Ninjas in Pyjamas enters Tekken esports with Meo-IL signing

Jonno Nicholson
Rabia Sayal
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Ninjas in Pyjamas enters Tekken 8 esports with Meo-IL signing
Image credit: Elliot Le Corre, ESL

Swedish esports organisation Ninjas in Pyjamas has expanded into Tekken 8 esports with the signing of South Korean player Oh ‘Meo-IL‘ Dai-il.

Meo-IL joins following a four-year stint representing South Korean organisation SOOPers in a range of Tekken 7 and Tekken 8 tournaments across the globe.

Meo-IL’s onboarding sees the Tekken 8 player become the fifth player of Ninjas in Pyjama’s fighting games roster. He joins the likes of Joel ‘Juicyjoe‘ Sundell and Arman ‘Phenom‘ Hanjani, who represent the organisation in Street Fighter.

Throughout 2025, Meo-IL competed at several high-profile Tekken 8 events. In May, he scored a top-six finish at EVO Japan before following up with another top-six result at CEO to cement his place among the world’s best players.

Meo-IL consistently featured in the latter stages of tournaments, ending 2025 with another sixth-place place at SOOP Super Tournament.

“I’m excited to join NiP,” wrote Meo-IL on social media. “Thank you to everyone who has supported me so far. I will do my best to represent the team well.”

For Ninjas in Pyjamas, Tekken 8 is the latest title the organisation has expanded into. In addition to Tekken, the organisation competes across a variety of games, including Apex Legends, Rocket League, and League of Legends.

The Growth of Tekken 8 Esports

In recent years, Tekken 8’s esports scene has continued to grow, with more esports organisations looking to field players in the popular fighting game. In January, French organisation Team Vitality signed 16-year-old player Neia, who placed 17th at Evo France, capturing the attention of the community.

The title’s inclusion at the Esports World Cup has also attracted some of the world’s largest organisations looking to compete for a $1m (~£736,455) prize pool. For the 2026 event, 32 players will compete from August 4th to 7th for the opportunity to be crowned champion.

March sees the arrival of Tekken 8’s anticipated Season 3 update. Featuring a wealth of balance changes and adjustments to its Ranked System, the update could inject further interest into the title’s growing esports scene.

Jonno Nicholson

Writer
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Jonno is a writer for Esports Insider and has been part of the team since 2019. Over the past ten years, he's written for several outlets including Gfinity, GGRecon, and Radio Times. As an avid sim racer, he aims to provide insight on one of the fastest growing sectors in esports.
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