Short answer: Weekly Challenges group up to 4 trainers (level 13+), and since 19 January 2026 you can opt into matchmaking with strangers — finishing the challenge together adds them as friends automatically, no trainer code needed. Completing one pays up to 7 bonus friendship points and one extra Lucky Friends chance with each groupmate.
Weekly Challenges are a group research task that resets every week - and since January 2026, they double as a friend-making tool if you opt into matchmaking. Here's how the whole system works.
The basics
- A Weekly Challenge group holds up to 4 Trainers.
- You need to be Trainer Level 13 or higher to participate.
- Everyone in the group works toward the same shared research task; finishing it together pays out to the whole group.
- Groups can be friends you invite yourself, or - since January 19, 2026 - Trainers you've never met, via an opt-in matchmaking option that auto-joins you to an existing group.
The friendship payout
Finishing a Weekly Challenge with someone pays a bonus on top of your normal daily interaction:
- Up to 7 bonus friendship points with each groupmate when the challenge completes.
- 1 chance to become Lucky Friends with each groupmate.
Since this stacks with the regular 1-point daily cap, the day your group finishes a challenge you can pick up up to 8 friendship points and 2 Lucky Friend chances with the same person - see the full point table in our friendship levels & XP guide.
The part that matters for a friend-code site: matchmaking auto-adds friends
If you opt into matchmaking and get grouped with Trainers who aren't already on your friends list, finishing the challenge together automatically adds them as a friend and applies the friendship-point bonus above to that new friendship. You don't send or accept a separate friend request - completing the challenge does it for you.
That makes Weekly Challenge matchmaking a genuine, built-in alternative to trading trainer codes if all you want is a handful of extra friends for the weekly bonus. It's not a full replacement, though:
- You don't choose who you're matched with - no picking a country for Vivillon patterns or regional trades.
- It only grants the group's bonus points, not a relationship you can rely on for daily gifting, trading, or raiding.
For friends you actually want to keep interacting with - or need from a specific country - a fresh trainer code or a browse through codes by country still gets you there faster than waiting on a random match.
FAQ
Do I have to use matchmaking, or can I still invite my own friends? Both options exist - matchmaking is opt-in and sits alongside inviting people already on your friends list.
Does matchmaking work if I'm below Level 13? No - Weekly Challenges as a whole require Trainer Level 13.
Can a Weekly Challenge group have more than 4 people? No, the group itself caps at 4 Trainers, though invite flows around it have changed over time - check in-app for the current limit before assuming an older guide (including this one) is exact.
Does the Lucky Friend chance guarantee Lucky Friends? No - it's a chance, not a guarantee, the same way regular daily interactions give you a chance rather than a set outcome.