The Street Fighter 6 competition at the Esports World Cup 2024 can be considered one of the three most important tournaments in the competitive season. The first is undoubtedly EVO 2024, the most prestigious tournament series with deep roots in esports history. Another S-tier tournament is Capcom Cup, the Street Fighter World Championship that concludes the season. While the Esports World Cup lacks history and status, it offers a substantial prize pool of one million dollars.

For this reason, the lineup in Riyadh was top-tier. Ironically, the EVO 2024 winner, American player Punk, was the first to exit the tournament, getting eliminated in the first group stage. MenaRD, a two-time Capcom Cup champion, also failed to advance past the first group stage.

Notably, six Japanese players made it to the playoffs, but none could claim the championship. The closest was Kawano, who narrowly won his quarterfinal and semifinal matches against fellow countrymen but couldn't overcome Xiao Hai and his M.Bison.

For the Chinese player, this marks his first major victory in Street Fighter 6. However, calling him a no-name would be a grave mistake. Xiao Hai is considered the best player in the history of The King of Fighters series, and this year, he once again won EVO for the SNK game.

Now, we are witnessing a serious bid for Capcom Cup, as there is little doubt that Xiao Hai will qualify through World Warrior in his home country of China, which has two slots available. The first tournament in this series will take place later this week.

Main image: alphacoders.com

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