Six Japanese Fighters Set for Esports Nations Cup 2026
The Esports Foundation (EF) announced on August 4, 2026, the six Japanese representatives for the fighting game category at the Esports Nations Cup 2026 (ENC), a country-versus-country tournament set to debut in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The roster includes GO1 and Nemo from Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, and Sahara, Fuudo, Higuchi, and Hikaru from Street Fighter 6. GO1 earned a direct invitation through the SNK World Championship 2026 ranking system, having won the Esports World Cup 2025, EVO 2025, and Combo Breaker 2026, and leads the domestic ranking by over 8,000 points. Nemo secured his slot by winning the East Asia online regional qualifier. Sahara, the 21-year-old Capcom Cup 12 champion, brings experience from Fortnite and VALORANT. Higuchi has competed in the Esports World Cup twice, while Fuudo has been active for about 15 years. Hikaru won the second World Warrior Japan tournament and was runner-up in the first, holding top results among Japanese players in the Capcom Pro Tour World Warrior rankings. ENC is a biennial global tournament where players represent their countries or regions, not clubs.