For the video game series, see Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship

The World Championship is an international, invitational Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game tournament held annually —usually in Japan— between the top-ranked Duelists of various countries. In order to receive an invitation to the World Championship, a player generally must win a National event in their native country (during that year's main tournament season). Thus, the participants are National champions from various countries.

World Championship tournaments use a special banlist, where all cards are set at their lowest allowed status in any region. For example, a card that is on the Semi-Limited list in one region but the Limited list in another will be Limited on the World Championship banlist, and a card that is Forbidden in one region but Unlimited in another will be Forbidden. In addition, any cards that are not legal in any one of the regions are automatically Forbidden on the World Championship list.

Contents show]

Annual Rankings and Leader Boards

2003

Champion - Ng Yu Leung from Hong Kong (Yata-Lock)

2nd Place - Shigeki Kitamura from Japan (Yata-Lock)

3rd Place - Mike Rosenberg from the United States (Yata-Lock)

4th Place - Huai Tao Sun from the United States (Yata-Lock)

2004

Champion - Masatoshi Togawa from Japan (Chaos Control)

2nd Place - Chan Wan Hang from Hong Kong (Chaos Control)

3rd Place - Yoshinobu Suekane from Japan (Chaos Control)

4th Place - Ryan Pugh from the United Kingdom (Chaos Control)

2005

Champion - Markou Miltiadis from Greece (Chaos Restrict)

2nd Place - Jorge Fabian Piña Lizarraga from México (Tomato Control)

3rd Place - David Kretschmer from Germany (Chaos Restrict)

4th Place - Guan Sian Li from Taiwan

2006

Champion - Dario Longo from Italy (Chaos Recruiter)

2nd Place - King Hang, Shum from Hong Kong

3rd Place - Adrian Madaj from Poland

4th Place - Markou Miltiadis from Greece

2007

Champion - Andres Toro from Chile (Trooper Monarch)

2nd Place - Mattia Sarpa from Italy (Trooper Monarch)

3rd Place - Adam Corn from the United States

4th Place - Dexter Dalit from Canada

2008

Champion - Kazuki Mutsuoka from Japan (Gladiator Beast)

2nd Place - Robert Ackerman from the United States (Gladiator Beast)

3rd Place - Takeru Norihama from Japan (Lightsworns)

4th Place - Claudio Kirchmair from Austria (Gladiator Beast)

2009

Champion - Tan Hong Hwee, Benjamin from Singapore (Blackwing) [1]

2nd Place - Chien Yen Jui from (Gladiator Beast)

3rd Place - Roy St.Clair from the United States

4th Place - Hong-Kyu Lee from South Korea (Gladiator Beast)

2010

Champion - Galileo De Obaldia from Panama (Frog FTK) [2]

2nd Place - Vincent Paglia from the United States (Blackwings) [3]

3rd Place - Kei Kuwano from Japan (Heralds)

4th Place - Tae Woo Kim from South Korea (Blackwings)

2011

Champion - Takashi Ogawa from Japan (Agent-Fairy) [4]

2nd Place - Kei Murakoshi (Junk Doppel)

3rd Place - Galileo De Obaldia from Panama (Junk Doppel)

4th Place - Kongjaroen Phanupak from Thailand (Machina Gadget)

2012

Champion - Saito Akikazu from Japan (Inzektor)

2nd Place - Stefano Memoli from Italy (Inzektor)

3rd Place - Joshua Schmidt from Germany (Inzektor)

4th Place - En Wei Wesley Seek from Singapore (Inzektor)

2013

Champion - Shi En Huang from Taiwan (Dragon Ruler)

2nd Place - David Keener III from the United States (Prophecy)

3rd Place - Hiromi Kudou from Japan (Dragon Ruler)

4th Place - Weerapun Suebyoubol from Thailand (Dragon Ruler)

2014

Champion - Sehabi Kheireddine from Canada (Rank 4 Infernity)

2nd Place - Shunsuke Hiyama from Japan (Hand Artifact Traptrix)

3rd Place - Oliver Tomajko from the United States (Rank 4 Infernity)

4th Place - Niccoló Mazzoleni from Italy (Bujin)

2015

Champion - Hiyama Shunsuke from Japan (Tellarknight)

2nd Place - Galileo De Obaldia from Panama (Hand Nekroz)

3rd Place - Hasegawa Akira from Japan (Nekroz)

4th Place - Chase Robert Cunningham from United States (Artifact Tellarknight)

2016

Champion - Hiyama Shunsuke from Japan (Blue-Eyes)

2nd Place - Erik Christensen from the United States (Blue-Eyes)

3rd Place - Kajihara Soichiro from Japan Majespecter

4th Place - Matthew Adam Casiero from Australia Monarch

2017

Champion - Tsujimura Ryosuke from Japan (True King Yang Zing Dinosaur)

2nd Place - Milton Chua Shen Fei from Singapore (True King Yang Zing Dinosaur)

3rd Place - Marcello Barberi from Italy (Demise True Draco)

4th Place - Michael Forner from Italy (Windwitch Invoked)

2018

Champion - Wang Chia Ching from Taiwan (Trickstar)

2nd Place - Bohdan Temnyk from Australia (Altergeist)

3rd Place - Francesco Simoncelli from Italy (Gouki)

4th Place - Jung Seung-Chul from South Korea (Sky Striker)

2019

Champion - Kouki Kosaka from Japan (Salamangreat)

2nd Place - Wang Chia Ching from Taiwan (Salamangreat)

3rd Place - Angel Fernando Ovalle from Panama (Salamangreat)

4th Place - Dakota Angeloff from the United States (Crusadia Thunder Dragon)