2024 World Championships: Meet Team North America!

The 2024 World Championships, which will be held on 16–18 August 2024, are hosted in Honolulu, HI, United States. This is the third time the World Championships are held in Hawaii, after the 2010 and 2012 editions; and the first time they are held in the United States since 2019. In these articles, we will take a look at the best players that are qualified to compete in the biggest event of the year.

Here we have North America! Let’s meet the 12 players with a Round 1 bye at Worlds, and take a look at the other 199 invitees this region brings.

North America at Worlds

The World Championships is coming back to North America after 5 years, and players from this region will surely want to keep the crown home!

North America has seen two World Champions and four crowns, as Ray Rizzo won the title three times in a row (2010, 2011 and 2012), setting up a legendary record that is unlikely to be broken; and Wolfe Glick raised the trophy in 2016.

There are other Americans that have reached finals without success, such as Wolfe yet again, four years prior to his win in Ray Rizzo’s third victory (2012), Jeudy Azzarelli (2014), Jonathan Evans (2016) and Emilio Forbes (2018).

The latest World Championships featured 7 North Americans in top cut, the highest of which was Canadian Abdullah Mohayyuddin in top 8. It was the worst performance of this region since 2017, when the highest North American player was in top 16. Will North America come back to the top, especially after eight years leaving empty-handed?

Requirements for a Worlds invite

As per the North American system, all players that have achieved at least 500 CP (or Championship Points), won a Regional Championship or made finals of an International Championships in the 2024 season receive a Tier 3 invite. Additionally, the players ranked 13th to 16th get a Tier 2 invite, which includes a Travel Stipend, and the top 12 players achieve a Tier 1 invite, which corresponds to a Round 1 bye at the tournament as well as a Travel Award.

The final result is a big increase in spots from the 2023 World Championships: from 108 invitees last year to a total of 211 this season!

Players with Round 1 bye

1. Riley Factura

At 1596 CP, Riley has qualified to the World Championships for the seventh time, having played from 2015 until 2019, after which he took a break, and coming back in 2023. Nevertheless, he has only made it to Day 2 twice: in 2015 and 2017. Seven years later and being in a phenomenal shape, he will try to make it even further!

Riley is the first ranked North American player, but still the BFL prevented him from earning so much more CP than what the official count amounts to. He started the season very strong with a victory in Pittsburgh, winning his fifth Regional title, something only Wolfe Glick (9) and Paul Chua (6) have done more times than him. He then got a top 4 in Peoria and reached another finals in Sacramento, this time in a losing effort; made top 16 at Toronto and got to the semifinals at LAIC for a stellar start of the season, far ahead of any competition he could have. In the middle stage of the season, he got another top 8 in San Antonio, a top 32 in Portland and another top 32 in Charlotte. In the final stretch, he got a top 32 in Orlando, reached his third finals of the season with a second place in São Paulo, got a top 64 in Indianapolis, and was at 9-2 at NAIC before being dropped from the tournament. Overall, he has earned during this season:

1,320 CP in major events (down from 1,520 CP due to BFL)
156 CP in local events
120 CP in Global Challenges
$23,750 in prize money

Riley joined Team United States in the World Cup last year, when the team made it into the top 16.

He has been favouring Miraidon in Regulation Set G: he used this team at NAIC!

Watch Riley’s victory over Justin Carris at Day 2 of NAIC!

2. Alberto Lara

At 1363 CP, Alberto has qualified to Worlds for the seventh time, having played in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022 and 2023. He has made it to Day 2 half of those times: in 2015, 2018 and 2023.

The American, who is a 3-time Regional Champion, made it to the top 4 in Pittsburgh, top 8 in Sacramento and top 32 in San Antonio in the first half of the season. Afterwards, he got top 32 in Portland, top 32 in Vancouver and top 32 at EUIC, before finishing the season with a top 8 in Carolina and a top 64 at NAIC. Even though his best results were at the start of the season, he kept his second place in CP until the end. Overall, he has earned during this season:

930 CP in major events (down from 1,030 CP due to BFL)
393 CP in local events
40 CP in Global Challenges
$5,000 in prize money

He has been favouring Miraidon in Regulation Set G: he used this team at NAIC!

Watch Alberto’s victory over Nick Navarre at the Los Angeles Regional!

3. Joseph Ugarte

At 1287 CP, Joseph has qualified to Worlds for the third time, having made it to the top cut both previous times, falling in the top 32 round in both 2022 and 2023.

Joseph, a 2-time Regional Champion, started the season with a top 32 in Pittsburgh and an 8th place at LAIC, out of cut on tiebreakers but getting the spot due to another player’s disqualification. Then, he made top 4 in San Antonio, top 8 in Portland, top 16 in Liverpool and top 16 in Knoxville (out of cut on tiebreakers). He finished the season with a top 32 in Los Angeles. Overall, he has earned during this season:

840 CP in major events (down from 1,080 CP due to BFL)
367 CP in local events
80 CP in Global Challenges
$9,500 in prize money

Joseph has been a player for Team United States in the World Cup since 2021. Last year, the team made it into the top 16. He also likes to play grassroots tournaments; recently, he made it to the semifinals of the Victory Road to Honolulu #2.

He has been favouring Miraidon in Regulation Set G: he used this team at the last VR tour!

Watch Joseph’s victory over Justin Burns at the Los Angeles Regional!

4. Tang Shiliang

At 1245 CP, Shiliang has qualified to Worlds for the second time. Last year, he played all the way from Day 1 to Day 2, but ended up losing his top cut win-and-in round.

The Chinese player, ranked in North America as he is living in the United States, is a former Regional Champion and a well-known creative teambuilder. At the start of the season, he made top 4 in Peoria. Then, he went on to get top 32 in Toronto, top 32 in San Antonio and top 32 in Charlotte. And finally, he had a very strong end to the season, with a top 8 in Indianapolis and a top 8 at NAIC. Overall, he has earned during this season:

780 CP in major events
355 CP in local events
110 CP in Global Challenges
$8,000 in prize money

Shiliang has been grinding Ranked Battles in the current doubles ruleset, often playing with both his cartridges. Take care if you face someone with the IGNs “20 Liang Liang” (20亮亮) or “five Chinese question marks” (？？？？？)! He finished 28th in Season 18, 10th and 11th in Season 19, and 10th and 20th in Season 20.

He has been favouring Kyogre in Regulation Set G: he used this team to get the top 8 at NAIC!

Watch Shiliang’s victory over Paul Chua at Day 2 of NAIC!

5. Giovanni Costa

At 1234 CP, Giovanni has qualified to Worlds for the sixth time, every season since 2016 with the only exception of 2022. His only Day 2 so far was in his first appearance, in 2016, where he reached the top cut and finished in the top 16!

The veteran player finally got a title this season, after many cuts throughout the years: after getting top 16 in Sacramento, Giovanni won in San Antonio his first Regional Championships. He went on to get top 16 in Portland (out of cut on tiebreakers), top 32 in Los Angeles and a top 128 at NAIC. Overall, he has earned during this season:

710 CP in major events (down from 740 CP due to BFL)
434 CP in local events
90 CP in Global Challenges
$7,500 in prize money

He has been favouring Miraidon in Regulation Set G: he used this team to reach Day 2 at NAIC!

Watch Giovanni’s win in San Antonio!

6. Justin Tang

At 1209 CP, Justin has qualified to Worlds for the second time. Last year he competed in Day 1.

Last season’s breakout rookie has not won any Regionals this time, but has proved that his success was not a fluke and cemented himself as a consistent threat in any pairings, especially working with Shiliang in teams. Starting with a top 16 in Peoria, he followed that up with a top 8 in Toronto, another top 8 in San Antonio, a top 64 in Charlotte and yet another top 8 in Knoxville, where he was seed #1 going into the top cut. He finished the season with a top 32 in Indianapolis and a top 64 at NAIC. Overall, he has earned during this season:

720 CP in major events (down from 770 CP due to BFL)
424 CP in local events
65 CP in Global Challenges
$3,750 in prize money

Justin joined Team United States in the World Cup last year, when the team made it into the top 16.

He has been favouring Kyogre in Regulation Set G: he used this team to reach Day 2 at NAIC!

Watch Justin’s victory over Averi Biery at Day 2 of the Knoxville Regional!

7. Paul Chua

At 1200 CP, Paul has qualified to Worlds for the eleventh straight time! Starting as a Senior Division player in 2012, he has not missed any invite throughout the seasons. He made it to top 8 in 2013, still as a Senior, and then as a Master he has reached top cut twice: top 16 in 2018 and top 4 in 2022.

Even though Paul’s season has not been as strong as previous ones, he has secured a spot at the Tier 1 invites. He made top 16 in Peoria (out of cut on tiebreakers), reached the finals in Toronto, top 16 in Charlotte and top 16 again at NAIC. Overall, he has earned during this season:

750 CP in major events (down from 780 CP due to BFL)
350 CP in local events
100 CP in Global Challenges
$8,500 in prize money

Paul likes the Ranked Battles ladder a lot using his Japanese cartridge with IGN “Ai” (あい). In the current ruleset, he finished 27th in Season 18 and 17th in Season 20.

He has been favouring Ice Rider Calyrex in Regulation Set G: he used this team at NAIC!

Watch Paul’s victory over Jamie Boyt at semifinals of the Toronto Regional!

8. James Evans

At 1193 CP, James has qualified to Worlds for the sixth time! Starting as a Senior Division player in 2017, he is the 2018 World Champion in the Senior Division. Since aging up to Masters in 2019, he has made Day 2 in both 2022 and 2023, and will try to reach the top cut for the first time in the higher age category!

The 2022 NAIC Champion’s season results went in an upwards trend. He started missing cut on tiebreakers with a top 16 in Pittsburgh, and had a top 32 in Toronto and another top 32 in Charlotte. He reached and lost the finals in Knoxville, but made it back-to-back there and got the victory in Vancouver. His season ended with a top 64 at NAIC. Overall, he has earned during this season:

870 CP in major events (down from 920 CP due to BFL)
258 CP in local events
65 CP in Global Challenges
$10,750 in prize money

He has been favouring Miraidon in Regulation Set G: he used this team at NAIC!

Watch James’s win in Vancouver!

9. James Baek

At 1181 CP, James has qualified to Worlds for the ninth time! He qualified in 2014 still in the Senior Division, and then aged up to Masters making it to Worlds every season since 2015. His best results are his back-to-back top 4 finishes in 2019 and 2022, with somewhat similar teams! Last year, he did not make it out of Day 1.

James, who also is the 2020 LAIC Champion, started his season strong with a top 16 in Pittsburgh leading into a dominating victory in Peoria, being seed #1 after both the Day 1 and Day 2 Swiss rounds and winning his fourth Regional title overall. After his win, he made top 16 at LAIC, top 16 in San Antonio, top 64 at EUIC, top 32 in Orlando, and top 64 in Los Angeles. Overall, he has earned during this season:

850 CP in major events (down from 890 CP due to BFL)
251 CP in local events
80 CP in Global Challenges
$10,500 in prize money

He has been favouring Ice Rider Calyrex in Regulation Set G: he used this original team at the Los Angeles Regional!

Watch James’s win in Peoria!

10. Chuppa Cross IV

At 1171 CP, Chuppa has qualified to Worlds for the seventh time! He made it to Worlds for the first time in 2016, and has participated ever since, playing in Day 2 in 2017, 2022 and 2023.

The American player had one of his best seasons since he started playing the game over a decade ago. He got a top 32 in Pittsburgh and a top 16 at LAIC before finally winning in Toronto his first Regional title, after having lost 4 Regional finals since 2014. He later got second place in Portland in his second Regional finals of the season. Overall, he has earned during this season:

790 CP in major events
361 CP in local events
20 CP in Global Challenges
$10,500 in prize money

He has not found any success yet in Regulation Set G, but everyone knows he will find a good call for Worlds!

Watch Chuppa’s win in Toronto!

11. Andrew Ding

At 998 CP, Andrew has qualified to Worlds for the third time! He earned Day 1 invites in both 2022 and 2023, but did not attend either time. With a Travel Award and a Round 1 bye, this will be his first real experience in the tournament!

Andrew, who is a former Regional Champion, started the season very strong with a top 8 in Pittsburgh and another top 8 in Sacramento, eliminated by the seed #1 curse after going 14-0 in the Swiss rounds. He went on to get a top 32 at LAIC and a top 64 in Toronto, and after a 6-month break, a top 32 in Indianapolis and another top 32 in Los Angeles. Overall, he has earned during this season:

650 CP in major events
333 CP in local events
15 CP in Global Challenges
$4,000 in prize money

He has been favouring Kyogre in Regulation Set G: he used this team at the Los Angeles Regional!

Watch Andrew’s victory over Raghav Malaviya at Day 2 of the Sacramento Regional!

12. Dylan Salvanera

At 993 CP, Dylan has qualified to Worlds for the seventh time! Starting as a Senior Division player, he made it to Day 2 in 2014, 2015 and 2016. After aging up as a Master, he qualified in 2018, 2022 and 2023 for Day 1 invites, but has failed to make Day 2 at the higher age category, something he will try his best to achieve this time!

The American, who is a former Regional Champion, has not had his peak season, but has very consistently made good results over the months, enough to sneak into the last Tier 1 spot. At the beginning of the season, he got top 32 in Peoria, top 16 in Sacramento, top 32 in Toronto, and top 32 at LAIC. Then, he made it to a new top 32 in Portland and yet another top 32 in Vancouver. He finished the season with a top 64 in Indianapolis. Overall, he has earned during this season:

610 CP in major events (down from 730 CP due to BFL)
323 CP in local events
60 CP in Global Challenges
$2,750 in prize money

It seems Dylan has not found the Restricted that best suits his style in Regulation Set G. He had some success with Shadow Rider Calyrex, then abandoned it for Terapagos, and has been using Ice Rider Calyrex lately… Which will be his preferred pick for Worlds?

Watch Dylan’s victory over Brandon Tuchtenhagen at the Vancouver Regional!

Other players

North America has 199 other representatives in Worlds, some of which are big names in the scene. Watch out for 2016 World Champion Wolfe Glick, 2012 Senior World Champion Toler Webb, 2013 Junior World Champion Brendan Zheng, 2014 Worlds finalist Jeudy Azzarelli, 2016 Senior World Champion & 2018 LAIC Champion Carson Confer, 2-time LAIC Champion Ashton Cox, or 2024 NAIC Champion Patrick Connors!

The following list comprises all other players with an invite, be it through an International finals appearance, a Regional win or with 500 or more CP in the Oceania rating zone, and is based on the official Play! Pokémon leaderboard.

International finalists

Regional Champions

700+ CP

600-699 CP

550-599 CP

500-549 CP

International finalists

Regional Champions