The Pokémon Company announced a new collaboration with Japan’s J.League, the premiere football association for the country, to give Pokémon mascots to each of its 60 registered teams. On a new promotional webpage for the league, you can see brand-new banners for each team with their associated critter. Seemingly picked more based on color, I can’t say the designs aren’t incredible looking.
The current slogan for the J.League is, “Evolution! The J League is evolving,” so I guess it makes sense to pair that with Pokémon. This announcement also comes just one week after Japan had an incredible match against Brazil in the World Cup. While it didn’t clinch the victory, it put on an impressive defense that forced Brazil to make some risky moves in the closing minutes. Japan will return strong, though, just like your favorite Pokémon.
The collaboration will officially kick off on August 7th, 2026, when the next season of the J.League begins. To commemorate the occasion, fans who visit their team’s home grounds will receive an eco bag with the new logo plastered on it. Additional merchandise will also be available for sale during the season, though it hasn’t been announced just yet.
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Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
