Abu Dhabi esports team Red Dunes has won the Street Fighter League championship for the Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia region, defeating some of the world's leading players to secure a place at next year's international finals in Japan.
The team claimed the title on Saturday at the MCM Comic Con London, held at the Excel centre in the British capital.
Red Dunes beat GTW 70-30 in the grand final of the Street Fighter 6 competition. The victory earned the Abu Dhabi team $60,000 from the tournament's $100,000 prize pool and a place in the Street Fighter League World Championship in Tokyo next March.
For Abu Dhabi-raised player Adel Anouche, better known as Big Bird, the result was particularly significant as it was the team's first championship under the Red Dunes name.
"This win means a lot to me because it's our first win with our organisation, Red Dunes esports, and SFL is known to be a tournament to crown the best team!" he tells The National.
"It's definitely ranked high for me. Truly best way to showcase our Abu Dhabi, UAE home team."
Street Fighter League differs from traditional fighting game tournaments by placing competitors in four-player teams, with victories contributing towards an overall score. This year's EMEAA competition brought together 24 players across six teams representing Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
Red Dunes entered the playoffs as the second seed after finishing the regular season behind GTW. Its roster comprised Anouche; Jordanian Amjad Al Shalabi, known as AngryBird; Norwegian veteran Arman Hanjani, known as Phenom; and Swede Joel Sundell, who competes as Juicy Joe.
Hanjani has been competing internationally for more than a decade, finishing third at Capcom Cup in 2019. Sundell reached the semi-finals of Capcom Cup 11 last year, defeating Al Shalabi along the way.
Red Dunes defeated YESports 60-20 in the semi-finals before overcoming GTW in the championship match. Anouche led the comeback after an early deficit, securing two important victories using the character C Viper. Sundell contributed a win against Bravery, while Al Shalabi sealed the championship by defeating Zhen with Akuma.
Anouche admits the competition initially left him uncertain about his team's chances.
"I even thought we had a low chance of winning after seeing all the teams, but I guess I was wrong and underestimated our team," he says.
The championship adds to the achievements of Anouche and Al Shalabi, childhood friends who grew up in Abu Dhabi and are known collectively as The Birds.
Al Shalabi won the Street Fighter 6 championship at Evo in Las Vegas in 2023, while Algerian-born Anouche has finished as runner-up twice at the prestigious fighting game tournament.
The pair's international reputation was apparent at Tokyo Game Show last month, where they drew crowds of Japanese fans during a meet-and-greet.
Anouche believes their success reflects the strength of the Middle East's fighting game community, which developed partly through the region's arcade culture.
"Even though the quantity is not there, the quality is definitely present in our players," he says. "With enough dedication and discipline, I'm sure we'll see a lot more champions coming out of Middle East."
Saturday's result marks the roster's third consecutive regional Street Fighter League title.
At the world championship, taking place at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan from March 10 to 14, they hope to improve on two previous unsuccessful attempts.
"Our next goal is to win SFL world finals. We were able to get a shot at it twice but never made it happen, hopefully 3rd time is the charm now," Al Shalabi says.
The team has adopted the slogan "Third Impact" for its latest attempt at the world title.
