Play! Pokémon account in good standing to be eligible, meaning Trainers’ account must comply with the official rules and Tournament Rules Handbook as linked above. Players must also opt in to Organized Play on their Pokémon Trainer Club account and provide accurate address information updated on their Play! Pokémon account.

Source: The Pokémon Company