Japanese Mahjong Elite Headline in Las Vegas and New York June 2026

M.LEAGUE x WORLD RIICHI 2026 U.S. TOUR

LAS VEGAS, NV, UNITED STATES, April 21, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Professional mahjong is stepping beyond Japan’s borders for the first-ever pro U.S. mahjong tour, marking a new era of global competition. This June, World Riichi and the United States Professional Mahjong League are bringing top mahjong players from Japan’s M.LEAGUE to Las Vegas and New York in a coordinated series of riichi mahjong events.

Mahjong is a strategic tile-based game that originated in China and later evolved in Japan into the competitive format known as riichi mahjong. Played by four players, the game combines elements of skill, probability, and psychology; widely followed as a professional mind sport in Japan. It boasts major televised leagues in Japan such as M.LEAGUE, with average viewership in the multi-millions, and is now international with the World Riichi Championship. M.LEAGUE and World Riichi are collaborating for this event and registration is already open.

M.LEAGUE x WORLD RIICHI 2026 U.S. TOUR

● Las Vegas: June 26-June 28
The Las Vegas event will kick off the weekend on Friday, June 26 with an 11:00 am press conference and a reception with welcome drinks and some warm-up games in the evening. June 27th and 28th will be the main tournament at HyperX Arena at the Luxor Hotel & Casino, one of the premier esports venues in the United States. All matches will take place on automatic shuffling tables provided by Alban, which are also available for purchase.

A key feature of the event will be the opportunity for US participants to challenge nine of the world’s top professional players in the 2-day tournament:
● 2025 World Champion: Kotaro Uchikawa, M.Leaguer and fresh from his win in the World Riichi Championship 2025.
● M.LEAGUE Stars: Sayaka Okada, Mari Takamiya, Yoshihiro Matsumoto, Sho Shiratori, Megumu Aikawa, and Yuumi Uotani.
● 2014 World Champion: Hiroshi Yamai, the inaugural World Riichi Champion.
● Japan Professional Mahjong League (JPML) President: Shigekazu Moriyama, the most influential and instrumental figure in riichi mahjong both in Japan and internationally.

The tournament boasts a hefty prize offering with the top three players at the end of the tournament winning their own auto-tables, two more tables offered as door prizes and another for the top performer on Day 1. Invitations to other riichi mahjong events, online mahjong subscriptions and a personalized M.LEAGUE team replica jersey will also be awarded to top performers. All participants will also receive a set of exclusive tour items to take home

Las Vegas activities will be MC’d by the creators of the "Sukeban International" podcast, Jenn Barr (JPML, Riichi Mahjong author) and actor/comedian Sayaka Miyatani, featuring bilingual commentary and a high-energy atmosphere. Press conference and select games will be streamed live on the World Riichi YouTube Channel with English commentary.

● New York City: June 30 – July 1
The tour moves to Sparrow’s Nest Studio in Manhattan for an intimate fan meeting (June 30) and exhibition matches (July 1) featuring M.Leaguers and members of World Riichi Professional Mahjong, which will also be streamed on the World Riichi YouTube Channel.

● Tickets are On Sale Now
Las Vegas Tournament entry is $450 for early-bird registration, so participants should register early. Las Vegas After Hours and New York event tickets are also available at the link below.
Sponsorship & Media Inquiries Corporate partnership opportunities are available, please email: contact@worldriichichampionship.com for inquiries and visit https://www.worldriichi.org/ustour for registration and updates.

● Get Updates Sent to Your Inbox:
Sign up for the World Riichi media and press list to receive an invitation to the press conference, an official media kit, event schedules and high-resolution assets for the tour, as well as updates on future events.
English updates: https://www.worldriichi.org/media-en
Japanese updates: https://www.worldriichi.org/media-jp

● M.LEAGUE: https://m-league.jp/
Established in July 2018 with the goal of establishing mahjong as a professional sport, M.LEAGUE is the premiere national professional mahjong team league in Japan. Throughout the season, 10 teams of 4 top professional members each engage in fierce competition. With a mission to promote intergenerational exchange as well as to contribute to international relations and goodwill through the game, M.LEAGUE actively pursues a wide range of initiatives to further the popularization and development of Mahjong as a mind sport.

● World Riichi Championship: https://www.worldriichi.org/
World Riichi was established as an elite forum for the world’s top players to compete for the prestigious title of World Riichi Champion. Having successfully hosted the largest and most renowned international championships across four different countries, World Riichi is dedicated to fostering the spirit of high-level competition on a global scale. By maintaining and actively promoting an internationally recognized standard ruleset, the organization ensures a professional and unified landscape for Riichi Mahjong worldwide.

Dave Bresnick
World Riichi Limited/USPML
contact@worldriichichampionship.com
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
Instagram
YouTube
X

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.