The Carry1st Africa Cup, a Call of Duty: Mobile The $15,000 prize tournament was announced by Africa’s leading mobile game publisher.
The Carry1st Africa Cup will bring together the continent’s top players and teams from Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa. After the preliminary rounds, the surviving teams will gather in person for a dramatic final showdown. The tournament will also award $1,000 to the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the grand finals, with MVP awards available at all regional games.
Africa’s esports scene is experiencing rapid growth, driven by the continent’s growing young population. With over 60% of Africans under the age of 25, There is huge appetite and growing participation in competitive gaming, especially on mobile devices. As smartphones become more widespread, the need for expensive hardware and high-speed internet to compete at the highest levels is disappearing.
To meet this growing demand, the ecosystem is evolving to provide players with an elevated experience. Carry1st, which develops, licenses, publishes and monetizes games on the continent, recently partnered with Call of Duty: Mobile for developing dedicated servers in Nigeria and South Africa for this growing community. The Carry1st Africa Cup signals the bright future of esports in Africa amid a growing gaming market expected to surpass 1 billion dollars this year.
“The Carry1st Africa Cup is a realization of our vision to unite the continent’s gamers and reflects our broader mission to improve gaming experiences in Africa,” says the CEO and co-founder of Carry1st. Cordell Robin-Coker.
Guillaume Noe, Vice President of Development at Carry1st, says: “Having laid the groundwork with the successful launch of COD:M servers in Nigeria and South Africa, we are excited to take the next step, bringing competitive gaming to the fore. The Cup is set to be an exciting celebration of African gaming talent and we look forward to seeing the action unfold.”
In addition to fierce competition on the virtual battlefield, attendees can also look forward to yet-to-be-announced performances from the continent’s biggest music artists and a gaming entertainment hub for fans.
How to enter
Registration for the Carry1st Africa Cup will open on Monday 27 May 2024 via Carry1st website.
Teams must consist of at least 5 players and the competition is open to amateur and professional players. Participants from across the continent will compete using Call of Duty: Mobile’s multiplayer mode. Upon registration, players will receive special lobby codes for their matches, giving them access to exclusive gaming lobbies where they will face other teams to compete for a place in the finals and win the Cup.
The qualifying stages are expected to run in June and July, culminating in the tournament finals, which will be held in August 2024, featuring regional champions. Carry1st will support any travel arrangements for teams unable to travel to the finals, ensuring all qualifying teams can participate.