Staying true to the event’s roots, Street Fighter V is the main event of Red Bull Kumite Las Vegas. This tournament will have twice as many entrants as Tekken 7 and Guilty Gear -Strive-, with a whole day dedicated to the action. 

Sixteen players will battle it out for the prestigious Red Bull Kumite crown, including the winner of Saturday’s Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ). Take a look at the other 15 entrants who were invited to Las Vegas this weekend.

Country: United Arab Emirates

Team/Sponsor: NASR eSports

Main Characters: Zeku, Ibuki, Seth

Notable Tournament Achievements

1st at CPT EU Regional Finals 2018

1st at Ultimate Fighting Arena 2018

1st at Brussels Challenge Major Edition 2019

1st at CPT 2021 Online: Middle East

3rd at CPT Asia Premier 2019

Top 8 at Capcom Cup 2018

Though Amjad “AngryBird” Alshalabi hails from the UAE, he started his career as a force in the European Street Fighter scene. He even won the 2018 CPT Regional Finals as the only non-European player to make Top 8. Along with the next player, AngryBird now serves as one of the pivotal leaders for the FGC in the Middle East. 

Country: United Arab Emirates

Team/Sponsor: NASR eSports x Red Bull eSports

Main Characters: Rashid, Ken

Notable Tournament Achievements

1st at Intel World Open – Middle East, Africa, and West Asia Regional Finals

1st at CPT EU Regional Finals 2019

1st at EGX 2019

1st at SEA Major Singapore 2018

1st at Geek Weekend 2017

2nd at EVO 2019

Both Emirati Birds will bring their elite skills to Las Vegas as Adel “Big Bird” Anouche is also set to join the fray. Big Bird also made a name for himself in Europe before becoming a global Street Fighter icon. He has won several major tournaments and had an incredible run at EVO 2019 that ended in a 2nd place finish.

Country: USA

Team/Sponsor: Equinox Gaming

Main Character: Balrog

Notable Tournament Achievements

2nd at CPT 2021 Online Event: NA Midwest 1

3rd at Capcom Cup 2017 LCQ

4th at Summer Jam XI

4th at Combo Breaker 2017

Top 8 at DreamHack Dallas 2019

Top 8 at Final Round 2019

Brian “Brian_F” Foster is one of the few star content creators in the FGC who shows out in tournaments. He has spent the past year and a half grinding online to improve his game further. His hard work is already paying off with an invitation to Red Bull Kumite.

Country: Japan

Team/Sponsor: CYCLOPS athlete gaming

Main Characters: Menat, Chun Li

Notable SFV Tournament Achievements

2nd at Canada Cup 2017

2nd at Abuget Cup 2017

Top 8 at Capcom Cup 2016

2nd at Abuget Cup 2016

4th at EVO 2016

3rd at G-League 2016

Widely renowned as the world’s best player in Dragon Ball FighterZ, Goichi “GO1” Kishida started his fighting game career in Street Fighter V. He was a consistent Top 8 qualifier before switching his focus to DBFZ. However, he still competed in both games simultaneously. Red Bull Kumite will be GO1’s first Street Fighter tournament since 2019, and he will be looking for a triumphant return.

Country: USA

Team/Sponsor: XSET

Main Characters: Poison, Laura

Notable Tournament Achievements

1st at Capcom Cup 2019

1st at EVO 2021 Online – NA East

1st at Intel World Open – North America East Regional Finals

1st at Defend the North 2017 & 2019

2nd at Red Bull Kumite London 2021

2nd at CPT NA Regional Finals 2017

3rd at CPT NA Regional Finals 2018

Top 8 at EVO 2019

Derek “iDom” Ruffin etched himself into Street Fighter history forever when he won the 2019 Capcom Cup. The 2020 pandemic threatened to derail his momentum, but he continued winning online events and took 2nd at Red Bull Kumite London last May. His successes recently culminated in him signing with his first sponsor, premier esports organization XSET.

Country: Dominican Republic

Team/Sponsor: Bandits

Main Character: Birdie

Notable Tournament Achievements

1st at Capcom Cup 2017

1st at CPT 2021 Online Event: Central America East 1

1st at LG UltraGear Fight Night – Latin America

1st at Fighting Fest 2018

1st at Texas Showdown 2018

1st at Kumite in Tennessee 2018

2nd at Intel World Open – Mexico and Central America Regional Finals

3rd at CPT LATAM Regional Finals 2019

There are few stories in esports more inspiring than Saul Leonardo “MenaRD” Mena II’s. Born in the Dominican Republic, the Birdie main was unable to travel outside his home country early in his career. Less than a year after receiving his first sponsor, Mena won the 2017 Capcom Cup and $250,000 in prize money. 

Country: France

Team/Sponsor: Giants Gaming

Main Character: Dhalsim

Notable Tournament Achievements

1st at Red Bull Kumite London 2021

1st at CPT 2021 Online Event: France/Spain/Portugal 1

1st at Cannes Winter Clash 2016

3rd at Reflect 2019

4th at CPT EU Regional Finals 2017

Frenchman Nathan “Mister Crimson” Massol has long been one of Europe’s best players in Street Fighter V. He introduced himself to a global audience last May when he won Red Bull Kumite London. The reigning champion will be looking to retain his title this weekend and become the second player to win back-to-back Kumite events.

*Mister Crimson recently revealed that he would not attend Red Bull Kumite Las Vegas due to personal reasons. 

Country: Puerto Rico

Team/Sponsor: Red Rooster Team

Main Character: F.A.N.G.

Notable Tournament Achievements

1st at Furia Tica 2017

2nd at CPT 2021 Online Event: Central America East 1

2nd at EVO 2021 Online – LATAM Central

3rd at Intel World Open – Mexico & Central America Regional Finals

Puerto Rico’s Ricardo “Mono” Roman wears many hats when it comes to fighting games. On top of being one of Latin America’s best Street Fighter players, he is also an accomplished tournament organizer. He runs First Attack, a major tournament held annually in San Juan as part of the Capcom Pro Tour.

Country: South Korea

Team/Sponsor: UYU

Main Characters: Cammy, Akuma

Notable Tournament Achievements

1st at Combo Breaker 2018

1st at Saigon Cup 2018

1st at CPT 2021 Online Event: Asia East 1

2nd at Intel World Open – Japan & South Korea Regional Finals

2nd at SoCal Regionals 2017

2nd at E-Sports Festival Hong Kong 2018

2nd at Celtic Throwdown 2019

3rd at VSFighting 2018

Sim “NL” Gun came up in Korean arcades before finally traveling to tournaments throughout Asia. He impressed with many Top 8 finishes early in his career before winning Saigon Cup and Combo Breaker in 2018. He recently won the CPT Online event for Asia East, Street Fighter’s strongest region, and 2nd at the Intel World Open. 

Country: Taiwan

Team/Sponsor: UYU x Red Bull eSports

Main Character: Rashid

Notable Tournament Achievements

1st at TGU x SEA Major Thailand 2019

1st at FV Cup 2017

1st at Final Fighters China 2018

2nd at CPT Asia/Oceania Regional Finals 2017

2nd at Canada Cup 2019

2nd at DreamHack Summer 2017

3rd at Intel World Open – East Asia Regional Finals

3rd at E-Sports Festival Hong Kong 2018

3rd at LAN Story Cup 2017

Top 8 at EVO Japan 2019

The fighting games pride of Taiwan, Li-Wei “Oil King” Lin, is one of Asia’s top players. He has won several major tournaments and consistently finishes in or around Top 8. Red Bull Kumite Las Vegas will be Oil King’s first offline tournament since the 2019 Capcom Cup.

Country: United Kingdom

Team/Sponsor: MOUZ

Main Characters: M. Bison, Abigail

Notable Tournament Achievements

1st at EVO 2018

1st at Celtic Throwdown 2018

1st at Headstomper 2018

1st at Sonic Boom VI

1st at Reflect 2019

1st at April Annihilation 2019

1st at Northwest Majors X

2nd at Red Bull Kumite 2018

2nd at Combo Breaker 2019

2nd at CPT 2021 Online Event: UK/Ireland 1

2nd at EVO 2021 Online – Europe West

3rd at CPT EU Regional Finals 2019

3rd at DreamHack Montreal 2018

3rd at CPT North America Open 2019

4th at ELEAGUE Street Fighter V Invitational 2018

A series veteran with over a decade of experience, Benjamin “Problem X” Simon is Europe’s most successful player in Street Fighter V. He has won numerous major tournaments, including an EVO title in 2018. After dominating online events over the past year and a half, he will look to continue his success offline.

Country: USA

Team/Sponsor: Panda

Main Character: Karin

Notable Tournament Achievements

1st at ELEAGUE Street Fighter V Invitational 2017

1st at CPT NA Regional Finals 2017

1st at DreamHack Austin 2017

1st at NorCal Regionals 2017

1st at East Coast Throwdown 2017

1st at Red Bull Conquest Finals 2018

1st at CPT NA Regional Finals 2018

1st at Summer Jam 12

1st at GEICO Gaming Championships Finals 2018

1st at Combo Breaker 2019

1st at Final Round 2019

1st at The MIXUP 2019

1st at First Attack 2019

1st at DreamHack Dallas 2019

1st at Ultimate Fighting Arena 2019

1st at East Coast Throwdown 2019

1st at Northwest Majors IX.5

1st at CPT 2021 Online Event: North America East 1

1st at The Pinnacle 2021

2nd at EVO 2017

2nd at Capcom Cup 2019

2nd at CPT North America Regional Finals 2019

2nd at EVO 2021 Online – NA East

3rd at Intel World Open – North America East Regional Finals

4th at EVO Japan 2019

No player has enjoyed the same success in Street Fighter V as Victor “Punk” Woodley. The 23-year old is already considered a veteran in the scene and has a trophy case that will make any pro gamer jealous. He has won nearly every major tournament but is still looking for his first Red Bull Kumite title.

Country: Brazil 

Main Character: Nash

Notable Tournament Achievements

1st at CPT 2021 Online Event: Brazil 1

Most of the invitees to Red Bull Kumite are players established as top of their game. However, a few up-and-comers are being given a chance to prove their skill this weekend, including Ronaldo “RonaldinhoBR” Mendes Filho. He pulled off an impressive win at CPT Online Brazil (South America’s strongest region) and will be competing in his first offline tournament outside his home country in Las Vegas. 

Country: Japan

Team/Sponsor: CTG Ibushigen

Main Character: Ryu

Notable Tournament Achievements

1st at Red Bull Beat the Pro Online

Uzura may be unknown to the masses but is one of the top global online ranks. He even won Red Bull Beat the Pro Online, earning him a chance to display his talent offline for the first time on a main stage. Though he has yet to earn his spot amongst the greats, he’s already received a cosign from the legendary Daigo “The Beast” Umehara. 

Country: Japan

Main Character: Juri

Notable Tournament Achievements

1st at FAVCUP Online 2021

Yossan was introduced as the tournament’s wild card by Red Bull Gaming on Twitter. Though he isn’t widely known, he is advertised as the best Juri player in the world. His victory at FAVCUP 2021 shows he can win online tournaments, but offline is an entirely different test.

The LCQ for Street Fighter V at Red Bull Kumite Las Vegas will be held Saturday, November 13. It will start at 4:00 p.m. PT, immediately following Top 8 for Guilty Gear -Strive-. The winner qualifies for the Top 16 held the following day. With Mister Crimson dropping out of the event, the LCQ runner-up will now also qualify for Sunday’s Top 16.