Rwanda’s four representatives—Praise Steven Nyamwasa, Sami Mohamed Yasin, Tresor Irasubiza and Franklin Gacinya—have learned their group-stage opponents ahead of the continental SportsBiz Africa Esports Cup, which gets underway at BK Arena with 32 gamers battling for the EA SPORTS FC 26 title. The competition, part of the closing programme of SportsBiz Africa Week, brings together players from across the continent competing on PlayStation 5 for a share of the $10,000 prize pool. Nyamwasa, Sami, Irasubiza and Gacinya secured their places after reaching the semi-finals of the national qualifiers held at BK Arena in August. Nyamwasa went on to win the national championship after beating Sami 4-2 in the final. The 32 players have been divided into four groups of eight, with only the top two from each group advancing to the double-elimination stage. Sami has been drawn in Group A alongside Uganda’s Joabin, Nigeria’s Killafreak, Egypt’s Toxic_Joe, Algeria’s DZ_Galacticos, Tanzania’s Sahil/M4, Comoros’ Nissad and Kenya’s Shaq. Irasubiza will compete in Group B against Kenya’s DAV8, Uganda’s Bashir, Nigeria’s Mitch, Egypt’s Xmozaa, Algeria’s King1ll, South Africa’s Hamza Moosa and Somalia’s Nhaych7. Gacinya faces another competitive field in Group C, where he will take on Kenya’s Prorate, Uganda’s Aksam, Nigeria’s Kingnonex, Egypt’s Anas Badr, Tanzania’s Hermes, DR Congo’s Griffey and South Africa’s Zaid April. April enters the tournament as one of the standout names in the field, having won the inaugural SportsBiz Africa Esports Cup in 2025. National champion Nyamwasa, meanwhile, has been placed in Group D alongside Kenya’s Kappa, Uganda’s Ezra, Nigeria’s Faruk Manzo, Comoros’ Mohamed, Cameroon’s Randy, Ghana’s Kyran and Niger’s Alm7gmg. Under the group-stage format, each player will play seven matches, with the top two finishers in each group progressing. The field will then be reduced from 32 players to eight for the double-elimination stage. For Rwanda, the draw ensures there will be no early clash between the four home representatives, with Sami, Irasubiza and Gacinya placed in Groups A, B and C respectively, while Nyamwasa will carry the national hopes in Group D. The EA SPORTS FC 26 tournament is part of the two-day SportsBiz Africa Esports Cup programme taking place at BK Arena on September 12 and 13. The event will also feature an eFootball Mobile competition, in which Olivier Munezero Hugue will represent Rwanda after winning the national qualifier. The continental esports tournament is returning for its second edition and ranks among the closing events of SportsBiz Africa Week, which has also featured the SportsBiz Africa Forum and Golf Championship in Kigali.
