For the first time in five years, African players can now take part in the $1 million Call of Duty: Mobile (CODM) World Championship.

Carry1st announced to Techpoint Africa that its official tournament, the Carry1st Africa Cup, has been officially recognised by Activision as a qualifying event for the 2025 edition of the CODM World Championship.

This recognition means that the team that wins Carry1st’s tournament will move on to the global finals, where they will compete against top players from North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America for the $1 million prize pool.

Guillaume Noé, VP of Growth at Carry1st, stated, “This is a watershed moment for African esports. African gamers are no longer just spectators in global events; now they’re part of the main stage.” Although CODM has a strong following in Africa, the region has not been included in the official competitive framework until now.

Interestingly, African CODM content creators have been participating in global creator tournaments. In September 2024, six players from Nigeria took part in a $10,000 CODM tournament organised by Irish creator Luke Fergie.

This year’s development marks the first instance in the game’s history that Africa has been allocated an official qualification slot.

The Carry1st tournament will take place from May to July, featuring regional qualifiers across seven zones, including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa.

More than 200 teams and over 1,000 players are anticipated to compete, with the Grand Finale scheduled for August 2025 in Lagos, Nigeria, in a LAN (Local Area Network) format — a live, in-person event where finalists compete on stage.

A prize pool of $15,000 will be awarded at the finals, alongside the winning team qualifying for the global championship.

This acknowledgement from Activision serves as a validation of Africa’s expanding esports ecosystem. According to Statista, the market is projected to reach a value of $66 million this year. While this is significantly less than the US’s $1.6 billion, mobile gaming could help bridge the gap for Africa.

Activision demonstrated interest in the market when it launched a dedicated server in December 2023.

Meanwhile, the Co-Head of CODM at Activision remarked that the tournament will be a significant moment for African esports.

However, considering the success of African creators in global creator tournaments, African players will have an opportunity to compete against their global counterparts.

Source: Techpoint Africa