McDonald's Pokémon Happy Meals 2026: Dates, Toys and Cards
McDonald's says Pokémon Happy Meals reach the US on November 10, 2026, with Australia, Canada and others also in November. Here are the toys, the cards, the dates by country and what is only reported.
- McDonald's says Pokémon Happy Meals launch in the US on Tuesday, November 10, 2026; Australia, Canada, New Zealand, France, Spain and Fiji are also listed for November.
- Each meal has one of 15 mini Happy Meal box toys and two Pokémon TCG cards from a 15-card set with seven foils; Quebec gets a sticker and four-card pack instead.
- Australia's November 5 and Canada's November 3 starts, and all end dates, come from store checks, not announcements; no price or purchase limit has been published.
McDonald's Pokémon Happy Meals launch in the United States on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, McDonald's announced on X on October 29. Each meal comes with one of 15 miniature Happy Meal box toys styled after a Pokémon, plus two Pokémon Trading Card Game cards, according to The Pokémon Company's announcement. Australia, Canada, New Zealand, France, Spain and Fiji are also in the November wave, but McDonald's has not yet published their exact start dates.
This guide separates what is official from what is only reported, as of October 31, 2026. The promotion is tied to Pokémon's 30th anniversary, TODAY reported.
When do McDonald's Pokémon Happy Meals start?
The only exact date McDonald's has confirmed is the US launch. Its post reads: "3 boxes. 15 toys. 2 cards with every collectible. Pokémon Happy Meal coming 11.10.26." Guillaume Huin, a senior marketing director at McDonald's, wrote on X that the meal "Launches 11/10 in the US, with many other markets to follow."
The Pokémon Company lists countries by month only. The specific days for other November markets come from PokéBeach, a Pokémon card news site that says it checked them with multiple stores. Treat them as reported, not announced:
- Canada: Tuesday, November 3 to Monday, December 7 (reported)
- Australia: Thursday, November 5 to Wednesday, December 9 (reported)
- United States: Tuesday, November 10 (official) to Monday, December 14 (end date reported)
Vice and TheGamer give the same dates, both crediting PokéBeach. In Canada, Daily Hive noted on October 30 that an official date had not been announced. As of October 31, McDonald's Australia's Toy Zone page still shows the Disney Villains Boo Buckets, and McDonald's Canada's menu spotter has no Pokémon entry yet.
In the US, McDonald's Menu Spotter shows the Boo Buckets Happy Meal began on October 20, and Rolling Out reports it runs until the Pokémon launch. The Pokémon meal arrives a week after McDonald's US holiday drinks land on November 3; see our McDonald's holiday menu 2026 guide for those.
What's in the Pokémon Happy Meal
According to The Pokémon Company, each meal comes in one of three boxes themed after Pikachu, Umbreon or Torchic. Huin added that the boxes come in two or three designs depending on the market, so not every country may get all three.
Inside is a plastic toy shaped like a tiny Happy Meal box. The official gallery shows all 15:
- Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Weedle and Pikachu
- Eevee, Umbreon, Torchic, Piplup and Munchlax
- Minccino, Espurr, Rowlet, Sobble and Sprigatito
Huin says the mini boxes can be clipped onto keys or bags as charms, and PokéBeach reports each has an extendable keyring. Some early coverage named Fuecoco and Quaxly as toys; neither appears in the official gallery.
Each meal also includes two Pokémon TCG cards from a set of 15, seven of them foil. PokéBeach says the toy and the two random cards come together in a small cardboard box. Dexerto reports that a QR code on the meal box opens a digital game in which players hunt for the 15 toys in a virtual classroom and playground.
There are regional exceptions. Pokémon says Quebec, Canada, will not get the toys; fans there receive a Pokémon sticker and a four-card booster pack instead. PokéBeach reports that Norway will also get four-card packs in place of the toy, which the official page does not mention.
Which Pokémon cards are in the 2026 set?
Pokémon's post shows 15 card images labelled M26 but does not name the cards in its text. Vice, TheGamer and Rolling Out all list the same 15: Decidueye, Chandelure, Palafin, Pikachu, Mimikyu, Lucario, Hawlucha, Tyranitar, Absol, Zoroark, Metagross, Jirachi, Eevee, Snorlax and Wooloo. Vice names the seven foils as Chandelure, Palafin, Pikachu, Mimikyu, Lucario, Tyranitar and Jirachi.
As in past years, the cards are reprints of older cards with McDonald's set numbering, according to PokéBeach. Rolling Out reports that they will not carry the 30th anniversary logo.
Be careful with other card lists online. PokéBeach says the first version of Pokémon's October 29 announcement showed the wrong cards, which many sites copied. Rolling Out reports those cards were coded M27, which points to a future McDonald's set. Huin himself wrote that the "Toys and cards already leaked (of course)".
Which countries get it, and when
As of October 31, The Pokémon Company's page lists 66 markets by month:
- November 2026 (7): Australia, Canada, Fiji, France, New Zealand, Spain and the United States
- December 2026 (36): including Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and South Africa
- January 2027 (21): including Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Italy and Israel
- February 2027 (2): Ireland and the United Kingdom
Copies of the October 29 version, such as GoNintendo's, listed 75 markets. That version included Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Brunei and Pakistan in December, and the Philippines and Thailand in January. Those nine no longer appear on the official page, and we found no explanation, so readers there should check their local McDonald's channels.
Price, limits and "while supplies last"
Neither company has published a price, so we have not listed one. Pokémon says the meals are available "for a limited time while supplies last at participating McDonald's". Because of that wording, individual restaurants may run out before any end date.
No per-customer purchase limit had been announced for 2026 as of October 31. For its current promotion, McDonald's Australia's toy page tells customers to "Ask us which toy is available this week" and allows one toy or book per Happy Meal. Families in Australia may want to ask in store once the Pokémon meal arrives.
Collector demand: why people expect queues
Demand is expected to be high. When PokéBeach first reported the promotion in September, Kotaku warned that scalpers buying meals in bulk cause long waits and make packs hard for children to find, and argued that the packs never gain value anyway.
The worry comes from Japan. In August 2025, McDonald's Japan ended a Pokémon card promotion early after some customers bought meals in bulk for the cards and left the food behind, Notebookcheck reported. A planned limit of five meals per person was ignored at many branches, and McDonald's Japan apologised, saying demand had far exceeded expectations.
Interest in this year's version is already visible. As of the afternoon of October 31 (IST), McDonald's US announcement on X showed about 4.5 million views and more than 39,000 likes.
The format is also new. In early 2025, each US Pokémon Happy Meal came with a four-card booster and a sticker activity sheet through late February, Pokémon said at the time. PokéBeach says 2026 brings the first plastic Pokémon toys in Happy Meals since 2018.
Our take
This promotion is built for collecting: 15 toys and 15 cards, with two random cards per meal. Even with no duplicates, a full card set would need at least eight meals, and random contents make duplicates likely.
For families, the main change is that children get a physical toy again, not just a pack. Outside the US, the safest guide is the month on Pokémon's official list. Specific days stay "reported" until McDonald's in each country confirms them.
What to watch for
- November 3 and 5: whether Canada and Australia start on PokéBeach's reported dates, and whether McDonald's confirms them locally.
- November 10: the US launch, and whether McDonald's adds the meal and an end date to its Menu Spotter.
- Any time: purchase limits or sell-out notices from McDonald's in any market.
- December to February: local launch dates as the promotion reaches the remaining markets, ending with Ireland and the UK.
Frequently asked questions
When do Pokémon Happy Meals come out in Australia?
The Pokémon Company lists Australia among the November 2026 markets. PokéBeach reports, from store checks, that Macca's runs it from Thursday, November 5 to Wednesday, December 9, 2026, but McDonald's Australia had not announced a date as of October 31. Check the Macca's app or ask in store.
What comes in the McDonald's Pokémon Happy Meal?
Each meal comes in a Pikachu, Umbreon or Torchic box and includes one of 15 mini Happy Meal box toys plus two Pokémon TCG cards from a 15-card set with seven foils. In Quebec, Canada, the toy is replaced by a Pokémon sticker and a four-card booster pack.
How much is the Pokémon Happy Meal, and is there a limit?
McDonald's and The Pokémon Company have not published a price or a per-customer purchase limit as of October 31, 2026. The meals are available for a limited time while supplies last at participating restaurants.
When is the Pokémon Happy Meal coming to the UK?
The Pokémon Company lists Ireland and the United Kingdom for February 2027, the last month on its schedule. No exact UK date has been announced.
Which Pokémon cards are in the 2026 McDonald's set?
Vice, TheGamer and Rolling Out list Decidueye, Chandelure, Palafin, Pikachu, Mimikyu, Lucario, Hawlucha, Tyranitar, Absol, Zoroark, Metagross, Jirachi, Eevee, Snorlax and Wooloo. Pokémon's page shows the card images but does not name them, and an earlier list that circulated was reportedly for a future set.
Sources
- Pokémon Happy Meals Are Coming to McDonald's in an Exciting New Way, The Pokémon Company International
- McDonald's on X: Pokémon Happy Meal coming 11.10.26, McDonald's (X)
- Guillaume Huin on X: Everything about the new Pokémon Happy Meal, Guillaume Huin, McDonald's (X)
- McDonald's USA Menu Spotter, McDonald's Corporation
- Toy Zone, McDonald's Australia
- McDonald's New Menu Item Spotter, McDonald's Canada
- McDonald's & Pokémon Happy Meals Collaboration (2025), The Pokémon Company International
- McDonald's Pokemon TCG Promotion Starts November 10th, Features Mini Happy Meal Box Toys and 15 Cards!, PokéBeach
- Pokémon Happy Meals Are Coming Back to McDonald's In a Fun New Way, TODAY
- McDonald's is teaming up with Pokémon on a new Happy Meal in Canada next month, Daily Hive
- McDonald's Pokémon Cards 2026 Set List: All Cards and Happy Meal Release Dates, Vice
- McDonald's Pokémon Happy Meal launches Nov. 10, Rolling Out
- Pokemon x McDonald's November 2026 Promo: Every Card Revealed, TheGamer
- Pokémon Happy Meals Are Returning To McDonald's, So Prepare To Wait In Line, Kotaku
- Massiver Ansturm und Polizei-Einsätze: Pokémon Happy Meal führt zu Chaos bei McDonald's, Notebookcheck
- McDonald's announces Pokemon Happy Meal return with 15 toys and trading cards, Dexerto
- Pokémon Co. Reveals Full Details on McDonald's Collab, GoNintendo
How we wrote this
GessyMorgan explainers are built from public reporting and official sources. This post draws on the 17 sources listed above, each linked where we use it. It was drafted with AI assistance and checked against those sources before publishing. We did not test products, attend events or interview anyone for this article. Facts are current as of October 31, 2026, and we update the post when they change.
