History

The World Cup of Pokémon was first hosted by Jackal in 2005, which consisted of several small 4 man teams earning points in a simple 1v1 bracket. Though it was successful in its own right, the tournament truly took off the next year when it was completely revamped and hosted by both Jackal and Shiv. Since then, the World Cup has become one of Smogon's most prestigious annual tournaments, as it gains in popularity and overall quality each year.

In the second Pokemon World Cup, 8 teams consisting of 8 players each battled it out in an 8 vs 8 format to crown the world champions. At the end of the tournament, it was Team Asia which emerged victorious, claiming the coveted trophy (and bragging rights) for itself.

Last year’s World Cup saw 4 new teams added to the mix. The format of the tournament was also completely overhauled. After a qualifying round robin to begin with, the tournament became single-elimination, where participants would earn points for each victory they gained for their team. The winning team would be the team with the most points, not necessarily the last team standing. Despite stiff competition, Team Asia managed to defeat the opposition to take home the trophy once again.

This year, teams are more evenly matched than ever before, and with each team trying their best to stop Asia from making it 3 for 3, it should make for one of the most competitive tournaments in Smogon history.