African players can now participate in the $1 million Call of Duty: Mobile (CODM) World Championship for the first time in five years.
In a statement sent to Techpoint Africa, Carry1st revealed that the Carry1st Africa Cup, its official tournament, has been officially recognised by Activision as a qualifying event for the 2025 edition of the CODM World Championship
This means that the winning team from Carry1st’s tournament will advance to the global finals, where they will compete with elite players from North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America for the $1 million prize pool.
“This is a watershed moment for African esports,” said Guillaume Noé, VP of Growth at Carry1st. “African gamers are no longer just spectators in global events; now they’re part of the main stage.”
Though CODM is popular in Africa, the region has never been part of the official competitive ecosystem until now.
Interestingly, African CODM content creators have been competing in global creator tournaments. In September 2024, six Nigerian players competed in a $10,000 CODM tournament set up by Irish creator Luke Fergie.
This year’s change marks the first time in the game’s history that Africa has been granted an official qualification slot.
The Carry1st tournament will run from May through July, with regional qualifiers across seven zones, including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa.
Over 200 teams and more than 1,000 players are expected to compete, with the Grand Finale taking place in Lagos, Nigeria, in August 2025, in a LAN (Local Area Network) format — a physical, in-person event where finalists compete live on stage.
A $15,000 prize pool will be awarded at the finals, in addition to the winning team qualifying for the global championship.
This recognition by Activision is a validation of Africa’s growing esports ecosystem. Per Statista, the market is expected to be valued at $66 million this year. While this pales in comparison to the US’s $1.6 billion, mobile gaming could close the gap for Africa.
Activision expressed interest in the market when it launched a dedicated server in December 2023.
Meanwhile, the Co-Head of CODM at Activision said the tournament will be a major moment for African esports.
However, given the performance of African creators in global creator tournaments, African players will have time going head-to-head with their global peers.
