The Pokémon Company International appears to have accidentally revealed a future McDonald’s Pokemon TCG card collection while announcing details of the 2026 Happy Meal promotion. The images, published October 29, show 15 Pokemon cards carrying an M27 set designation, suggesting they belong to a 2027 release rather than the promotion launching in the United States next month.
The apparent early reveal includes familiar Pokemon such as Pikachu, Eevee, Gengar, Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle. Most of the cards feature artwork previously used in other Pokemon TCG releases, but one stands out: a Squirtle card that has not yet appeared in Japan.
PokéBeach first identified the discrepancy after comparing the promotional images with cards already confirmed for the 2026 McDonald’s collection. While the images appear to show a separate 2027 lineup, The Pokémon Company has not formally announced another McDonald’s card set for next year.
How the 2027 McDonald’s Cards Were Revealed
The discovery came during the official announcement of the 2026 Pokemon Happy Meal promotion, which begins November 10 in the United States.
The Pokémon Company published promotional images featuring 15 Pokemon cards, but collectors quickly noticed something unusual about their numbering. Rather than carrying the M26 designation associated with the upcoming collection, the cards displayed M27.
That distinction is important because McDonald’s Pokemon cards typically receive their own set numbering, separate from the expansions where their artwork originally appeared.
The cards shown in the images also differ from the confirmed 2026 checklist. This suggests the images may have been prepared for a future promotion and mistakenly included in the current announcement.
There is another possible source of confusion. Several Pokemon appearing on the apparent 2027 cards are also featured as miniature Happy Meal box toys in the 2026 promotion.
For example, Bulbasaur, Rowlet, Torchic, and Squirtle appear among the toy designs. Those characters are absent from the confirmed 2026 card checklist but appear in the M27 images.
The overlap could explain how the wrong promotional material ended up accompanying the announcement.
For now, the images provide a strong indication of a future collection, but they do not establish when or where those cards will be distributed.
All 15 Pokemon Cards Shown in the M27 Collection
The apparent 2027 lineup includes Pokemon from several generations, with a particularly strong emphasis on familiar starter Pokemon and longtime collector favorites.
| Card number | Pokemon |
|---|---|
| 1 | Bulbasaur |
| 2 | Rowlet |
| 3 | Sprigatito |
| 4 | Charmander |
| 5 | Torchic |
| 6 | Squirtle |
| 7 | Piplup |
| 8 | Pikachu |
| 9 | Raichu |
| 10 | Clefairy |
| 11 | Slowpoke |
| 12 | Marill |
| 13 | Gengar |
| 14 | Eevee |
| 15 | Snorlax |
The collection features several Pokemon that have remained popular throughout the trading card game’s history.
Pikachu and Eevee are regular attractions in promotional products, while Gengar and Snorlax have strong collector followings. The inclusion of starters such as Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle also gives the lineup a nostalgic connection to Pokemon’s earliest games.
However, the artwork itself is an important consideration. Most of the cards appear to reuse illustrations from earlier releases rather than introducing entirely new designs.
That means collectors should not assume the entire collection will contain exclusive artwork simply because the cards have different numbering.
McDonald’s promotional cards can still attract interest because of their distribution, set symbols, and potential holographic treatments, but those details have not been established for the apparent 2027 release.
The Unreleased Squirtle Card Is the Biggest Surprise
Of all the cards shown, Squirtle is arguably the most interesting.
According to PokéBeach, the artwork displayed on the M27 Squirtle card has not yet appeared in a Japanese Pokemon TCG release.
That makes it different from the other cards, which use previously released artwork.
Historically, McDonald’s Pokemon promotions have generally featured reprints of existing cards. Finding artwork that has not yet appeared in Japan suggests that the Squirtle card may be connected to an upcoming expansion or another product that has not been revealed.
There is speculation that it could be associated with a future Mega Blastoise ex release, although no official announcement establishes that connection.
The Squirtle image alone is not enough to confirm Mega Blastoise ex, a new expansion, or any specific release schedule.
It does, however, provide collectors with an early look at artwork that may appear in a future Pokemon TCG product.
That makes the accidental reveal more significant than simply discovering another promotional checklist.
How This Differs From the 2026 McDonald’s Pokemon Set
The confirmed 2026 McDonald’s promotion is scheduled to begin November 10 in the United States and run through December 14.
Each participating Happy Meal will include a miniature plastic Happy Meal box toy featuring a Pokemon design, along with two random Pokemon cards from a 15-card collection.
The 2026 card checklist includes Decidueye, Chandelure, Palafin, Pikachu, Mimikyu, Lucario, Hawlucha, Tyranitar, Absol, Zoroark, Metagross, Jirachi, Eevee, Snorlax, and Wooloo.
Although a few Pokemon appear in both lineups, the two collections are otherwise substantially different.
The 2026 cards are already tied to a confirmed promotion with announced distribution dates. The M27 images, by contrast, have not been accompanied by a separate release announcement.
Collectors should also avoid confusing the apparent 2027 cards with the 2026 Happy Meal toys. The toys and cards feature different Pokemon, even though they are distributed together.
The number of holographic cards in the 2026 collection has not yet been confirmed. There is likewise no confirmed holographic checklist for the apparent M27 cards.
Will the 2027 McDonald’s Cards Actually Be Released?
The M27 numbering strongly suggests that the images were prepared for a 2027 promotional collection, but several important questions remain unanswered.
The Pokémon Company has not confirmed a separate 2027 McDonald’s release date, participating countries, packaging details, or distribution method for these specific cards.
There is also no confirmation that the final collection will match the images exactly.
Promotional plans can change before release, and artwork shown in preliminary materials does not necessarily guarantee that a product will reach stores in its original form.
Another possibility is that the M27 cards are intended for a later international phase of the broader McDonald’s promotion. The current Happy Meal campaign is scheduled to reach different countries between November 2026 and February 2027.
Until The Pokémon Company clarifies the numbering, collectors should treat the images as an apparent early reveal rather than a fully confirmed standalone 2027 set.
What Collectors Should Watch Next
The most important development to watch is whether The Pokémon Company corrects the promotional images or provides an explanation for the M27 designation.
A correction would help establish whether the images were uploaded by mistake. An official product announcement would be needed to confirm the collection’s release plans.
The unreleased Squirtle artwork is another detail worth following. If the card appears in an upcoming Japanese expansion, collectors may be able to identify its original release before any McDonald’s version becomes available.
For now, the discovery gives Pokemon TCG collectors an unexpected look at what could be coming next year.
The 2026 McDonald’s promotion has not even started in the United States, yet images apparently intended for a future collection are already circulating.
Whether the M27 cards arrive as a separate 2027 promotion or through another distribution plan remains uncertain. What is clear is that the numbering and previously unseen Squirtle artwork have revealed more than The Pokémon Company likely intended.