2026 Grand Challenge I announced for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet — Online competition to run from September 5th-7th

The first online competition in the 2026 Championship Series has been announced. The sign-up period for the 2026 Grand Challenge I runs from August 28th at midnight (UTC) to September 4th at 11:59pm (UTC), and the event itself runs from September 5 at midnight (UTC) to September 7 at 11:59pm (UTC). Information on the results of the 2026 Grand Challenge I will be found here on Bulbagarden once the event has concluded.

Despite there being no official ranked ladder for this format, the 2026 Grand Challenge I uses the Regulation Set H ruleset, banning the use of all Legendary, Mythical, and Paradox Pokémon. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's Ranked Season 34 begins on September 1 at 00:00 UTC and instead uses the adjacent Regulation Set J ruleset. Many players have criticised this decision, as it means there's currently no official way to practice any online event in Regulation H.

The 2026 Grand Challenge I is only available for players who reside in "Championship Point-earning regions," including the 'USA & Canada', 'Europe', 'Latin America', 'Oceania', and 'Middle East & South Africa' rating zones. As such, players who rank high at the end of this event will receive Championship Points, a rating that allows the top players in each region to qualify for the 2026 World Championships. The exact rewards have changed since the last online events, however. As previously announced, trainers in smaller rating zones will receive "separate rewards to promote more opportunities to earn Championship Points." The exact number of Championship Points (CP) awarded in each rating zone is currently unknown. The table below shows the amount previously awarded to players in the 2025 Championship Series, as well as the average score that was necessary in the first three 2025 Grand Challenges to achieve these placements, as estimated by VGC trainer Ryan Loseto on X (formerly Twitter).

Approximate Ranking (2025 Championship Series)​	Placement​	Rewards (2025 Championship Series)​
1838​	1st​	170 CP​
1817​	2nd​	160 CP​
1794​	Top 4​	150 CP​
1782​	Top 8​	140 CP​
1775​	Top 16​	130 CP​
1764​	Top 32​	120 CP​
1730​	Top 64​	80 CP​
1703​	Top 128​	65 CP​
1671​	Top 256​	50 CP​
1630​	Top 512​	35 CP​
1587​	Top 1024​	20 CP​

For more information on how to qualify for the World Championships in the 2026 Championship Series, visit Pokémon's official Championship Series website.

The previous online event, the 2025 Grand Challenge IV, was won by Federico Camporesi with a rating of 1798.900 alongside Miraidon, Lunala, Ursaluna, Urshifu, Grimmsnarl, and Incineroar. The last online event to use the Regulation Set H ruleset, the 2025 Grand Challenge III, was impressively also won by Federico Camporesi, with a rating of 1813.316 alongside Archaludon, Gholdengo, Bloodmoon Ursaluna, Incineroar, Whimsicott, and Dragonite. The exact team and each Pokémon's stats can be found here.

Entries are limited to one per user per game version per Nintendo Switch system, and no entries will be accepted once the competition period has started. All players who participate, by completing at least 3 battles, receive a participation prize of 100,000 League Points, a Gold Bottle Cap, and an Ability Patch. Trainers will be limited to 15 matches per day, however any unused matches will be carried over to Trainer's limits for the next day of the competition.

To register for the competition, follow these steps:

1. Launch your Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet game.
2. Open the X menu.
3. Select Poké Portal.
4. Select Battle Stadium.
5. Select Online Competitions.
6. Under Official Competitions, select Search for a Competition.

To check rankings after the competition is over, follow these steps:

1. Launch your Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet game.
2. Open the X menu.
3. Select Poké Portal.
4. Select Battle Stadium.
5. Select Online Competitions.
6. Select Previous Results.