Carry1st Africa Cup prize pool doubles to $30,000 for 2026
Carry1st said the event generates no profit and is funded through year-over-year revenue growth elsewhere in the business
South Africa-based Carry1st has doubled the prize pool for its Africa Cup tournament to $30,000, up from $15,000 last year.
The company told PocketGamer.biz that it is, as far as it knows, the largest prize pool for an African-only tournament.
The Africa Cup ran for the second year in a row as a qualifying event for the Call of Duty: Mobile World Championship, and also served as a qualifier for the Esports World Cup through the MLBB Women's Invitational.
Expanded reach, same two games
Call of Duty: Mobile opened to 38 countries this year, up from previous editions, competing across five regional qualifiers.
The tournament again covered the same two titles as last year, Call of Duty: Mobile and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, with a similar number of players and teams to 2025's turnout of over 200 teams and 1,000 players across seven regions.
VP of growth Guillaume Noe also clarified that Carry1st does not generate profit from the event, describing it as a balancing act between delivering a strong experience and justifying the investment through year-over-year revenue growth.
Carry1st does not plan to aggressively expand the number of games covered for the 2027 edition but said it is considering different options.
