EVO Expands to Nine Global Events, Sparking Debate Over FGC's Future

Hey everyone!

It has been a busy couple of weeks, and it doesn't look like it's slowing down anytime soon.

EVO dropped a massive announcement; I was on the ground at the LCS Lock-In Finals, and now we're in the middle of the Americas Cup in São Paulo. After this, it's Capcom Cup and First Stand before we can even think about catching a breath.

No breaks.

Plenty to cover, so stay tuned here and over at The Sporting Tribune for comprehensive coverage every step of the way.

Let's get into it.

It wasn't a matter of if, but rather, when RTS would take over the Evolution Fighting Championship.

It became official Feb. 18 when the event was fully acquired by RTS, a company owned by Qiddiya. Qiddiya acquired RTS in September 2025, but at that time RTS and Nodwin Gaming were the co-owners of the largest fighting game event.

Now, it all belongs to RTS and, by extension, Qiddiya.

I won’t be talking much about the ownership of Qiddiya in this issue. That will come at a later time. Rather, I’ll be looking at the news around that announcement.

In the hours after, EVO announced that it was adding more events. Not one, not two, but six more EVOs in various countries.

By 2027, EVO plans on hosting nine events minimum with Singapore, Morocco, Brazil, China, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico, alongside a brand-new fighting game World Championship, joining the original three – Japan, France, and Prime (Vegas).

The obvious question is, "How much is too much?" — not necessarily in terms of the number itself, but what it represents.

Stephen "Sajam" Lyon, one of the most respected voices in FGC commentary, wasn’t a fan of this global expansion. He argues that an EVO in every region forces every existing regional tournament organizer to come for the same players.

He also wasn't talking about the cream of the crop, elite-level players who travel to every major tournament hunting for points on their respective game's tour.

Sajam focused on the fans who don't have the luxury of spending two weeks out of a month to compete in a major regional tournament. There aren't enough PTO days, or even sponsor money, to sustain that kind of calendar.

It leaves brands that built strong scenes competing with the biggest name in tournaments — one that comes with a seemingly infinite bankroll.

"There are 365 days in a year. You don't have enough space to run that many EVOs," Derek "iDom" Ruffin said on the Trash Talk podcast. "It's actually impossible — there's just not enough time. Where are these EVOs going to go?"

EVO is essentially absorbing every regional calendar. What might have been a random Brazilian tournament that casual fans would scroll past becomes appointment viewing the moment EVO's name is attached.

“If people know EVO, they're going to watch," iDom said.

EVO France was a success in terms of attendance with 3,498 attendees.

Lost in the success? How badly it impacted the Ultimate Fighting Arena, which is another major fighting game tournament in France held a few weeks before EVO France.

In 2024, UFA had 1,578 attendees. The number was sliced close to half in 2025 with 868.

Sajam points to EVO France's presence as one of the reasons attendance dropped that drastically. It made him wonder out loud: What would happen to other tournaments in other regions if EVO moved in?

He noted events like Chicago’s Frosty Faustings as the types of events that may be hurt by EVO’s expansive schedule.

“Why would you want to run a fighting game tournament if there could be an EVO the same weekend as yours,” Sajam said. “You essentially suffocate any calendar time away from like other events to grow.

“Why [as a player] would you go to them when you could just go to EVO?”

As for other major events like Combo Breaker and CEO, Sajam theorizes that they will be safe as EVO will try to work around those events.

“This to me looks like a hostile takeover of the entire calendar year of events,” Brian “Brian_F” Foster said on his podcast. “Every tournament for everybody for every circuit is just EVO."

Saul Leonardo "MenaRD" Mena is hopeful about the future of the competitive fighting game scene.

Sure, more events mean fewer opportunities for mid-tier events to succeed, but he offers the counterpoint that for players in Brazil, China, and Morocco who cannot realistically travel to Las Vegas, Japan, or France, a regional EVO is not a consolation prize.

Instead, it is access to an event once deemed too difficult to travel to.

MenaRD has made it no secret: he wants to win every EVO title possible in every country. He views them like tennis events: different countries gets a grand slam event.

He also pointed out that if the goal is growing the competitive base globally, geographic expansion offers the largest opportunity to do so.

"The goal is still winning all the EVOs," he said. "It doesn't matter if there's 10, if there's a hundred. It's just more Street Fighter to play."

 So what do you think? Is more EVOs a good or bad thing? Let me know in an email! I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Comments in this piece were drawn from the following videos

 MenaRD's comments are from an exclusive interview with Inside Esports. More on this on Tuesday

If you're not subscribed yet, this is a good time. Tuesday's issue is an exclusive interview with Arslan Ash — his move to Japan, the scene he's building in Pakistan, and what comes next. You won't want to miss it. Subscribe at insideesports.media.

It’s been a rocky week for Cloud9 Kia.

After rolling through the LCS with an undefeated mark through the first five weeks of play, Cloud9 lost to LYON on March 1, missing out on First Stand and landing instead in the Americas Cup in São Paulo, Brazil.

Things went from bad to worse when Cloud9 lost to FURIA in the opening round of the Americas Cup on Wednesday. The team found its way back into the win column with a 3-2 victory over RED Canids on Thursday.

Even with the win, Cloud9 is far from playing its best.

"We're just making very dumb mistakes right now," Cloud9 jungler Robert "Blaber" Huang said.

Winning papered over the flaws for a while. Staying unbeaten until the LCS Final naturally kept attention on the scoreline rather than the details underneath it.

"Despite winning all our games, we were not actually that good," Jesper "Zven" Svenningsen said. "Recently we've lost our way. We don't really know what we're good at or what we're bad at. We don't really have any fundamentals. We're kind of lost right now in everything. It's kind of back to square one for us as a team."

The issue Zven is identifying is not one of talent — Cloud9 lacks an identity. The team does not have a clear answer to what kind of team it is, how it wants to play, or what it is actually good at.

"We were kind of the same team two months ago as we are now," Zven said. "Same issues, same struggles. But other teams are better than they were before."

That self-awareness is where Cloud9 has to start.

They're an experienced group with plenty of talent. Whether they can find their identity fast enough to matter in São Paulo is the only question left.

For more about Cloud9, read this story on The Sporting Tribune.

Coverage from São Paulo continues through the weekend. Follow along on X at @PaulDelos_ for updates, The Sporting Tribune for daily coverage, and subscribe to Inside Esports for stories from the tournament.

Sentinels mid laner Isaac "DARKWINGS" Chou would love an opportunity to visit Korea.

It's not about the food, the culture, or even the vacation. DARKWINGS is locked in on Korea for one reason: competing on the hardest solo queue server in the world against the best players in it.

Chou and Sentinels are two wins away from getting him that trip. He faces FURIA today, and a win advances him to the Americas Cup Final for Sunday.

"We definitely do want to go to the Korea bootcamp," Chou said after Sentinels' opening win over Red Canids on Wednesday. "That is like a priority. And I do really want to go as well."

Chou is in his first full season as a mid laner after coming up through the NACL — North America's developmental league — and establishing himself as one of the more consistent players at his position during LCS Split 1.

He is young and still building, and an experience in the global hub of League of Legends would serve him well. Korean mid laners play at a different tempo — pressuring the lane, displaying early-game aggression, and punishing small mistakes at a level that is genuinely hard to replicate in North America. It would be the perfect crucible for a young mid laner.

"The mid laners in Korean solo queue are honestly really good in lane," Sentinels coach Greyson "GoldenGlue" Gilmer said. "It could definitely help improve his lane phase."

For a full story about today’s upper-bracket final, read this story on The Sporting Tribune.

Thank you for reading this issue! On Tuesday, we’ll have an exclusive interview with MenaRD as he gears up for the Capcom Cup.

 Until then, keep gaming!

 Paul

Thumbnail photo by Sarah Joy Sy