Zubair wins Tekken 8 crown

Pakistan’s Muhammad Zubair was crowned Tekken 8 world champion after defeating South Korea’s LowHigh 5-0 in the grand final of the Esports World Cup (EWC) in Paris on Saturday.

Zubair, who narrowly survived the early stages, produced a remarkable run to claim the title at the Aug. 5-8 event and secure the $250,000 winner’s prize.

The Pakistani player’s run included two crucial victories over compatriot Arslan “Ash” Siddique. Zubair defeated Arslan in the second group stage on Friday before meeting the eight-time Evolution Championship Series (Evo) winner again in Saturday’s semi-final.
In a closely fought contest, Zubair prevailed 5-4 to book his place in the grand final. The showdown with LowHigh was far more one-sided, with Zubair dominating from the opening exchanges to complete a 5-0 sweep.

Arslan, one of Pakistan’s most prominent esports players, finished fourth after losing the third-place decider to Australia’s Yagami.
The result comes weeks after Arslan won the 2026 Evo series in Las Vegas in June, claiming his fourth consecutive Evo title at the tournament widely regarded as the world’s biggest fighting game competition.

Zubair’s triumph adds another major international achievement to Pakistan’s growing presence in competitive esports, particularly in Tekken.

His victory also underlined the depth of Pakistan’s Tekken talent, with two of the country’s leading players reaching the latter stages of one of the world’s biggest esports competitions.

The Esports World Cup features competitions across major gaming titles, including Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, League of Legends, Street Fighter and Valorant.