‘I had full faith’: M. Zubair claims Tekken 8 title at Esports World Cup 2026 after 5-0 grand final sweep

PARIS: History has been made in Tekken 8 at Esports World Cup 2026 after AG.AL’s Khawaja “M. Zubair” Mohammad Zubair defeated Yoon “LowHigh” Sun-woong in the grand finals. Not only did the win crown a brand new Tekken 8 at EWC winner, but M. Zubair won the tournament after entering through the Last Chance Qualifiers.

The feat earns M. Zubair the Jafonso Award, an accolade named after Joao “Jafonso” Vasconcelos, who won the EA SPORTS FC 24 at EWC 2024 title after advancing through the Last Chance Qualifier. M. Zubair’s journey through the LCQ saw him emerge on top of the 444 players competing, where the AG.AL representative went largely undefeated until his grand final opponent reset the bracket, but he was then able to shut him down 3-1.

M. Zubair, a relatively unknown player compared to his opponents, was formidable in every fight, even taking down eight-time EVO winner Arslan “Arslan Ash” Siddique twice in the competition: once in the group stage with a 3-0 finish, and again in the semifinals with a close 5-4 triumph. Between M. Zubair and the grand prize, however, stood LowHigh, the 2025 Tekken World Tour winner who finished second place at EWC 2025.

It was a fight that M. Zubair would win almost effortlessly, dominating LowHigh in a fast 5-0 sweep. The AG.AL player showed a commanding display on Dragunov, barely giving LowHigh’s Bryan any room to breathe. While LowHigh would chip away a few rounds in his favor, M. Zubair used all the skills in his arsenal to remain in charge, and left LowHigh struggling to pull off any counters.

Speaking on how he managed the 5-0 triumph, M. Zubair attributed it to his practice in Pakistan: “I worked really hard, and I had full faith that I can win this. And with my dedication,