Esports World Cup 2026: 15-year-old Street Fighter 6 sensation Craime becomes the youngest champion in tournament history

Week 4 of the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 is done, and the halfway point of the overall competition is officially crossed. Saturday saw a regional first winner in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB), while Street Fighter 6 (SF6) saw a teenager claim the trophy. Sunday saw two more titles handed out, as Call of Duty (COD): Warzone saw a team be rewarded for sticking together, while in Overwatch, a back-and-forth affair between two top sides resulted in one player claiming a second EWC title.

The highlight of the week came in SF6, which delivered an unbelievable ending as Team Falcons’ Jaime “Craime” Bustos claimed the title at just 15 years, two months, and 25 days old. The young rising star has already made an impression on the fighting games world since his competitive debut in 2024. However he has now taken the next step with this victory by becoming the youngest-ever EWC title winner, and a real surprise of the tournament. The Chilean youngster was dominant in the final, claiming a 5-2 win against Japanese player Hibiki. Craime lost the first round but recovered well to take the series.

Along with becoming the youngest SF6 at EWC 2026 champion, and the youngest EWC winner to date, Craime walks away with $250,000 (~INR 2.3 crore), qualification for Capcom Cup 13, and 1,000 Club Championship points for Team Falcons.

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.”

In the MLBB Mid Season Cup, Team Spirit from the EECA region overcame a difficult path to the Grand Final to make history. The team took down Yangon Galacticos to make history for the region, in a game that is normally dominated by sides from Southeast Asia.

The Grand Final was a thrilling 4-3 affair; Team Spirit took an early 3-1 lead, with victory just one game away. However, Yangon Galacticos fought back in Games 5 and 6 to tie up the series. Thankfully for Team Spirit, they would find form again just as they needed to win the series 4-3. The win marks the first time an EECA team has won the Mid Season Cup, and should be a major boost to the competitive ecosystem in the region.

For their triumph, Team Spirit landed a $1,000,000 (~ INR 9.5 crore) share of the prize pool, and 1,000 Club Championship points while the team’s Mathaios “Kid Bomba” Chatzilakos was awarded the Sony Finals MVP award for his performance throughout the tournament.

“I don’t think I did more than them, if anything, they did more than me, so I’m so grateful for this award. I don’t know how I can win it after I play 0/7 on Phoveus, but thank you,” said Kid Bomba after being given the award.

The OWCS: Midseason Championship was claimed by ZETA DIVISION, and also marks the second time that Kim “Proper” Dong-hyun has claimed a EWC trophy, after lifting last year’s Overwatch crown with Team Falcons. The victory at OWCS: Midseason Championship also marks a first major trophy for ZETA DIVISION in the process.

The Grand Final itself was a tense one as Twisted Minds put ZETA DIVISION to the test. Both sides won their respective map picks, with Game 6 being the true decider. Twisted Minds had selected Eichenwalde, but this was when ZETA DIVISION broke the deadlock to secure a map flip. That was enough to win the series 4-2 and claim the title.

ZETA DIVISION walked away with a $400,000 (~INR 3.8 crore) share of the prize pool, and 1,000 Club Championship Points. The team’s Kim “shu” Jin-seo was named as the SONY MVP for his incredible performance throughout the tournament, and he walked away with an extra $25,000 (~INR 23.8 lakh) for his accolade.

After receiving his MVP award, shu said,“Honestly, I just want to thank our CEO, our manager PangTong for believing in me, and [coach] Crusty for supporting our team. It’s thanks to all of them that I could stand here now.”

The COD: Warzone Resurgence Series Championship showcased a thrilling final day of action, with multiple teams pushing to secure the final victory. G2 Esports were able to claim the crucial win, though it was a nervous end, with five sides in total on match point heading into Game 11. G2 would secure the victory, with both themselves and T1 being in with a shot of lifting the trophy as the final circles started to form.

The win is vindication for the G2 Esports roster, who played at EWC 2025 under a different name and placed 17th, missing out on the final. The trio of Anthony “Anziety” Moran, Ashton “Bigman” Ezard, and Aarondeep “Cythe” Dhami avoided the usual roster swap culture seen in Warzone, instead sticking together to secure the Call of Duty: Warzone Resurgence Series Championship at EWC 2026.

Following the win, G2 Esports took home the top prize of $250,000 (~INR 2.3 crore) and 1,000 Club Championship points. Anthony “Anziety” Moran was crowned the SONY MVP for the tournament, scooping an extra $25,000 (~INR 23.8 lakh) and the coveted MVP award.

“I’ve got no words right now, none,” said Anziety after winning. “I’m just shocked that we won that game. There are just no words. It feels amazing. I lost my voice screaming. This is amazing.”

Week four also saw the Honor of Kings Play-in Stage conclude, with the top two sides from each group securing a spot in the Group Stage. Following that; AG.AL, ROC Esports, Kuaishou Gaming, and Geekay Esports all secured spots in the Playoffs by topping their group. Week 5 will see the Lower Brackets decide the final four sides. Playoffs start on August 5, with the Grand Final set to take place on August 8.

In the Club Championship race, Team Falcons started the week by jumping to first place thanks to their win in Street Fighter 6. The side would secure another 300 points in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, but shockingly fail to get points finishes in Call of Duty: Warzone and Overwatch, two titles the Club has won before. They have a lead of just 150 points and eight other teams are within just one championship victory of them, making this one of the closest races yet.

Elsewhere, 6th-place T1 secured 750 points in Call of Duty: Warzone, and 500 points in Overwatch. However, they only have Fortnite left to compete in. The last big mover in Week 4 was Twisted Minds, who secured 300 points in Call of Duty: Warzone and 750 points in Overwatch. With five titles still to go, they are a club to watch.