Carry1st to Host All-Female MLBB Tournament in Cairo for 2025 Africa Cup

South African game publisher Carry1st is bringing some serious esports action to Cairo, Egypt, with an all-female Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) tournament.

This exciting competition is part of the 2025 Carry1st Africa Cup, running from April 4th to April 26th, and wrapping up at the Insomnia Egypt gaming festival.

If you’re a female gamer looking to prove your skills, registrations are already open! (until April 2nd)

Things kick off on April 4th with online qualifiers open to female MLBB teams from across the continent. Then, on April 10th, Egyptian teams will get their own dedicated qualifier. Each stage will see 32 teams battling it out in a double-elimination format, with the top two advancing to the Grand Finals at Insomnia Egypt from April 24th to 26th.

But it’s not just about winning the tournament—there’s something even bigger at stake. The champions will secure a spot at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, happening between June and July. This global event, organized by the Esports World Cup Foundation, will feature 25 gaming titles, including two MLBB competitions—the Mid-Season Cup and the Women’s Invitational. Last year, 12 teams battled it out for a massive $550,000 (~£426,174) prize pool, with Philippine-based Smart Omega Esports coming out on top.

In 2024, the Carry1st Africa Cup centered around Call of Duty: Mobile (CODM), featuring a $15,000 prize pool and drawing top teams from countries like Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Morocco, and Kenya. The event concluded with South Africa’s Noxious Gaming taking the title in Nairobi. This focus on CODM reflects Carry1st’s strong partnership with the game, including deploying dedicated servers in Nigeria and South Africa to enhance competitive play.

Beyond CODM and MLBB, Carry1st has previously ventured into Valorant esports. In 2023, they collaborated with Riot Games to launch the VALZA Cup in South Africa, with a R150,000 (~$8,500 USD) prize pool, held at the rAge Expo. This event showcased their interest in expanding into PC-based esports alongside their mobile gaming focus. Given Valorant’s growing popularity and Carry1st’s role in bringing its servers to South Africa, it’s plausible that Valorant could reappear in the 2025 Africa Cup lineup.

Ray Ng, Head of Esports Ecosystem at MOONTON Games, expressed excitement about the partnership, saying MOONTON is proud to support African female players as they take on the global stage. “We are witnessing a thriving esports ecosystem across the continent and are particularly proud to be able to help talented female players from Africa make their mark on the global stage,” Nd said in a press release.