Ed Sheeran performs classic ‘Pokémon’ theme live

Ed Sheeran was a surprise special guest at the Pokémon World Championships this weekend, where he performed the classic Pokémon theme live.

READ MORE: Loading Leonida: what we learned from the ‘Grand Theft Auto 6’ Extended Look on Netflix The 2026 Pokémon World Championships took place at San Francisco’s Chase Center this weekend (August 28 – 30) with people competing in the official Video Game Championships as well as the official trading card game, Pokémon Go and Unite .

On Sunday, spectators were treated to a surprise performance from Ed Sheeran, who took to the stage to perform his 2022 Pokémon Scarlet & Violet anthem ‘Celestial’ before an acoustic run-through of the original theme for the anime.

Check out fan-shot footage of the moment before.

Ed Sheeran sings the Pokémon Theme Song in a surprise performance after the Pokémon Worlds closing ceremony in San Francisco #PokemonWorlds #PokemonXP pic.twitter.com/mHW7goksAP — Maddox @ Worlds (@MaddoxTCG) August 31, 2026 Holy..

Ed Sheeran is here signing the Pokémon theme song pic.twitter.com/stwDNgGCVo — spragels The Content Cowboy (@spragels) August 31, 2026 “I’ve played Pokémon since I was in primary school,” Sheeran said back in 2022 to promote the release of ‘Celestial’ .

“Me and my brother used to have different versions of the games and would trade Pokémon together until we each completed our Pokédex.

I loved the cards but the games are what I lost myself in.

I loved the whole world they created; it kept me distracted if there was negative stuff happening in my life/school that I wanted to avoid.

It was a world I could escape into and I’ve played it ever since.” Earlier this year, Sheeran was praised for turning down a collab with Fortnite because it didn’t feel authentic .

“Whenever you see my face near any product, I want it to be something I actually do,” he said during an interview on the Warne’s Way podcast.

“Like ketchup, I fucking love ketchup.

Guitars, I play the guitars I play.

The reason I’m here today is because I’m launching a speaker with Orange, and I’ve used Orange amps for years.