Carry1st to host African qualifiers for COD: Mobile World Championship

African mobile game publisher Carry1st has announced it will host the African qualifiers for the 2025 Call of Duty: Mobile World Championship.

The 2025 edition of the Carry1st Africa Cup has been recognised by Activision as an official qualifying tournament for the continent.

The Carry1st Africa Cup will feature seven African regions and provide players a pathway to earn a place at the Call of Duty: Mobile World Championship taking place later this year.

Commencing in May and running until July, the qualifiers will determine the teams that earn a place at August’s LAN Grand Finals in Lagos, Nigeria. The event will feature a $15,000 (~£11,257) prize pool with the winner advancing to represent Africa at the season-ending World Championship.

“We’re excited to announce the return of Call of Duty: Mobile as part of our Carry1st Africa Cup this year,” said Guillaume Noé, Vice President of Growth at Carry1st.

“Now we’re raising the stakes with more players and more regions. For the first time, our tournament has been recognised by Activision as a qualifier, meaning that gamers aren’t just playing for home pride; they’re also competing for the chance to play against the world’s best.”

In addition to the seven regions across Africa, the Carry1st Africa Cup will feature a wildcard slot, enabling countries from outside Africa to compete as part of the publisher’s commitment to inclusivity within the esports industry.

Despite Activision’s backing, Call of Duty: Mobile has struggled to capture the attention of mobile and Call of Duty esports fans.

This is partly due to the presence of the Call of Duty League (CDL) and the publisher often hosting Call of Duty: Warzone tournaments featuring some of the biggest content creators in the world.

The 2024 World Championship recorded peak viewing figures of 31,002 according to Esports Charts, significantly less than the CDL Majors and World Series of Warzone events.

Opening the event up to Africa is an excellent opportunity to introduce Call of Duty: Mobile esports to a new audience which could result in an increase in viewing figures and engagement from a new region.