The Pokémon North America International Championships are officially leaving New Orleans. During the closing ceremonies of the 2026 NAIC on June 14, The Pokémon Company International announced that the 2027 tournament is relocating to the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, Illinois.
The tournament has spent the last three years anchored at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in Louisiana. That location simply ran out of room. Attendance for the event has spiked by more than 150% over the past two years. The 2026 event completely sold out of all available entry badges, forcing organizers to look for a larger facility to accommodate both the competitive brackets and the surrounding fan programming.
The move became public shortly before The Pokémon Company issued an official press release confirming the McCormick Place venue and detailing the transition away from the Gulf Coast.
Logistics and international travel access drove the venue change. Chris Brown, TPCi’s Director of Global Esports and Events Producer, detailed the geographical and logistical reasons behind the transition, pointing directly to Chicago’s accessibility for global players.
The numbers back up the decision. The 2026 NAIC hosted competitors traveling from 48 different regions. Chicago currently offers direct flights from 281 airports across 49 countries. New Orleans offered only 55 direct flight connections, creating a persistent travel bottleneck for international competitors trying to reach the event.
Chicago already holds a highly active relationship with the franchise’s live events division. The city currently hosts the annual Pokémon GO Fest and features the Pokémon Fossil Museum exhibit at the Field Museum.