Pokémon UNITE: ZETA DIVISION becomes world champion for the first time

ZETA DIVISION wins the Pokémon World Championships 2026 in the Pokémon UNITE discipline and becomes world champion for the first time. The Japanese esports team prevailed at the tournament held from August 28 to 30 in San Francisco, ending a run of placings just short of the title.

According to ZETA DIVISION, the team entered the season with a partially renewed roster. At the Pokémon Japan Championships 2026, it initially managed only fifth place, before the squad performed markedly stronger at the world championship. In the group stage, ZETA remained undefeated and won against T1 and 7VEN, among others.

Victory after several narrow years

In the knockout round, ZETA DIVISION first beat FENNEL and Evil Geniuses. In the semifinal against IGZIST, the team already trailed zero to two, but then won three games in a row and advanced to the final with a three-to-two win.

There, ZETA faced the European representative KOMAÏ. The Japanese side won the first two games, lost game three, and then completed the title with a three-to-one victory. For the Pokémon UNITE division, it is the first world championship title. In 2025, ZETA DIVISION had still finished as runner-up in the world championship final.

Pokémon is also currently present on aninew.de beyond esports: a new anime film, "Pokémon: Wildcard", has been announced for 2027. Also in 2027, the stop-motion series "Pokémon Tales" by Aardman launches worldwide on Disney+.

ZETA DIVISION describes the success as the culmination of a multi-year development: after placings outside the final and the runner-up finish in 2025, the team reaches the top of the Pokémon UNITE world championship for the first time in 2026.