What is the Catch Cup in Pokemon Go? Dates & rules explained

Daniel Megarry

The Pokemon Go Catch Cup is an unusual challenge in the Go Battle League, so here are the full details to help you make sense of it, including its rules, Pokemon restrictions, and dates.

Trainers have been honing their skills in the Pokemon Go Battle League for years, but every now and then a unique challenge comes along that throws everything out the window and forces you to rethink your usual strategies.

The Go Battle League challenge to do just that is the Catch Cup, which has a lot of restrictions that aren’t really explained in the game. So, to help dissipate the confusion, here are all the details about the tournament.

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What is the Catch Cup in Pokemon Go?

The Catch Cup is one of the most unique tournaments in the Pokemon Go Battle League, as only Pokemon that were caught during the current season are allowed to take part in the battles.

This puts a huge limit on your potential team and makes it hard to plan ahead. It also means you’ll need to power up the Pokemon you catch in a very short amount of time, making it difficult to build a good team. Luckily for you, we have a list of the best Pokemon to add to your Catch Cup team.

Altaria fighting Skarmory in the Holiday Cup in the Pokemon Go Battle League

Pokemon Go Catch Cup rules & restrictions

The Catch Cup this year is divided into two: Catch Cup Little Edition and Catch Cup Great League Edition, and they have the following rules:

  • Only Pokemon caught during the current World of Wonders season can take part.
  • For the Little Edition, Pokemon must be below the 500 CP limit to enter.
  • For the Great League Edition, Pokemon must be below the 1500 CP limit to enter.

This means only Pokemon under 500 or 1500 CP can compete and all of them must have been captured after March 1, 2024, when the World of Wonders season kicked off.

While Mythical Pokemon are not allowed, you can widen your options with catches from Raids, Field Research tasks, and Egg hatches.

Pokemon Go Catch Cup start & end date

Both Catch Cup: Little Edition and Catch Cup: Great League Edition will begin on Friday, May 17, 2024, at 1 PM PST and will run until Friday, May 24, 2024, at 1 PM PST.

The season’s GO Battle League will end with the return of Great, Ultra, and Master Leagues from May 24, 2024, until May 31, 2024, so you’ll have to wait until the next season’s schedule is up to see if the Catch Cup will return once again.

That’s all you need to know about the Catch Cup in Pokemon Go. For more game content, check the links below:

Best Pokemon in Pokemon Go | All upcoming Spotlight Hours | Fastest way to get Best Buddy status | Pokemon Go catching tips | Pokemon Go promo codes