On Friday, 14th August 2026, Japanese Pokémon TCG collectors will need to have their My Number Card linked to their Player’s Club account to get priority access when the 30th Celebration lottery for stock begins. If you’re looking to get some stock, you have under two weeks to add your government ID.
Announced today by The Pokémon Company Japan via its official website, this isn’t a surprise - I covered the original announcement when it was first published. While it outlined a rough example and timeline of when the new system would begin, we’ve now got official confirmation, and Pokémon TCG collectors don’t have long.
Collectors will need a Player’s Club account, their My Number Card, their four-digit pin and a mobile device with NFC-compatibility running iOS 16 or Android 11 and later. The email address for your Club account and your Pokémon Center Online account need to match in order to verify your identity. You can only use a My Number Card for verification - so no other forms of ID will work.
What’s interesting is that it appears to mainly affect Pokémon 30th Celebration pre-orders, as well as the lottery for the limited Mega Gallade ex SIR distribution and a Storm Emerelda event that rewards it to select players. Currently, there’s no confirmation as to whether it will be in place for the next Pokémon set that launches in Japan.
This isn’t a strict requirement, but it may as well be. Everyone who wants 30th Celebration cards will be added to a lottery and be randomly selected to receive products, with those who have verified their identity getting priority status. This doesn’t affect in-store requirements, as it’s just the Pokémon Center Online store.
However, for collectors like me, this marks a huge change for collecting Japanese Pokémon cards. They are some of my favourite versions to get, and stricter stock enforcement means prices over in the UK and US are likely to increase. If a My Number Card restriction continues past the hype wave, Japanese cards could continue to be pricier than ever before.
That being said, this is a necessary evil, so to speak. The sheer volume of stock being bought up means that harsher requirements are necessary, and it’s something I’d love to see with the Pokémon Center website here in the UK, as well as a similar solution in the US. It would make it harder for bots and scalpers, and it would make it fair for collectors, as products would be limited. Standard retailers wouldn’t be affected, of course, but because Pokémon Center-exclusive products can drive a high price with resale, it would be less frustrating for people like you or me, who may not normally get stock.
Hopefully, this makes things easier for Japanese collectors, and more people can enjoy Pokémon cards from the upcoming 30th Celebration set.
