5 trainers to watch out for at 2024 Pokemon World Championships

The Pokemon World Championships for 2024 will take place on August 16-18, 2024, in Honolulu, Hawaii. The finest trainers in the world will congregate in this final venue to battle in VGC, GO, TCG, and Unite until only one player or team is crowned as a world champion in their respective category. But which trainers should one keep an eye on ahead of the Worlds 2024 competition?

After the major tournaments in every corner of the world, every fan has their thoughts on which players will reign supreme at the Pokemon World Championships this year. However, it doesn't hurt to take a look at some of the big names and trainers to watch ahead of the World 2024 competition.

Note: This list is subjective and solely reflects the opinions of the writer.

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5 players/teams to watch ahead of the 2024 Pokemon World Championships

1) Wolfe "Wolfey" Glick (VGC)

Wolfey can never be counted out in VGC due to his resume (Image via Liquipedia Pokemon)

Though he hasn't captured a Worlds title since 2016, Wolfe "Wolfey" Glick can't be underestimated due to the sheer amount of success he has achieved.

The 2016 Worlds Champion, nine-time regional champion, and having already won two regionals in 2024, Glick was also the first trainer to capture a regional, national, and international championship after winning the 2019 NAIC.

Glick has had a hot hand in 2024, and after leaning more into quality meta teams as opposed to his more unique lineups, this may be the key to his resurgence on the world stage after a string of tough eliminations in prior years.

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2) Fusion (Unite)

Fusion has already proved its worth in Pokemon Unite's Aeos Cup (Image via @UniteEsports/X)

Hailing from Peru, Fusion seems to be considerably favored by many Pokemon Unite fans ahead of Worlds 2024, and it isn't hard to see why. The team has already secured wins in the Latin America South Championship as well as the 2024 Aeos Cup, defeating Kabichans 3-1. However, there is some concern, as the team didn't have the best showing at Worlds 2023.

Fusion bottomed out in the Group Stage matches at Worlds 2023 behind Rise Gaming, Amaterasu, and Akjil in Group D. However, there has been substantial turnover in the team, and the new lineup of trainers has been deadly, to say the least. Fusion's fortunes may just reverse this year, and it might not be a surprise for observant Unite fans.

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3) Tord Reklev (TCG)

Tord Reklev finished second at Worlds 2023 for Masters TCG, is a comeback on the way? (Image via @TordReklev/X)

Norway's Tord Reklev already has multiple top-eight performances in Worlds for the Masters TCG competition, most recently facing off against Vance Kelley in Worlds 2023 and coming up just short with a 1-2 set. However, Tord has already shown plenty of rebound potential, winning the Masters TCG Europe International Championship against Isaiah Bradner 2-0.

Tord has shown incredible resilience over the years, cleaning up at lower-tier tournaments and placing highly in Worlds, but never quite reaching the pinnacle. Could this year finally be the year that everything changes?

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4) Maxwell "MEweedle" Ember (GO)

MEweedle may be primed for another Worlds run after securing Pokemon GO's Seniors championship at Worlds 2022 (Image via @MEweedle/X)

Winner of the 2022 Worlds Pokemon GO Seniors Championship, the 2023 Stuttgart regionals, and 2024's European International Championships with a 3-0 win over Doonebug97, Maxwell "MEweedle" Ember seems to be primed for a good turnout at Worlds 2024. Though the Swiss/English phenom did place fourth at this year's Bologna Special Event, that's more of an anomaly than the norm.

The competition will be tough, but MEweedle has reached the pinnacle before in the Seniors competition for Pokemon GO. It's possible that the stars may align for the young European competitor once more, and only time will tell if this turns out to be true.

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5) Nils Dunlop (VGC)

Nils took the 2024 EUIC and may be primed for more (Image via Liquipedia Pokemon)

It's been a while since Nils Dunlop (formerly known as Axilotl) has placed in a Pokemon World Championship. Still, the Swedish VGC competitor has placed top five or higher in the 2017 and 2018 Worlds VGC. The current Scarlet and Violet meta may be working to Nils' advantage as signified by a 2-0 European International Championship win over America's Tim Edwards this year.

Dunlop did stumble a bit against the eventual champion Michael Kelsch in the Stockholm regionals, ultimately placing seventh, but this doesn't erase Nils' accomplishment in the Pokemon EUIC. After a little re-tooling, the European International Champion still has a significant fighting chance to take it all in Worlds 2024 for VGC.