McDonald's Pokémon cards 2026: US, Canada, Australia and past dates
As of 25 October 2026. McDonald's USA has not announced a Pokémon Happy Meal for 2026, and neither has The Pokémon Company: the news feed on pokemon.com shows nothing about it up to 23 October, and the outlets that reported the leak in late September — Dexerto, Attractions Magazine and Kotaku — all say it is not official. What is certain is the track record. Pokémon TCG cards have come with US Happy Meals eleven times since June 2011, most recently from January 21, 2025, when every Happy Meal held a four-card pack from a 15-card set. Below: every US start date, how McDonald's announced the last three waves, the history in Canada and Australia, and — kept apart under "Reported, not confirmed" — what is being reported for 2026.
Cover: McDonald's official banner from the previous promotion, Dragon Discovery (2025). There is no 2026 artwork yet; we will replace it as soon as McDonald's publishes one.
Is the Pokémon Happy Meal available right now?
No. Since October 20, 2026, the US Happy Meal has been the Disney Villains Boo Buckets, and our Happy Meal toys right now USA page follows every change. The last US Pokémon Happy Meal started on January 21, 2025; GoNintendo gave its run as January 21 to February 24, 2025, and McDonald's itself said "for a limited time" and "while supplies last".
Every US Pokémon card Happy Meal, 2011–2025
| Year | US dates | What set it apart |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | June 17 – July 7 | first US card set, alongside Pokémon toys |
| 2012 | June 15 – July 5 | North American set |
| 2014 | May 23 – June 12 | Canada and Australia followed from August 28 |
| 2015 | November 27 – December 23 | France had the cards first, from October 14 |
| 2017 | November 7 – December 4 | after Australia (July) and some European countries (September) |
| 2018 | mid-October – November 12 | one of 12 holo cards plus one of 8 toys |
| 2019 | October 15 – November 11 | one card plus a toy per Happy Meal |
| 2021 | from February 9 | 25th anniversary: 25 cards, each in non-holo and holo |
| 2022 | from August 16 | Match Battle: four cards, spinner and coin |
| 2023 | September – October 16 | Match Battle with Paldea Pokémon and a coin |
| 2025 | from January 21 | Dragon Discovery: four of 15 cards, poster, stickers |
Dates follow Bulbapedia's McDonald's Collection pages (read 25 October 2026). The last four waves are also confirmed elsewhere: 2021 by Den of Geek (February 10, 2021), 2022 by GoNintendo (August 15, 2022), 2023 by NBC Chicago (September 18, 2023) and pokemon.com (September 19, 2023, "through October 16"), 2025 by McDonald's own press release. For earlier years: 2011 by McDonald's press release (May 25, 2011), 2015 by PokéWiki, 2018 end date by pokemon.com. For 2023, Bulbapedia puts the start on September 12, while McDonald's announcement came on September 18. Attractions Magazine (September 28, 2026) sums up the same history: the first US Pokémon TCG Happy Meal in 2011, nearly yearly sets through 2019, no cards in 2020.
The gaps are just as telling. 2013 had a French-only card set and 2016 a European one, so neither card set reached the US; the set catalogued as "2024" arrived in US restaurants only in January 2025. Four of the eleven US runs began between October 15 and November 27 (2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019); the rest started anywhere from January to September.
How McDonald's announced the last three waves
None of the last three US Pokémon Happy Meals was officially announced weeks in advance. In 2022 the start became public only a day ahead: GoNintendo reported on August 15 that the Match Battle meal would start "tomorrow", August 16. In 2023 McDonald's announced Match Battle on Monday, September 18 (NBC Chicago), and The Pokémon Company published its own post a day later. In 2025 McDonald's press release is dated January 21 and opens with "Starting today".
What was in the January 2025 Pokémon Happy Meal
McDonald's described it on January 21, 2025: a Pokémon TCG booster pack with four of 15 cards, a Pokémon poster and a sticker sheet, in one of four boxes — Charizard, Pikachu and Dragonite together, Rayquaza, or Roaring Moon. Ordering the Happy Meal in the McDonald's app also gave a one-time code for 24 pack hourglasses and 12 wonder hourglasses in Pokémon TCG Pocket.
The 15 cards were Charizard, Pikachu, Miraidon, Jigglypuff, Hatenna, Dragapult, Quagsire, Koraidon, Umbreon, Hydreigon, Roaring Moon, Dragonite, Eevee, Rayquaza and Drampa; seven of them — Pikachu, Miraidon, Koraidon, Hydreigon, Roaring Moon, Dragonite and Drampa — in McDonald's confetti holofoil (Bulbapedia, ComicBook.com). The numbered list, 001/015 to 015/015, is in our Pokémon Happy Meal 2026 UK article.
Pokémon Happy Meal in Canada
| Wave | Canada | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 set | from August 28, through September | Bulbapedia |
| 2021, 25th anniversary | late April – May 31, 2021 | Bulbapedia (April 26), Daily Hive (April 27) |
| 2024 set, Dragon Discovery | confirmed for Canada in January 2025; no Canadian date published | GoNintendo (January 14, 2025) |
In French-speaking Canada the Happy Meal is the Joyeux Festin, which is why Quebec searches read "joyeux festin pokemon". In 2021 Daily Hive counted 25 cards in the Canadian set, four per pack, available until May 31. For 2026 there is no Canadian date anywhere, official or reported — we have no data for Canada; if you have information, write in the comments.
Pokémon Happy Meal in Australia
| Wave | Australia (Macca's) | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 set | from August 28, through September | Bulbapedia |
| 2017 set | July – August 2017 | Bulbapedia |
| 2021, 25th anniversary | from September 9, 2021 | Bulbapedia, Vooks |
| 2023, Match Battle | from August 24, 2023, nationwide | McDonald's Australia via Verdict Foodservice |
| 2024 set, Dragon Discovery | January–February 2025 | Bulbapedia (January 23), Vooks (January 8, 2025) |
For 2022, Press Start reported that the Match Battle Happy Meal had gone live on McDonald's Australia's website, without naming a start date. Vooks listed Pokémon cards at Macca's in 2021, 2022 and 2023 before the dragon set. For 2026 we have no data for Australia; if you have information, write in the comments.
The UK and the rest of Europe
Europe runs on its own calendar. In the last wave France started first, on December 4, 2024; Germany followed on January 23, 2025, Poland in April and the UK from May 14 to June 17, 2025. The UK side, with the numbered 2025 card list, is in Pokémon Happy Meal 2026 UK.
Reported, not confirmed: November 2026
Unconfirmed reports only, each with its source and date. We will rewrite this section as soon as McDonald's or The Pokémon Company announces or denies the promotion.
- US, November 5 – December 9, 2026. First reported by PokéBeach on September 27, 2026; picked up by Dexerto and Attractions Magazine on September 28. Attractions Magazine adds that PokéBeach calls the details preliminary. Kotaku (September 28) notes the promotion had yet to appear on any official site.
- Format. 15 cards, six in confetti holofoil; a four-card pack with one holo and three non-holo cards in every Happy Meal; and a choice between a Pokémon toy and a Pokémon Essential Handbook (PokéBeach via Dexerto, September 28, 2026). A book option is not new: the 2022 Match Battle Happy Meal also offered either a toy or a book (Bulbapedia).
- Card list. Not revealed. PokéBeach said it did not know which Pokémon will appear (Attractions Magazine, September 28, 2026).
- Canada and Australia. According to PokéBeach, other countries will follow later, with dates varying by country (PokeZentrum via Attractions Magazine, September 28, 2026). No Canadian or Australian dates have been reported.
- France, December 4, 2026 – January 21, 2027, per "internal logistics documents" cited by jeuxvideo.com (October 3, 2026) and a leaker relayed by the Pokekalos account (Journal du Geek, October 6, 2026); McDonald's France has published nothing.
- Some headlines call it official. Vice (September 28, 2026) writes that the cards are "officially returning", but its dates come from PokéBeach.
- The February–March 2026 window reported at the start of the year came and went without cards (Sporked, April 28, 2026).
Not the same as 30th Celebration
Happy Meal cards are McDonald's promos with their own numbering. They are not part of the Pokémon TCG 30th Celebration expansion, released on September 16, 2026; which 30th Celebration product gives the cheapest pack is worked out in our 30th Celebration set guide.
Tracking McDonald's toys on ColleX
There is no official 2026 card list yet, and we do not publish lists built from rumours; a checklist for the cards goes up once McDonald's or The Pokémon Company publishes one. Happy Meal sets that are already out can be marked Have and Want — the Disney Villains Boo Buckets now, SpongeBob x One Piece before them.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Pokémon Happy Meal coming out in 2026?
There is no official release date as of October 25, 2026. Not confirmed: reports citing PokéBeach name November 5 to December 9, 2026 in the US, but neither McDonald's nor The Pokémon Company has announced it.
Is the Pokémon Happy Meal still available?
No. The last US Pokémon Happy Meal started on January 21, 2025 and, according to GoNintendo, ran until February 24, 2025. Since October 20, 2026, the US Happy Meal has been the Disney Villains Boo Buckets.
When was the last Pokémon Happy Meal at McDonald's in the US?
January 2025: Dragon Discovery, from January 21, with a four-card pack from a set of 15, a poster and stickers. Before that, Match Battle ran in September–October 2023.
How many Pokémon cards come in a Happy Meal?
Since 2021, a sealed pack of four cards per Happy Meal, one of them holo. The 2022, 2023 and 2025 sets had 15 cards each, the 2021 set 25. In 2018 and 2019 a US Happy Meal held a single card plus a toy.
Is the Pokémon Happy Meal coming to Canada or Australia in 2026?
No date has been announced or reported for either country as of October 25, 2026. In the past, Canada had the cards from late April 2021, and Australia from September 9, 2021, August 24, 2023 and early 2025.
What Pokémon cards were in the 2025 McDonald's set?
Charizard, Pikachu, Miraidon, Jigglypuff, Hatenna, Dragapult, Quagsire, Koraidon, Umbreon, Hydreigon, Roaring Moon, Dragonite, Eevee, Rayquaza and Drampa — 15 cards, seven of them holo.
Can I trade duplicate McDonald's toys on ColleX?
Your Have and Want marks work in every country. Swapping duplicates works where the ColleX Market is open — as of October 2026, Ukraine, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Poland: set a quantity of 2 or more on what you have, mark what you want, and agree the swap in chat.
Sources: pokemon.com news (checked October 25, 2026); McDonald's press release, January 21, 2025; pokemon.com, September 19, 2023; Bulbapedia, McDonald's Collection 2011–2024 pages (read October 25, 2026); Den of Geek, February 10, 2021; GoNintendo, August 15, 2022 and January 14, 2025; NBC Chicago, September 18, 2023; Daily Hive, May 5, 2021; Verdict Foodservice (McDonald's Australia), August 23, 2023; Press Start, September 20, 2022; Vooks, January 8, 2025; ComicBook.com (September 28, 2026); Dexerto, Attractions Magazine, Kotaku and Vice, September 28, 2026; jeuxvideo.com, October 3, 2026; Journal du Geek, October 6, 2026; Sporked, April 28, 2026; Wikipedia (French), "Happy Meal".