Where are the Team Leader Battles in Pokemon Go?

A new player versus player battling system has been introduced to Pokemon Go, and it offers you the ability to battle against your friends and other Pokemon Go players.

But you can also battle against the three team leaders, allowing you to build up badge progress, earn rewards, and get your team some practice when there aren’t any live players around. Our guide below will show you where to find these team leader battles, as well as provide some additional information about them.

If you’ve been wanting to level up some of your Pokemon, then our how to change buddy Pokemon Go guide can show you how to set other Pokemon as your buddies to increase the amount of candy you get for that Pokemon type.

How to Find the Team Leader Battles in Pokemon Go

The steps in this article were performed on an iPhone 7 Plus in iOS 12.1.4. I am using the most current version of the Pokemon Go app available when this article was written.

Step 1: Open the Pokemon Go app, then touch the Nearby panel at the bottom-right of the screen.

open the nearby panel

Step 2: Select the Battle tab.

select the battle tab

Step 3: Select the team leader against which you would like to battle.

choose the team leader for the battle

Step 4: Touch the Train button.

touch the train button

Step 5: Tap the type of battle in which you wish to partake.

choose the type of the battle

Step 6: Tap the Use This Party button to begin the battle, or tap on one of the Pokemon squares if you would like to use different Pokemon. Note that only Pokemon that can be used in the battle type that you chose in step 5 will be shown on the selection screen.

how to battle a team leader in pokemon go

Additional Info

  • You can battle each of the trainers as many times as you would like each day.
  • You will only receive one reward per day for a trainer battle. Note that certain events may change this for a limited time.
  • Trainer battle rewards are the same as player vs. player rewards, and will be randomly chosen from available options like stardust, rare candies, and Sinnoh Stones.
  • You will not need to heal your Pokemon after partaking in a trainer battle.

Curious how much longer you need to wait before your friendship level with another player increases? Learn how to check friendship level progress and see how close you are to being able to battle another player remotely.