This is Pokémon’s Second Major Sporting Event Sponsorship in February 2026; Possibly Targets Sports Card Collector/’Pokemon TCG’ Crossover Audience
The Pokémon Company International placed a sponsorship segment and ad at another major sporting event, the USA v. Canada Men’s Gold Medal Hockey final.
Earlier in February 2026, Psyduck, Jigglypuff, and others showed up with Lady Gaga and their celebrity friends in an ad during the Super Bowl (see “Pokemon Super Bowl Ad“). On Sunday, The Pokémon Company sponsored the first Intermission Report of the heavily-watched USA v. Canada gold medal game. The Super Bowl ad also ran during this segment; this marks the second major sporting event in the month of February that the company has placed an ad in or purchased a sponsorship for.
The ads are presumably part of a broader marketing campaign that targets the crossover audience between Pokémon TCG and sports cards collectors, revolving around the company’s 30th Anniversary campaign (see “The Pokemon Company International“). This crossover audience has been growing significantly as the gap between Pokémon and sports fans continues to be bridged by Pokémon fan athletes like Logan Paul, Cole Anthony, and Lamine Yamal. Additionally, the recent string of Pokémon TCG single-card auction sales (see “Most Expensive Trading Card Ever Sold“) and blockbuster sales of new sealed product has undoubtedly inspired more and more sports card dealers to carry Pokémon TCG in their stores, a trend that began accelerating around 2023 (see “The National Sports Collectors Convention“).
For more information on 2026 Pokémon releases, click here to check out ICv2’s release calendar.
Click here for more information on the author of this article (Jeffrey Dohm-Sanchez, ICv2 Managing Editor).
Source: ICv2
