Ed Sheeran made a surprise appearance at the Pokémon World Championships this weekend, opening the closing ceremony with Celestial and an acoustic rendition of the original Pokémon anime’s theme tune.
The musician turned up during Championship Sunday, the finals day of the 2026 World Championships, held at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
Sheeran opened with his 2022 single Celestial, which featured on the end credits of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. He then moved into an acoustic version of the Pokémon anime’s theme tune.
It’s not the first time Sheeran has worked with The Pokémon Company, of course; as well as Celestial’s use in Scarlet and Violet, the song’s original announcement in 2022 came alongside a music video showing Sheeran interacting with Pokémon, including Pikachu.
Over the weekend, The Pokémon Company International and Aardman released the first teaser trailer for Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d & Pichu, a new stop-motion series coming to Disney+ next year.
The video description teases: “Join our unlikely heroes, Sirfetch’d and Pichu, in their gallant quest to protect Pokémon across Galar! While their missions might rarely go as planned, their noble deeds forge their friendship as they step bravely into the unknown. Peril, alliances, rivalries, extraordinary Pokémon, and endless laughs await them”.
