The National 2025 in Chicago was nothing short of legendary. Bo Jackson Battle Arena took center stage with an electrifying booth packed all weekend long. Players, collectors, and fans from around the country stopped by to compete, break boxes, and celebrate the launch of our most exciting products yet.

From the inaugural BoBA World Championships to the explosive debut of Big League Chew, this was the moment BoBA made its mark as a collectible card game and live event spectacle.

The Silver and Headline Battlefoils were on full display in their inventive format. With Steel weapons only in play here, the test of strategy was on full display as Playmakers battled to climb the power ladder. Matthew Cantrell took the crown with a masterclass in deck-building and play combinations.

SPEC Playmaker delivered some of the tightest matchups of the weekend, with players maxing out at the 160 SPEC power cap. This is the same structure used across all regional qualifiers, so “Spec Decks” have become a must-have for competitive players within the community. Seatown emerged as the winner in a stacked field, navigating each battle with precision and strategy.

The retro vibes were in full force as players competed in the 80’s Blizzard Bowl using only Blizzard, 80’s Rad, and Grandma’s Linoleum Battlefoil cards. KnoxvilleChris walked away with the title!

Elite Playmaker was nothing short of intense with battles coming down to the wire. Mrs. Knoxville notched the win, giving the family two wins this weekend!

Team-based strategy took center stage in Apex Madness. Each Top-8 team entered the Battle Arena with electric walkouts, customized team songs, and even some of Bo’s friends who are featured as Heroes in BoBA!

Top 8 prizes included exclusive Apex Madness Alt Art BoJax cards and Top 8 playmats along with cash prizes for each Top 8 team!

This bracket brought energy, emotion, and FAST gameplay showing the true madness that Rookie Mode can bring.

We saw great decks, 4-0 wins, and epic comebacks… but in the end Shoot Strayt took home the title in front of a roaring crowd, winning the top cash prize!

In the solo headline event, Bastaton emerged victorious after a weekend-long climb through stacked opponents who battled with some of the most powerful cards in the game.

In a touching moment during the prize ceremony, Bastaton gifted his Apex Madness prize card to Seatown, his good friend who he defeated in the Apex Playmaker Finals.

The Big League Chew BoBA boxes were the talk of the convention. From the gum-style wrapper to the BoJax N’25 Auto /99 ticket cards for 2026 Apex events, this limited edition release was a hot commodity!

We saw lots of collectors punch their ticket to next year’s Apex Events. If you don’t have one and you’re interested in playing… the hunt is now on!

Alt-art, manga-style rookie cards were a smash hit. Fans couldn’t get enough of their favorite rookies receiving power ups!

C.C., Skeee, Merri-Go-Round, Jaybird, Phoenix, Victory, Caliber, Shrouded, Tombstone, Marverati, Halo, & Exterminaber make up the lineup of Heroes that are featured on the Rookie Power Up Promo Cards.

From Flavor Flav to Emilio Estevez, the Sidekick Promos brought personality and nostalgia. Parallels like Mixtape, 80s Rad, and Grandma’s Linoleum paired well with the five core weapon types (Steel, Fire, Ice, Glow, Hex). Collectors also loved seeing the Sidekick pups, Billy and CJ Maddux, make their appearance on these fan-favorite parallels for the very first time!

 When Flavor Flav pulled up to the BoBA booth, the hype was real. He met fans, revealed his first Promo cards, signed cards for the upcoming 2026 set, and even gave a sneak peak of the first-ever Flavor Flav Superfoil Auto (1/1) for 2026.

In a now-legendary move, Bo traded an autographed sealed case of Alpha Edition Collector Booster Boxes to the Sports Card Investor himself for a PSA 10 Auto 10 1986 Topps Traded Rookie Card.

Bo gifted the card to Flav to show love to one of his favorite icons from his era!

 Watch the full moment on Geoff Wilson’s YouTube!

Bo’s sit-down with Joe Hollywood on Whatnot was one of the top streams of the entire convention. From live pulls to industry insight, this stream was unforgettable.

Watch the Top 5 moments from their stream here!

 With the momentum from The National, we’re rolling right into 2026 Edition preorders led by none other than Ken Griffey Jr. as “The Kid.”

And coming right after? Tecmo Bowl Edition featuring football legends in an all-new trading card game style.

Buying 2026 Edition GUARANTEES you access to Tecmo Bowl Edition at MSRP!

Sign up below to receive a presale code.

 To everyone who competed, ripped packs, or stopped by the booth, we want to say thank you. The BoBA community continues to grow, and it’s your energy that fuels the game.

Don’t forget to tag us and share your stories, pulls, and moments using #LetsBo.