The Pokémon 2023 World Championships are coming to Japan for the first time.

The next edition of the annual event will take place in Yokohama - making it only the second time it was hosted outside of North America after this year’s was set in London - according to an announcement made at the 2022 World Champion’s closing ceremony on Sunday (21.08.22).

The news - which is particularly notable due to the country being under strict COVID-19 restrictions still - came as the Pokemon Company dropped a short video set in Vermillion City, which is based on Yokohama, prior to sharing the news of the host city.

They did not divulge any dates but the event is expected to be four days long. In addition, it will be the first showcase involving Pokemon Scarlet and Violet as the main game used in the contests.

The London convention was met with complications after reports with the virtual queuing system at the venue, the Excel Centre.

Rachel West, an attendee all the way from Bolton, claimed on one day she was forced to wait in line before returning to her hotel.

She told VGC: “We got there and they just kind of looked at us and pointed to the sea of people. We waited for a bit but eventually went back to the hotel.”

“Today, we walked up, showed them our time, and we were in. It’s significantly better. It feels organised.”