February 12, 2026
Capcom has announced that it’s lowering the pay-per-view ticket prices for the Finals of Capcom Cup 12 and Street Fighter League: World Championship 2025. But the Street Fighter community is still speaking out against the costs.
Despite being free to watch in the past, these two massive Street Fighter 6 tournaments are now hidden behind a paywall, inspired by the success of the pay-per-view model in Japan. However, the majority of the FGC has continued to fight back.
Capcom Discusses Pay-Per-View Changes Ahead of Capcom Cup 12
Head of Capcom’s Esports Division, Tetsuya Tabuchi, addressed the FGC on February 11th regarding the upcoming tournaments and how to watch them. As part of the announcement, it was revealed that the pay-per-view pricing had been lowered.
To purchase a ticket for one event, it will now cost $6. Those who pay $10 will get access to both events, which take place on March 14th and March 15th.
“Following the announcement that lie viewing for this event would be ticketed, we carefully reviewed the many opinions and feedback we received from the community,” Tabuchi stated. “After thorough discussions across various departments within Capcom, we have decided on the following:
“To revise the pricing of live viewing tickets. To implement special collaborative initiatives in Street Fighter 6.”
Tabuchi went on to explain that the original pricing was based on the prices set in Japan. However, the team took in the wide range of ‘cost of living standards’ across the world and felt the prices should be adjusted ‘to ensure that fans around the world can more easily enjoy the event.’
The free portions of the events — Capcom Cup 12’s Group Stage and the Day 1 of the World Championship — will also allow co-streaming rather than being solely on Capcom’s YouTube and Twitch channels. This is another way to allow the global community to tune in, as well as including a Chinese stream.
In addition, there will be in-game features that support the esports scene. On March 14th, during the Capcom Cup 12 Finals, and March 15th, during the World Championship, there will be a Battle Hub livestream feature. This way, players can watch within the game. If anyone buys a ticket to watch, they will get an exclusive Special Color skin for Rashid.
The community-focused changes were largely approved by the FGC. While charging for the Finals at all — no matter the price — has rubbed the FGC the wrong way, it appears you can view the matches for free in-game, making it a nice compromise. The ticket price, while lowered, has still been met with anger from many fans, who believe that Capcom is just being greedy rather than giving its game any meaningful updates.
Olivia Richman
Deputy Editor
Olivia Richman is a seasoned esports journalist who has worked with Inven Global, Esports Illustrated, Esports.gg, and more. As an editor and writer at Esports Insider, she loves telling unique esports stories, especially within the FGC. When not working and gaming, Olivia loves collecting Kirby plush, eating sushi, and driving her cars at the track.