Competitive gaming reached towns and cities across Sierra Leone this summer. Africell’s esports tournament brought players together for four weeks of group-stage matches, leading to the National Finals on 5 September 2026.
FOUR REGIONS, TWELVE FINALISTS
The group stages began on 8 August in Makeni, where players from the Northern Province competed for the first places in the finals. The tournament then moved south to Bo, before ending with two group stages in the capital, Freetown East and Freetown West.
In each group, players went head-to-head in FC26 for one of three qualifying places. Only the top three in each region went through, so every match counted. The 12 players who reached the National Finals had each beaten the best competition in their region.
Holding the group stages outside the capital was a deliberate choice. Plenty of young gamers beyond Freetown have the talent to compete but rarely get a chance to play in organised competition. With qualifiers in Makeni and Bo as well as outlying districts of Freetown, players across the country had an equal chance at a national title, and local audiences got to watch live competitive gaming.
The National Finals held in Freetown on 5 September then brought all 12 qualifiers together to decide the national title.
A GLOBAL INDUSTRY WITH MOMENTUM IN AFRICA
Esports has grown from a niche hobby into a professional industry, with leagues, clubs, sponsors, broadcasters and players who make a living from the game. The global esports audience reached 640.8 million people in 2025, split between 318.1 million core enthusiasts and 322.7 million occasional viewers.
The biggest events now rival traditional sport in scale. This summer’s esports World Cup in Paris brought together more than 2,000 players and 200 clubs from over 100 countries, competing for a prize pool of more than $75 million.
Africa is the world’s fastest-growing gaming region. According to recent figures from Newzoo and Carry1st, Africa’s gamer population is expected to pass 406 million in 2026, more than double the 186 million of 2021. Games revenue on the continent is forecast to reach $1.98 billion this year, up 11.9%, nearly twice the rate of the global market.
Africa’s gaming boom is also different from other regions because it runs on mobile. Mobile is expected to generate 81.8% of the continent’s games revenue in 2026. For most African gamers, the smartphone is the console and the mobile network is the arena. That puts mobile operators at the centre of the continent’s esports story.
WHY AFRICELL IS BACKING ESPORTS
For Africell, esports is a natural fit. Gaming is one of the main ways young people use mobile data, and in Africa it happens mostly on a phone. Public tournaments let us meet these customers in their own communities, rather than only through advertising.
Running tournaments ourselves, rather than only sponsoring them, lets Africell help build Sierra Leone’s competitive gaming community from the ground up. We can create pathways for local players, give them a stage, and provide the connectivity the game depends on.
There is a wider purpose too. eSports builds skills that matter in a digital economy, including strategy, teamwork, quick decisions and comfort with technology. It is also opening careers in content creation, streaming, event production and game development. Supporting these young players is part of Africell’s commitment to Sierra Leone’s digital future.
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