SNA column: African esports enters legend mode

Archive column · Originally published on 30 September 2025. English edition translated from French; the Gamathon calendar is clarified below.

Virtual football: a bridge between two worlds

Football is a passion shared by huge numbers of us, on the pitch and on the console. In September 2025, the EA Sports FC 25 scene showed it was more alive than ever.

7 September — SBA Esports Cup, Kigali, Rwanda. Rwanda made a statement by hosting the first SportsBiz Africa Esports Cup. Eight of the continent's leading players competed for a $5,000 prize pool. South Africa's Zaid April lifted the trophy after an intense final, taking personal revenge against an opponent who had beaten him in the opening group-stage match.

The event also highlighted the uphill struggle facing emerging talents. Rwanda's representative, Praise Nyamwasa, said he had competed alone, without a coach or manager, against opponents with organised support. The talent is there; the backing still needs to follow.

9–10 September — SportsBiz Africa Forum, Kigali, Rwanda. After the cup, industry professionals gathered to talk business. The message was clear: African gaming had major economic potential, with a market projection of $2.39 billion for 2025. That figure was a forecast for the broader gaming market, rather than esports revenue or a confirmed year-end result. Esports was becoming a possible career, rather than simply a hobby.

Mobile: the king of Africa's gaming arena

Forget prohibitively expensive PCs. In Africa, much of the action happens on smartphones, and the PUBG Mobile Africa Cup finals in Nairobi on 13–14 September offered a striking example. The competition reported 12,318 registrations across the continent, a figure the original column presented as a record.

After two days of intense competition, X Force Rejects were crowned champions, displaying impressive consistency and tactical control. The event had support from the Kenya Esports Association, while Infinix supplied finalists with the GT 30 Pro as the tournament's official gaming phone. It was a clear sign of an increasingly organised mobile esports ecosystem, with the ambition to compete on the world stage.

New playing fields, new ambitions

Esports is about more than football and shooters. Around this period, new disciplines and initiatives were helping to build the future.

Uganda shifts up a gear. Virtual motorsport made a new start with the Federation of Motorsport Clubs of Uganda's inaugural esports championship series. Isaac Katende won the opening rally competition on WRC Generations. It was an exciting way to bring young people closer to motorsport and discover new driving talent.

Gamathon Africa, Lagos, Nigeria. Africacomicade's Gamathon 2025 brought together game creators, developers and investors. Its main Lagos event ran from 29 September to 4 October 2025: it had therefore only just begun when this column was first published. Under the theme “Bridge”, it sought to connect participants and help the industry grow from within. These are the spaces where tomorrow's games take shape.

September 2025 showed African esports gaining momentum. Between the shared passion for virtual football, the growth of mobile competition and the emergence of new disciplines, the continent's gaming story was only beginning.