PARIS: Saudi Arabia’s Team Falcons have surged to the top of the Esports World Cup 2026 Club Championship standings after Chilean pro Jaime “Craime” Bustos claimed the Street Fighter 6 title.
The win makes him the youngest player ever to take an EWC championship, at the age of 15 years, two months and 25 days old.
Craime’s win marks Team Falcons’ first tournament victory of EWC 2026 and comes at a pivotal moment for the two-time defending club championship winners. The result underlines Team Falcons’ continued dominance on the global esports stage, as well as Saudi Arabia’s role in competitive gaming.
The rising star has already made an impression on the fighting games world. His competitive debut came in 2024 when he was just 12 years old, but he has now taken the next step and lifted his first major trophy for the Kingdom’s leading club.
Taking on much more experienced rivals, His path to victory at the EWC has been especially impressive at his young age, as he took on his more experienced rivals to etch his name into the history books — and there is still plenty of room for the young champion to grow.
Craime faced off against Hibiki in the grand final, the oldest fighter in the top eight at 30 years old. Hibiki claimed his spot after an epic LCQ run, where he was one of just five Street Fighter 6 players out of 269 to make it through to the main event.
Craime dominated the final 5-2, leaving his opponent barely any space to breathe. Despite losing the first game, he then racked up win after win in the battle between youth and experience, becoming the first to hit five games with just two losses to Hibiki, ending the Japanese veteran’s magical run.
The Team Falcons fighting game prodigy swept through one of the toughest brackets to take his historic win, losing just a single game during the group stages. Out of the gate, Craime took down EVO 2026 winner Saul Leonardo “MenaRD” Mena II in the quarterfinals in an impressive 5-3 win. The Chilean pro then set his sights on EVO Japan 2026 winner Eisuke “Yamaguchi” Yamaguchi, taking him down in the semifinals with equally striking prowess.
Having secured the biggest win of his life so far, Craime said: “I’m very, very happy for my win, and I can’t wait to go back to Chile. This isn’t just me; this is everyone who comes in and helps me. I can’t wait to share this with them.”
Craime follows in the footsteps of fellow Chilean pro Derek “Blaz” Blaz, who came second in last year’s Street Fighter 6 at the EWC tournament, also at the age of 15. When asked if there was something special about Chile and the fighting game scene, Craime said: “You know, in Chile, there’s the power.”
Along with his wins, Craime walks away with $250,000, qualification for Capcom Cup 13, and 1,000 club championship points for Team Falcons — a result that instantly reshapes the race for the title.
The first-place finish put Falcons at the top of the Club Championship standings at the end of Saturday. Long considered the team to beat, the two-time defending champions have delivered the statement win they have been waiting for.
With 8 of the remaining 12 tournaments still to come, Team Falcons are well placed to chase a third consecutive club championship crown — and as they are heavily favored for the Call of Duty: Warzone Resurgence Series Championship tomorrow, that lead could grow even further before the weekend is over.
Earlier, EVO Japan 2026 winner Yamaguchi took on 15-year-old Hinao in the fight for third place. Hinao made his competitive debut just last year and was only promoted to REJECT’s main roster back in May 2026. Using Sagat, Hinao triumphed over Yamaguchi’s Mai in the best-of-nine, locking in a third-place finish and $70,000 in winnings for his Esports World Cup tournament. While not a grand final finish, Hinao’s future is looking bright.
As some of the tournament’s youngest competitors, both Hinao and Craime are undoubtedly on track to become Street Fighter legends and lead an exciting new generation of fighters.
