American Street Fighter 6 player Victor “Punk” Woodley has withdrawn from Capcom Cup 12 after running into travel document problems ahead of the event in Japan.
Capcom confirmed Punk will no longer compete after becoming unable to travel to Japan due to these circumstances. Because Punk qualified through the Capcom Pro Tour 2025 Global Points ranking, the qualification slot is being transferred to the next eligible player, Hajime “Tokido” Taniguchi. Capcom also said Tokido will take Punk’s exact group placement and match order, and noted that future withdrawals may not allow a slot transfer depending on timing and logistics.
Punk confirmed that the issue was tied to his passport:
Sad to say I won’t be able to compete at capcom cup this year. Had some passport issues and not able to get a new one fast enough to attend, sorry for everyone i let down we will be back next year aiming even harder for the win!
Punk is one of the most prominent American players of the modern Street Fighter era, known for elite matchup knowledge, aggressive play, and oppressive neutral game. While he has no Capcom Cup victories, losing to iDom in the 2019 grand finals, he finally won Evo Las Vegas in 2024. After that victory, he stated that the Capcom Cup is his next goal, but unfortunately, he won’t be able to challenge it this year.
The full extent of his passport issue was not revealed.
Punk’s replacement, Tokido, is one of the most accomplished players in fighting games ever, and one of the Five Japanese Gods, alongside Daigo “Daigo” Umehara, Naoto “sako” Sako, Tatsuya “Haitani” Haitani, and Shinya “Nuki” Onuki. He already expressed his readiness to compete in the event.
Capcom Cup 12 is the pinnacle of the Capcom Pro Tour competitive circuit, and will be held in Tokyo from March 11 to 14. The winner will take home $1 million, and the four best-placed players will receive invitations to the Esports World Cup 2026.
Tokido’s first opponent will be his compatriot Kojiro “Higuchi” Higuchi, and if he’s successful in taking him down, he will face the winner of Panamanian player ARMAKOF and his Dutch opponent Jozef “Xerna” Karst.
Last year’s winner, Kakeru “Kakeru” Watanabe, won’t be participating in Capcom Cup 12, as last October, he made an official statement, announcing his retirement due to some kind of neurological dysfunction that makes it impossible to continue his career as a professional player.
