What happens when West Africa’s top Call of Duty Mobile squads battle for a spot on the world stage? The answer has been thrilling. Over the past two weeks, the Carry1st Africa Cup 2025; the big Call of Duty Mobile Africa Cup qualifier, has seen Cameroon’s JBlack Team, Ivory Coast’s ENERGY Gaming, Senegal’s Teranga Esport, and other powerhouses clash in intense 5v5 matches. Every game counts: the champion will earn a share of the $15,000 prize and Africa’s slot at the CODM World Championship.
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In Phase 1, teams from Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, and Senegal (the Francophone West Africa region fought through group and playoff rounds to determine the region’s champion. Here’s what went down.
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Carry1st Africa Cup 2025 West Africa Francophone Qualifiers Recap

The Francophone qualifiers ran through the month of May from the 16th to the 1st of June. As you may already know, in addition to the $15,000 prize pool, there’s an Africa slot at the COD Mobile World Championship 2025 up for grabs, giving an even more tense atmosphere to the competition. My thoughts on last year’s competition were that every match felt like do-or-die, but this year, it felt like the very fate of mankind was at stake with how heated things got (mind my exaggerations.)

That match structure was on a 5v5 best-of-five games basis. Each team had five players plus one substitute, all from the same country; in a scene akin to the Africa Cup of Nations. After round-robin groups, the top teams entered a 16-team double-elimination bracket. The format was straightforward: lose a match, and you fell to the lower bracket; lose twice, and you’re out. It kept tension high and made every map count.
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Round-by-Round Play-by-Play Recap

The action started on May 24 with Sage Gaming coming out strong, beating ENERGY Gaming easily, 4-0. ENERGY bounced back quickly, defeating Nexgen 3-0 in the next round, while Jblack Team comfortably took down UPAGAINSTHELL 3-0. Teranga Esport fought hard but ultimately fell to Jblack Team, losing 3-0.

Teranga quickly shook off the loss, dominating Nexgen 3-0 later that day. ENERGY Gaming also found their rhythm, beating UPAGAINSTHELL in another clean 3-0 victory.

On May 25, Teranga Esport faced ENERGY Gaming again, handing them a convincing 3-0 defeat.

The stage was then set for June 1, with SAGE GAMING going up against Jblack Team. Sage continued their strong form, winning 3-1 to secure their spot in the regional finals. Jblack Team, needing redemption, battled Teranga Esport next and secured a decisive 3-0 victory, pushing Teranga out of contention.

The Grand Final was set: SAGE GAMING versus Jblack Team once again. Whoever said lightning doesn’t strike the same place twice was put to disbelief, as Sage Gaming left nothing to chance in their second face-off against Jblac. Clinching a dominant 4-1 win and emerging as champions, they’re off to represent the West Africa Francophone region as champions.

Calme comme tu l'aimes (calm as you like it).
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Meet the Teams: Who’s Who?

Sage Gaming (Champions)

Sage Gaming showed incredible teamwork and consistency throughout. Their aggressive playstyle and strategic map control were unmatched. Clearly, they were prepared, confident, and decisive, dominating the final rounds. After all, that’s why they’re champions.

Jblack Team (Runner-up)

Jblack Team consistently displayed skillful coordination and clutch plays, dominating the early rounds. Despite a tough final loss, their resilience and adaptability made them fan favorites. They couldn’t quite close it in the end, but proved they’re a formidable force in the West Africa Francophone region.

Teranga Esport

Hailing from Senegal, Teranga Esport showed flashes of brilliance in their match-ups, especially in their wins against ENERGY and Nexgen. Unfortunately, they struggled to maintain consistency and fell to a raging Jblack Team. Despite this, they’re not a team to write-off and you can expect to see them sometime soon with all that potential.

ENERGY Gaming

4th-placed Energy Gaming certainly could have gone all the way. A first round win over Nexgen made their title-winning intentions clear, until a roadblock in the next round in the form of a loss to Sage Gaming. Their adaptive playstyle then paid off in the next match against UPAGAINSTHELL before any rallying for top spot was put to an abrupt end by Teranga Esport. Nevertheless, they brought a specialty to the regional finals.
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Nexgen

Some hopes fall flat dead on arrival despite raw talent and promising individual skills. Such was Nexgen’s fate, as they couldn’t find their footing in these qualifiers and struggled to secure a win in their matchups against ENERGY Gaming and Teranga. Thus ended their charge a bit swiftly, but with more practice, they’ll definitely be contenders next season.
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UPAGAINSTHELL

If you’re big on details, you’ll remember UPAGAINSTHELL from their run in last year at the maiden edition. This year, Lady Luck didn’t quite smile on them despite their courage in tough matchups against ENERGY and Jblack Team. You can only do so much and while they sure didn’t win, their relentless fighting spirit earned respect (especially mine).

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ENERGY Gaming

ENERGY Gaming had a rollercoaster tournament, with major wins followed by tough losses. Their ability to recover quickly from setbacks highlighted their mental toughness and competitive spirit.

Final Standings:

• 1st Place: SAGE GAMING (Advances to Grand Finals)
• 2nd Place: Jblack Team
• 3rd Place: ENERGY Gaming
• 4th Place: Teranga Esport
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The Road Ahead: Lagos Awaits!

Sage Gaming now moves on to represent Francophone West Africa at the Carry1st Call of Duty Mobile Africa Cup Grand Finals in Lagos, Nigeria (August 30–31). They'll face champions from across Africa, battling for pride, a $15,000 prize, and a spot at the global COD Mobile World Championship.

So far Phase 1 has been a blast, and Phase 2 promises even more. There are still other regional finals to look forward to, and the excitement has really only just begun! 

The Carry1st Africa Cup (Call of Duty Mobile Africa Cup) was built for this, and Africa’s best teams are showing why they belong on the big stage. Stay tuned for the next round; I, for one, can’t wait to see which team pulls off the next surprise. It’s just getting started!

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