Challengers are appearing at PokeStops in Pokemon Go to celebrate the World Championships event, so we’ve got details of their lineups and the rewards you can earn for defeating them.
The 2022 World Championships event has begun in Pokemon Go, bringing loads of exciting features including Timed Research, a new costumed Pikachu, and Zacian & Zamazenta returning to Raids.
There are also a new set of Challengers starting to pop up at PokeStops. These NPCs use powerful teams of Pokemon that you’ll need to defeat in order to complete Research tasks and unlock rewards.
To help you take down these Challengers in Pokemon Go, we’ve included details of how to battle them, the lineups they might use, as well as the rewards you can earn below.
How to battle a Challenger in Pokemon Go
Challengers are NPCs that will take over random PokeStops and challenge you to a battle if you interact with them. They work in a similar way to the Team Go Rocket Grunts that you’ve probably encountered before.
Each of these Challengers will have a random Pokemon lineup based on the teams used by Trainers who won the Pokemon Go Regional Championships, so you know you’re in for a difficult battle if you try to defeat them!
Challengers will appear during the World Championships event which runs from August 18 at 10AM until August 23 at 8PM local time. You can spot a Challenger from a distance by looking out for a PokeStop that’s shaking.
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Pokemon Go Challenger lineups
Here are all of the Challengers and the Pokemon they can use in battle:
| Challenger | Pokemon #1 | Pokemon #2 | Pokemon #3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ambitious Challenger | Araquanid, Obstagoon, Swampert or Trevenant | Alolan Ninetales, Nidoqueen, Registeel or Walrein | Greedent, Sableye, Swampert or Talonflame |
| Confident Challenger | Diggersby, Scrafty, Swampert or Walrein | Mandibuzz, Nidoqueen, Trevenant or Walrein | Cresselia, Deoxys (Defense) or Lickitung |
| Eager Challenger | Medicham or Nidoqueen | Lickitung or Sableye | Swampert or Walrein |
| Eccentric Challenger | Sableye, Sirfetch’d, or Walrein | Lickitung or Walrein | Registeel or Talonflame |
| Novice Challenger | Sableye or Trevenant | Alolan Ninetales or Azumarill | Galarian Stunfisk or Obstagoon |
| Slick Challenger | Azumarill or Walrein | Medicham or Sableye | Registeel or Trevenant |
It appears that each Challenger has a variety of Pokemon they can send into battle, so you won’t always be able to predict their lineups. There is some crossover between Challengers though which could help.
The table above features Pokemon we’ve seen in our own Challenger battles as well as those reported by the Silph Road community on Reddit. We’ll keep the table updated as more lineups are discovered.
Rewards for defeating Challengers in Pokemon Go
If you manage to defeat a Challenger in Pokemon Go, you’ll be rewarded with a bundle of random (but useful) items including Poke Balls, Potions, Berries, and Stardust.
Battling Challengers will also help you complete the World Championships Timed Research quest. If you battle five Challengers, you’ll be able to unlock two rare items: the Elite Fast TM and Elite Charged TM.
That’s everything you need to know about battling Challengers! Visit our Pokemon Go home page or check out our World Championships event guide for more.
