he 2026 M.LEAGUE and World Riichi tour connected Las Vegas and New York. The main tournament took place in Las Vegas, followed by exhibition events with invited professionals in New York. The Las Vegas broadcast included English commentary.
Yuhao L. wins in Las Vegas
World Riichi reports more than one hundred players in the Las Vegas tournament and eleven invited Japanese professionals, including six M.League members. Yuhao L. won the final ahead of Sayaka Okada.
World Riichi Professional Mahjong member Erik Karhan finished fourth. Tianshen He, Jimmy Lai, Arthur McAnally, and Tamas Erdos also placed inside the top 25 reported by World Riichi.
The report announces eleven Japanese professionals, but its published delegation list contains ten names. It includes six M.League players, Sayaka Okada, Kotaro Uchikawa, Yoshihiro Matsumoto, Mari Takamiya, Sho Shiratori, and Yuumi Uotani, plus Shigekazu Moriyama, Megumu Aikawa, Hiroshi Yamai, and Ryoei Hirano. The full published World Riichi report does not provide an eleventh name.
English-language coverage from Las Vegas
The main tournament was played at HyperX Arena with live production and English commentary. Jenn Barr analysed the tables, while Sayaka Miyatani handled post-match interviews and the awards ceremony. World Riichi reports about 40,000 viewers each day.
Yusong Liu joined Jenn Barr and Sayaka Miyatani on the broadcast. Bluebird Studio then hosted what World Riichi describes as the first M.League press conference held in North America.
Your games and feedback help us build a better place to play riichi. The numbered Kin-Urushi set is our thank-you to the first 1,000 players.
New York events sold out within days
In Manhattan, Sparrow’s Nest Studio hosted the Eastside Showdown and an evening with the professionals. World Riichi says the exclusive events, capped at 50 people, sold out within days of being announced.
The New York exhibitions paired Japanese professionals with World Riichi Professional Mahjong players.