Pokémon, what a passion: Federico Predappiese wins the world tournament

Forlì, 5 July 2025 – There is a dream that has marked the childhood of millions of people born from the 1990s onwards: that of becoming the greatest 'Pokémon' trainer in the world . The Japanese franchise, born in 1996 and focused on imaginary creatures that humans can capture, train and make fight, boasts a wide range of video games, cartoons, films, and various gadgets, and over time competitive tournaments have been created in which virtual trainers can challenge each other. Last June 15, the twenty-year-old Federico Camporesi from Predappiese won the prestigious North American International Championships in New Orleans, Louisiana, which brought together 6,200 participants from over 50 countries around the world, divided by age. For Federico, who won in the video game category, competing with the Nintendo Switch, the triumph in the Master category, for players aged 17 and up, is only the most recent stage of a long journey.

Federico, how and when was your passion for the Pokémon world born?

“At 6 years old I played my first Pokémon, 'Black and White', and I became passionate like many of my generation. Then at 12 I discovered the existence of tournaments, through the streaming of the World Championships in Anaheim, and I started participating in some local ones in Italy. My first important tournament, the Italian Regional in Turin, didn't go very well, but I liked the environment and I started to make friends”.

This passion has taken you around the world. Where has it been?

“I have played the North American Internationals three times, twice in New Orleans and once in Columbus. I have participated in four World Championships, in London, Yokohama, Honolulu and Washington. I have also played tournaments in Sao Paulo, Melbourne, Liverpool, Birmingham, Dortmund, Cologne, Bochum, Gdansk, Lille, Cannes, Stockholm and Malmo. The final of the 2025 North American Internationals was all Italian”.

Did he already know his opponent, Marco Silva?

“Marco is the first person I made friends with in Pokémon tournaments, eight years ago. We are part of the same collective, 'The Server', so we train and even go on vacation together. It was great to find myself in the finals with him, who is one of the best players ever”.

Do you carry out other activities related to this world?

“Last year I started coaching other players online. I also do live Twitch and have a YouTube channel where I talk about my travels.”

What are your future plans?

“The World Championships will be held again in Anaheim in August, and if I win I will be the first player to win all the titles in a single season. But I will continue to train to improve.”