Portsmouth 11-year-old heads to his third Pokémon World Championship as he flies out to San Francisco
Portsmouth boy to take on best young players from across the world
A boy from Portsmouth is getting ready to jet off to San Francisco to compete against the best Pokémon Trading Card Game players in the world.
It is the third time that Declan Peers, 11, of North End, has competed in the Pokémon World Championship as he looks to become a junior Pokémon master. The competition starts on Friday, August 28 with Declan and his family flying out this weekend.
Having only taken up the game when he was eight-years-old, Declan took to it like a Psyduck to water, quickly beating adults on local circuits before competing across Europe in the junior age group. His performances saw him qualify for the Worlds in Hawaii and Anaheim in 2024 and 2025, with him finishing 199 out of 400 last year.
While Declan hopes to improve on that result he is mainly looking forward to catching up with friends that he has made from across the world.
He said: “It feels great (to qualify again), it is amazing. I am just hoping to have a good time and see my friends and hopefully it is a good week.”
His mum, Fiona Peers, will be accompanying him for the trip. She has seen the game grow in popularity in the local area with more players and competitions starting in the past few years.
She said: “He plays most days, there are a lot more local leagues popping up and it seems to have increased in popularity. Most of his week is taken up with playing Pokémon now.
“It is quite a rollercoaster but it is brilliant. I cant express how much of a great opportunity it has been for him and the places he has been, the people he has met. He has friends all over the world now.”
Declan can be found most weeks playing at the local league in Somerstown, even in the short space of time he has been playing there, he has seen its popularity grow.
“When I started there was almost no one there and now it is massive,” he said. “It has grown a lot.”
His form this year has seen him finish in his best ever position on the European circuit when he finished second in Stuttgart, Germany. But what is his ace in the pack that he is looking forward to using against opponents in San Francisco?
“I love the Snorlax which stops your opponent from retreating and it almost controls the out. It is a surprise card and is really fun to play.”
With the family flying out on Saturday, a week before the World Championship starts, Declan is looking forward to more than just competing.
He said: “We are going to go and see Alcatraz and some of the other touristy places and have a look around which will be fun. I’m excited for that.”
Good luck Declan.