The biggest Call of Duty: Mobile tournament on the continent joins forces with the world’s leading music streaming platform to deliver Africa’s ultimate esports and entertainment experience.
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LAGOS, NIGERIA – 16 July, 2025: Carry1st, Africa’s leading games publisher, today announced a partnership with Spotify as the Official Music Sponsor for the 2025 Carry1st Africa Cup – the continent's largest Call of Duty®: Mobile (CODM) tournament and the official qualifier for the CODM World Championship 2025.

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Building on the success of last year's inaugural event, the Carry1st Africa Cup 2025 Grand Finals will  feature eight of the strongest Call of Duty: Mobile teams from across the continent, ushering in an exciting new chapter for African esports. The champions of the Carry1st Africa Cup will then advance to represent Africa for the first time at the Call of Duty®: Mobile World Championship 2025, vying for a share of a $1 million global prize pool.

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The Grand Finals weekend will electrify Lagos, Nigeria from August 30-31, with elite teams battling for bragging rights and the $15,000 prize pool. This tournament finale promises an unparalleled fusion of competitive gaming and vibrant music, guaranteeing an exhilarating experience for both players and fans alike.

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"The Carry1st Africa Cup is about a celebration of African youth, talent, and creativity," said Guillaume Noé, VP of Growth Platform at Carry1st. "Partnering with Spotify allows us to take this to the next level, uniting music and gaming to give fans an unforgettable experience at the Grand Finals.”

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As the Official Music Sponsor, Spotify will enhance the fan and player experience throughout the Lagos Grand Finals. The event will feature live performances from artists and DJs, creating memorable musical moments and fostering a true festival atmosphere across both days. Attendees at the event can also immerse themselves in the Spotify Fan Zone, complete with a music lounge, interactive activities, convenient phone charging stations, and exclusive Spotify giveaways.

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Spotify will also launch the Carry1st Africa Cup Official Playlist, a unique compilation blending the vibrant sounds of Afrobeats, Afro-gaming tracks, and top hits from across Africa. Fans will have the chance to vote on the final tracklist launched during the Nigeria regional finals on social media, with the playlist going live on August 3, 2025. Its full reveal will follow in the week of August 11, 2025, across Carry1st and Spotify's social channels. 

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Sithabile Kachisa, Spotify’s Associate Director, Marketing, Sub-Saharan Africa added: “Spotify is thrilled to partner with Carry1st to bring the power of music to the biggest mobile gaming tournament on the continent. Together, we’re creating a space where African gamers and artists can shine on a global stage.”

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Fans across the continent can track the final regional battles live on Carry1st's YouTube Channel, with the Kenya Finals on July 20, 2025, and the Nigeria Finals on August 3, 2025. 

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This collaboration underscores the potent synergy between music and gaming, both pivotal cultural pillars for African youth. Together, Carry1st and Spotify aim to champion the continent's immense talent and creativity, providing a global stage for players and fans to shine.

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About Spotify

Spotify transformed music listening forever when we launched in 2008. Our mission is to unlock the potential of human creativity by giving a million creative artists the opportunity to live off their art and billions of fans the opportunity to enjoy and be inspired by these creators. Everything we do is driven by our love for music and podcasts. Discover, manage, and share over 100 million tracks, including more than 6 million podcast titles, for free, or upgrade to Spotify Premium to access exclusive features for music including improved sound quality and an on-demand, offline, and ad-free music listening experience. Today, we are the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service with a community of 626 million users, including 246 million Spotify Premium subscribers, in over 180 markets.

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Facebook: @SpotifyAfrica  | Twitter: @SpotifyAfrica | Instagram: @spotifyafrica | WhatsApp Channel: Spotify Africa News #SpotifyAfrica

Download the Spotify app via the Android or iOS app store or by heading to www.spotify.com - to embed Spotify into a website - right click on any playlist, go to 'share' and copy embed code.

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Spotify in numbers:  626 million monthly active users / 246 million subscription users / Over 100 million songs in the catalogue / 6 million podcasts titles/Over 4 billion playlists available / Available in over 180 markets. 

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About Carry1st

Carry1st is Africa’s leading publisher of games and digital content. Its mission is to scale awesome content in frontier markets. Carry1st develops, licences, and publishes games and monetizes them effectively with Pay1st, a proprietary payments solution and the Carry1st Shop, their online marketplace. The company has scaled games such as Call of Duty®: Mobile, VALORANT, Mancala Adventures, and Mergedom. Founded in 2018, the company is backed by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Sony, BITKRAFT, Google, and Riot Games.

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Twitter: @carry1st | Instagram: @carry1st | TikTok: @carry1st | YouTube: @carry1st

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Distributed on Behalf of Spotify by: Irvine Partners: spotifypr@weareirvinepartners.co.za

For Carry1st Media Inquiries, contact: nadim@carry1st.com

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