McDonald's is bringing Pokémon cards back

Trading cards are coming back to the Happy Meal. In the United States, McDonald's and The Pokémon Company are running a joint promotion from 5 November to 9 December 2026 for the trading card game's 30th birthday.

What is in every Happy Meal

  • one booster with four cards: one holo card and three non-holo cards
  • 15 cards in the promotion in total
  • six of them holos, printed on a confetti holofoil
  • plus a choice between a Pokémon toy and the “Pokémon Essential Handbook”

Whether the toy turns out to be a card stand is not confirmed yet.

Happy Meal box, card pack and a Charizard card from the McDonald's Pokémon collaboration
Image from the reporting on the McDonald's collaboration: Happy Meal box, card pack and a Charizard card.

Which cards are in it?

The card list has not been published yet. Every previous McDonald's promotion used reprints of cards that had already been released. The confetti holofoil is the detail that will make these six holos instantly recognisable later on.

Is the promotion coming to Germany?

The promotion is set to run in further countries as well, but the dates there can differ. A German start date has not been confirmed. The US window is therefore the earliest date anyone can plan around.

What this means for collectors

A Happy Meal promotion has a fixed end date. Anyone who wants all 15 cards is better off collecting during the run rather than afterwards.

The timing is no accident either: it falls right into the Christmas season and starts one day before Mega Evolution Delta Reign releases on 6 November 2026. For the market that means a lot of cheap supply at exactly the moment the new main series launches.

What happens next

As soon as a German date or the card list is confirmed, it will be here. If you do not want to miss it, sign up for the waiting list through the contact form.

Source: PokéBeach, 27 September 2026.

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