Filipino fans finally have a team to root for at the biggest competitive Pokemon event of the year, as Team Nemesis flies the flag for the Philippines at the Pokemon World Championships in San Francisco.
The Filipino squad in the hunt
After visa troubles threatened their trip just weeks before the event, Team Nemesis is set to compete in the Pokemon Unite division of the world championships. The squad, made up of Lawrence Gatmaitan, Ducke Leoncio, Robert Mempin, Michael Vaughn Ocio and Kim Rey Salazar, landed in Group F alongside powerhouse Fennel of Japan, LuneX Gaming of the United States and Fames of Brazil.
The top two teams in each group advance to the second day, a setup coach Albert Camp is confident about. “We are in the bracket with the best team in Japan. But since there will be two teams per group that will qualify for the second day, I’m confident we’ll be one of them,” he told Philstar.com. “We have more experience battling the best teams like Dignitas, Fennel, Reject, Xipto, T1 and Deep Cross Gaming.”
Bigger stage, faster meta
The 2026 Worlds runs August 28 to 30 at the Moscone Center, with titles contested across Pokemon VGC, the Pokemon Trading Card Game, Pokemon GO and Pokemon UNITE. On the VGC side, the shift to Pokemon Champions has reshaped the meta: Mega Evolutions have returned to the center of play, and lower power levels plus item restrictions are forcing veterans to rethink old strategies. Names to watch include 2016 champion Wolfe Glick and three-time International Champion Marco Silva.
San Francisco schedule
| Day | Date | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| Friday | August 28 | Group stage |
| Saturday | August 29 | Playoffs |
| Sunday | August 30 | Grand finals |
It is a big weekend for Pokemon in the Philippines and for local esports more broadly, as the country’s competitive community watches one of its own on the world stage.
