A 15-year-old boy from Chile called Blaz got second place at Evo France. This win is one of the biggest for him so far. At the same time, a new 16-year-old player named Neia did great in Tekken. She reached 17th place.

The big fighting game event called Evo France happened in Nice from October 10 to 12. It was the first Evo event in Europe. Evo started in Las Vegas back in 1996.

Young players have done well in fighting games since the 1990s. But older players often still win top spots in big contests today.

Now, teenagers are winning more than before in these games. The results from Evo France last weekend show this clearly.

Blaz gets second place at Evo France

The best example is Derek Blaz. He is a 15-year-old Street Fighter player from Chile. He started doing well when Street Fighter 6 came out in 2023.

He has won some online contests in the Capcom Pro Tour. He also got top 8 spots at big events like Blink Respawn, Combo Breaker, and Ultimate Fighting Arena.

Even better, he came second in two of the largest Street Fighter events. Those were the 2025 Esports World Cup and Capcom Cup 11.

At Evo France, he kept winning from the losers side. He fought hard against the Korean player Leshar in the big final. At only 15, Blaz has second place in three major world contests. Everyone sees him as a big new star.

16-year-old Tekken player beats experienced pros

Blaz was not the only young player doing well at Evo France. A 16-year-old Tekken player named Neia became very famous that weekend. She got to the top 24. There, she beat pro players Hakim Skywalker Touré and Jonathan Tibetano Medina.

Before Evo France, few people knew about Neia. Now, she has a strong spot in the contest world. She got praise from French players for her good skills.

Blaz and Neia did well at Evo France. But other teens are also rising in fighting game contests. A 17-year-old from Hong Kong named Micky reached the top 16 earlier this year

. Also, a 13-year-old Chilean Street Fighter player called Craime got fourth place at Blink Respawn 2024. That surprised many.

Young players are taking the main attention in fighting games now. Older players are giving way to these new stars. Time will show how good they get as they keep practicing. This was not the only big news from Evo France. The event set records as the biggest fighting game contest ever in Europe. Players came from 93 countries.