Does Kenya have what it takes to dominate African esports?
Absolutely. The Carry1st Africa Cup 2025 Kenya Qualifiers proved that without a doubt. Ten teams from across Kenya battled in the Carry1st Africa Cup 2025 qualifier for one huge prize: a ticket to the Grand Finals in Lagos. Over a series of intense matches, they answered the big question on everyone’s mind: who is the best CODM squad in Kenya?
In the end, Delta eSports emerged as the undisputed Kenyan champion after an absolutely flawless run through the competition. How did they do it, and who gave them a run for their money? Let’s break down exactly what happened, from the group stages to the grand final showdown.
Who Showed Up, and What Was at Stake?
Here’s a quick look at all the teams and how they finished in the Kenya qualifier:
- Delta eSports – Champions (undefeated)
- CZY – Runners-up
- Inertia Gaming – 3rd place
- Obsedian – 4th place
- Lunar Esports – 5th/6th (tied)
- HerZone – 5th/6th (tied)
- X-Gen – 7th/8th (tied)
- ¢OMRADES – 7th/8th (tied)
- SGeSports – 9th/10th (tied)
- Krypto Gaming – 9th/10th (tied)
These teams gave us a bit of everything: defending champions from past events, up-and-coming squads, and underdogs looking to shock the favorites. And why not? Pride, the national title, and that all-important spot in the Africa Cup 2025 Finals in Lagos. Throw in the $15,000 prize pool and a berth at the CODM World Championship and you have a truly life-changing opportunity for any team.
Group Stage Highlights
The journey kicked off with a round-robin group stage from June 27 to June 29, setting the tone for the tournament. Teams were split into groups and each matchup was a best-of-five series featuring CODM’s core modes: Hardpoint, Search & Destroy, and Control. It was a grueling schedule over three days, and every map win counted towards playoff seeding. From the very first round, it became clear who came prepared.
Delta eSports wasted no time asserting their dominance. In Group A, they steamrolled through every opponent with ease. Whether it was a Hardpoint slugfest or a nail-biting Search & Destroy, Delta was in control. By the end of group play, they tallied a perfect 4–0 match record with a 12–0 map count, an almost unheard-of display of supremacy. No team in their group could even take a single round off them. CZY, another favorite in the same group, put up an impressive performance as well, finishing 3–1, but even they fell 0–3 when they faced the Delta juggernaut in the group stage finale. The gap between Delta and the rest was obvious, leaving everyone wondering if any team could slow them down.
Over in the other group, Inertia Gaming took a page out of Delta’s playbook. They dominated Group B with an undefeated run of their own. Inertia’s coordination and gunskill shone as they dispatched each opponent. Obsedian secured the second spot in Group B, showing strong fundamentals and only faltering against Inertia. Meanwhile, teams like Lunar Esports and HerZone had an up-and-down time but did just enough to stay in the playoff hunt. For ¢OMRADES and SGeSports, however, the group stage was brutal, they struggled to find any foothold and ended at the bottom of their groups without a single match win. It was a tough learning experience for those squads, as the pecking order in Kenyan CODM became clear.
By the conclusion of group play, the stage was set for the playoffs. The top contenders from each group had secured the best seeds, and all 10 teams advanced into a double-elimination bracket (with a few byes to round out a 16-slot bracket). Delta eSports looked untouchable, and Inertia Gaming wasn’t far behind. But as any fan knows, the playoffs are a different beast; one upset can turn the whole tournament upside down. With everything reset in the bracket, it was time to see who could handle the pressure when every map could end your run.
Playoff Bracket Thrills and Upsets
The playoff stage kicked off on July 5 with a 16-slot double-elimination bracket. Every match was a best-of-five series (except the grand final, which would expand to best-of-seven), so there was little room for error. Thanks to their stellar group performances, the top seeds earned byes in the first round. That meant teams like Delta, Inertia, CZY, and Obsedian got to watch as the lower seeds fought for survival in the opening matches.
Early Rounds – Favorites Hold Firm
In the opening round of the upper bracket, we saw a couple of the lower-seeded teams square off. Notably, ¢OMRADES (one of Group A’s struggling teams) pulled off a small surprise by defeating Lunar Esports 3–0, showing they still had some fight left despite a winless group stage. On the other side, X-Gen took a convincing 3–0 win over HerZone in a battle of mid-seeded teams. However, these initial sparks from underdogs were short-lived. By the Upper Bracket Quarterfinals (essentially the second round), the heavyweights entered the fray and asserted their dominance.
All four quarterfinal matches ended in 3–0 sweeps in favor of the higher seeds. Delta eSports (the #1 seed) squared off against ¢OMRADES and delivered a quick 3–0 knockout, sending ¢OMRADES to the lower bracket in ruthless fashion. At the same time, Obsedian (#4 seed) swept aside Krypto Gaming without breaking a sweat. Over in the other half of the bracket, CZY (#3 seed) blanked SGeSports 3–0 in a one-sided affair, and Inertia Gaming (#2 seed) overpowered X-Gen with yet another 3–0 sweep. The message was loud and clear: the top squads were a cut above, and they weren’t messing around. After the quarterfinals, the tournament’s final four were Delta, Inertia, CZY, and Obsedian had all advanced with ease.
Upper Bracket Clashes – A Showdown of Titans
The upper bracket semifinals brought us two exciting matchups. First up was Delta eSports vs. Obsedian. Obsedian came in as a solid team, but Delta was on another level. True to form, Delta continued their spotless run with yet another 3–0 victory, dismantling Obsedian in every mode. On the other side, CZY vs. Inertia Gaming delivered one of the more intense series of the bracket. Inertia had been flawless until now, but CZY was determined to make a statement. The two traded blows in a high-octane duel, and Inertia managed to edge out CZY 3–1 in that series. Handing CZY a loss was a minor upset in terms of seeding (#2 beat #3), but it proved that Inertia was legitimately a top contender. With that win, Inertia Gaming moved on to the Upper Bracket Final, while CZY was knocked down to the do-or-die lower bracket.
The Upper Bracket Final was a clash between the two group stage juggernauts: Delta eSports vs. Inertia Gaming. Fans had high hopes that Inertia might finally be the squad to challenge Delta’s supremacy. Unfortunately for Inertia, Delta eSports was simply unstoppable. In a masterful performance, Delta swept Inertia 3–0 without breaking a sweat, securing the first berth in the Grand Final. Once again, Delta’s players were always a step ahead and played the objective with near perfection. Inertia, despite their best efforts, couldn’t put a dent in Delta’s armor and dropped into the lower bracket to fight for one more chance. By this point, Delta eSports had still not lost a single map all tournament, an astounding feat of consistency and skill.
Lower Bracket – Comeback Stories and Heartbreaks
Meanwhile, the lower bracket was raging on as a second chance for teams that had stumbled. Early in the lower bracket, the teams that lost in the upper quarterfinals tried to mount comebacks. Lunar Esports and HerZone, both of whom had fallen in earlier rounds, found new life here. Lunar eliminated SGeSports in a 3–0 sweep, knocking out the Group B underdogs. HerZone, on the other hand, went on a mini-tear: they swept Krypto Gaming 3–0 and then took down ¢OMRADES 3–0 as well in back-to-back elimination matches. For a team that barely squeaked into playoffs, HerZone suddenly looked reborn, dispatching two opponents in dominant fashion to reach the later stages of the lower bracket. Their run had fans buzzing, proving that no matter the group stage record, a team could catch fire when it mattered.
But the Cinderella stories would end there, because the lower bracket’s final rounds were all about the powerhouses climbing back up. In Lower Bracket Round 4, Obsedian (fresh off the loss to Delta) met Lunar Esports. Obsedian regrouped and showed why they were a top seed, sweeping Lunar 3–0 to eliminate them and secure a top-four finish. On the other side of the bracket, CZY began their redemption tour. CZY faced HerZone and, like a team on a mission, cruised to a 3–0 win. HerZone’s inspiring lower bracket run was halted, and they exited tied for 5th place; still a commendable result after their rocky start. This set up the Lower Bracket Semifinal: CZY vs. Obsedian, essentially a battle for a podium finish. CZY carried their momentum and put on a dominant performance, sweeping Obsedian 3–0. Obsedian, who had been so promising, had to bow out in fourth place. CZY, however, was peaking at the right moment and earned a spot in the Lower Bracket Final.
The lower final on July 20 was an absolute treat for viewers: a rematch between CZY and Inertia Gaming for a ticket to the Grand Final. These two had met in the upper semi where Inertia won 3-1, so CZY was out for revenge. This match was by far the closest, most thrilling series of the entire qualifier. Both teams threw everything they had into it, trading rounds and clutches in an epic best-of-five. Inertia took an early map, CZY answered back, and the tension kept rising. It went all the way to a deciding Game 5; something no other matchup had forced up to that point. In the end, CZY emerged victorious 3–2, clutching up in the final Search & Destroy to knock Inertia out. It was a heartbreaking finish for Inertia Gaming; after such a strong tournament run, they fell just one map short of the grand final and finished in third place.
Grand Final: Delta eSports Takes the Crown
All the buildup led to the Grand Final on July 20, and fittingly it was a showdown between the two most impressive teams of the qualifier: Delta eSports and CZY. Delta arrived in the grand final undefeated, which meant CZY, coming from the lower bracket, had a steep hill to climb. The format was a best-of-7 series for the championship, so the first team to win four maps would claim the title.
Once the games began, Delta eSports showed no signs of weakness. Despite CZY’s best efforts and strategic planning, Delta was simply on another level. They opened the series with confidence and never looked back. Map after map, the reigning favorites demonstrated why they were untouchable in this qualifier. It was the kind of locked-in performance that teams dream about in a grand final.
CZY fought valiantly, make no mistake. They refused to go down quietly, scrapping for every point and every round. There were moments where they almost swung the momentum, with multi-kills and clever tactics. But “almost” was as close as anyone got to Delta in this event. In what felt like a blink, Delta eSports swept the Grand Final 4–0, capping off their campaign in emphatic fashion. The final kill came through, and with it, virtual confetti rained down on the screen; Delta eSports were officially the Kenya Qualifier Champions.
As CZY’s players graciously accepted defeat and congratulations, they could still hold their heads high. They had pushed through the lower bracket and secured second place, showing heart and skill throughout the tournament. But this moment belonged to Delta eSports and they earned it in dominant fashion.
Kenya’s Champions on the Road to Lagos
As the Kenyan champions, Delta eSports now advances to the Carry1st Africa Cup 2025 Grand Finals in Lagos, Nigeria, for the second time in a row. As last year’s grand finals runners-up, this is a chance to amend all the wrongs and cement a legacy already on a great foundation.
But it will hardly be a walk in the park, as they will carry Kenya’s flag into battle against the other regional champions; elite squads from Francophone West Africa, South Africa, North Africa, Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria, and a wildcard team, in a clash to decide Africa’s best CODM team.
Good luck to Delta eSports in the Africa Cup Finals!
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