Tougeki, also known as the Super Battle Opera here in the United States, is approaching in just a few months, and more importantly, your opportunity to compete in one of the world’s most prestigious tournaments is right around the corner. The U.S. Super Battle Opera U.S. Qualifiers have been announced and are taking place in Nashville, Los Angeles, and New York City, covering both the classic Super Street Fighter II Turbo and the new Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition.

The SBO Qualifier tour starts off in Nashville, TN (more precisely, Antioch) hitting the Midwest Championships Tournament located at the Game Galaxy Arcade in Hickory Hollow Mall. The tournament, taking place on June 24-26, 2011, features a full roster of SSFIV: AE, MK9, MvC3, and more, but the highlight of this event is the Super Street Fighter II: Turbo tournaments which will be determining the U.S. representatives in Japan later this year. There will be three individual tournaments for ST, with each winner taking a coveted spot. Expect fierce competition from OGs and new school players in this one. For more information, visit the Midwest Championship 2011 thread here.

The second stop on the tour heads to sunny Los Angeles for the first Super Battle Opera qualifier for SSSFIV: Arcade Edition, taking place at Round 1 Bowling & Amusement in the City of Industry, CA on July 16, 2011. Southern California has long been viewed as the competitive zone with the highest level Street Fighter players in the U.S., so expect a full-on brawl. This 2v2 tournament will be in the “Waseda” style and will be capped at 32 teams, so be sure to sign up early! Hit up the Round 1 Level | Up thread for more details.

Finally, SBO qualifiers head to the east to make their appearance for the first time ever in the Big Apple, taking place at Next Level Arcade on August 6, 2011. The second SSFIV: Arcade Edition SBO qualifying event will be two separate tournaments with the winner of each tournament qualifying for a spot on the team. As the last leg of the SBO tour, it marks the last opportunity for players to make their way to represent the US in Japan this year. Get all the details for the SBO SSF4:AE Qualifier at Next Level Arcade in this thread here.

One more thing – as an added bonus, each of the tournament winners will have 50% of airfare expenses to travel to Japan covered (with additional sponsorship pending), so if you’re looking to make your mark on one of the world’s biggest stages for Street Fighter, start practicing and mark your calendars.

I’d like to send a big thank you to Jason Wilson (Midwest), Alex Valle & Round 1(West Siiide), Henry Cen (East Coast) and John Choi for collaborating and putting these events together to send our best to Japan! Let the Bruce Springsteen commence!!!