Kenya stumble in Global Esports Games qualifiers
Team Kenya Esports player Harry Kappa (left) and head coach Peter Mumu during African qualifiers for Global Esports Games on October 1, 2023.
What you need to know:
- In the group stages of eFootball, Harry Kappa started well beating South Sudan, Somalia and Djibouti but lost to Algeria and Senegal to earn a semi-finals berth
- In the semi-finals, Kappa went down 2-1 to Ghana before losing by a similar margin to Nigeria in the third place playoffs which was the last chance of qualification
- In the PUBG category, Kenya placed seventh to miss out on qualification as Algeria, Nigeria and Somalia proceeded
Kenya’s dream of taking part in the eFootball and PUBG Mobile categories of the upcoming Global Esports Games was halted at the last hurdle during the African qualifiers.
In the group stages of eFootball, Harry Kappa started well beating South Sudan, Somalia and Djibouti but lost to Algeria and Senegal to earn a semi-finals berth.
In the semi-finals, Kappa went down 2-1 to Ghana before losing by a similar margin to Nigeria in the third place playoffs which was the last chance of qualification.
Senegal, Algeria, Tunisia and Ghana have now qualified for the global showpiece.
In the PUBG category, Kenya placed seventh to miss out on qualification as Algeria, Nigeria and Somalia proceeded.
Head Coach Peter Mumu lauded his players for putting up a spirited fight.
“We may not have gotten the qualification, but we have gotten lessons and experience. Our players are in their late teens and lessons from this stage will be valuable in their future,” said Mumu.
Kenya will have a chance to qualify for the street fighter category when they go into the qualifiers next weekend. The only Kenyan team to qualify for the Global Esports Games so far is the Dota2 women team who topped the African qualifiers.
The Global Esports Games will be held from December 11 to 17 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
