Pokemon TCG champion forfeits regionals after losing card during pop-off

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The championship match at the 2026 Pokemon Pittsburgh Regional Championships had an unusual ending when Abaan Ahmed unexpectedly gave up his match against Liam Halliburton.

Regional Pokémon Trading Card Game tournaments are demanding, lasting two full days. They usually begin early, around 8 or 9 a.m., and involve eight rounds of intense competition on the first day. After that, the field narrows for a second day of play. Adult players often compete for hours on end without any breaks.

Ahmed had previously won a regional tournament, earning him a spot at the Pokemon World Championships. This was his second time reaching the finals. However, the stress of the competition got to him on the second day, and he started a match against Halliburton with only 59 cards in his deck – one short of the required 60.

Champion forfeits Pokemon TCG finals

During the first round of the championship match, judges stopped play to check the cards and discovered Ahmed was missing a card – his deck only had 59 instead of 60. While the rules say losing a card means automatically losing the game, Ahmed surprisingly chose to give up the entire match, awarding the regional title to Halliburton.

Footage from the official Pokémon TCG stream showed what happened to Ahmed’s lost card. During an excited moment in his previous game, Ahmed accidentally knocked a card onto his opponent’s side of the table while taking off his headset. Calvin Connor, who was playing the same deck, then picked up the card along with his own, unintentionally causing the issue with the deck size that led to the end of the final match.

People on Reddit explained that Ahmed, after playing in marathons for two weekends straight, chose not to challenge the decision. He felt he had a difficult opponent in the finals and was mentally drained from playing all day. While skilled players often remember which cards are missing, Ahmed’s exhaustion made it hard to notice the error.

Halliburton won the Pittsburgh Regional Championship. Ahmed also had a successful weekend, earning a spot in the World Championship and adding another impressive performance to his career.

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2025-09-22 17:48