Craime wins EWC 2026 Street Fighter; viewership down 40%

Jaime ‘Craime’ Bustos defeated Hibiki in the grand final to claim the Street Fighter 6 title at the Esports World Cup 2026. Organizers reported a notable decline in audience size compared with the 2025 event.

The tournament used a compact 32-player format that required competitors to clear two double-elimination group stages to reach the top eight. The event also ran on a shorter schedule with fewer broadcast hours and a smaller bracket than the previous edition.

Several established players were eliminated early. Two-time champion Zeng ‘xiaohai’ Zhuojun, Victor ‘Punk’ Woodley and 2025 runner-up Blaz exited in the first stage. Saul Leonardo ‘MenaRD’ Mena II lost in the quarterfinals. Hinao finished third, and the top eight included multiple players who had not been favorites going into the event.

Organizers and streamers reported that peak viewership and average viewers each dropped by about 40 percent. Total hours watched were about half of the 2025 total. Several of the largest streams failed to reach their usual audience numbers.

Japanese broadcasts remained the largest single source of viewers but did not match their reach from 2025. The prior tournament included a larger bracket, broader broadcast support in Japan and a grand final between a defending champion and a widely followed player. In 2026, many marquee competitors were out before the late stages, and the final was between two players without established global followings.

Craime advanced through the group stages and the bracket to reach the grand final, where he beat Hibiki to win the title. Tournament coverage provided schedules, match results and player statistics across the broadcast windows.

The Esports World Cup 2026 finished with a new Street Fighter champion and lower total viewing figures compared with the 2025 tournament.