17 August 2026
Excel London has further strengthened its position as the UK’s leading Trading Card Game destination after reporting its market share has tripled in the past few years alone.
Major global tournaments and events including the renowned Pokémon European International Championships (EUIC), FAB World Premiere, Grand Archive, MTG spotlight and the London Card Show are now all regulars at the Royal Docks venue and continuing to expand in line with sector growth.
Trading Card Games, or TCG for short, are gatherings where players and collectors meet to play, buy and sell trade cards from popular games. In recent years, the sector has experienced an explosive resurgence from a niche hobby to a multi-billion industry - driven by pandemic-era nostalgia, a strong and loyal community and engaging new franchises. The sector was recently valued at £6.3 billion (2025) with analysts predicted this figure will rise to £12.8 billion by 2035.
Ian Senior, Head of Consumer Exhibitions at Excel London, commented: “We first hosted the Pokémon EUIC in 2023 and in just three years it’s grown 150% and now occupies more than half of Excel’s 125,000sqm total capacity. The ever-popular Pokémon Center has grown by some 200%, whilst this year’s event attracted record attendance and more than 1,400 players from the likes of Japan, America and across Europe.
“The size of Excel’s TCG market alone has increased a staggering 330% since 2023 and, if you add in similar events such as MCM Comic Con, then that growth figure reaches nearly 600%.”
Alongside fan-favourite Pokémon, Excel also hosted the first major UK premiere of Grand Archive, the largest attended World Premiere of FAB and the debut of MTG Spotlight. Earlier this year, Excel also hosted the London Card Show for the first time, attracting a record 24,000 visitors from 70 different countries and boasting rare cards on sale such as the first-ever 2019 Gold Kaboom of Tom Brady.
Senior added: “What we’re seeing is explosive growth in the TCG market complemented by London’s global appeal as a meeting destination. This is only the beginning too, with many more major events coming to Excel over the coming years, attracted by Excel’s world-class facilities, transport connectivity and ability to scale with their own growth.”
Today’s announcement also comes at a pivotal time for Excel with 2026 seeing a record year for new business, in addition to hosting an unprecedented 10 major international associations. The venue is also embarking on a further multi-million-pound investment programme, following the completion of its 25,000sqm expansion, as part of its mission to become the best event destination in the world.
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