The eSports Boom: South Africa Eager to Make a Mark in Professional Gaming

The 2026 eSports World Cup (EWC) and eSports Nations Cup (ENC) are the standout events in what promises to be a stellar year for professional gaming.

South Africa is among the nations hoping to be represented in tournaments which will generate huge interest in the online betting industry. Many of the sportsbooks featured on comparison website bettingtop10.co.za offer extensive coverage of major eSports competitions.

Betting on professional gaming has boomed in recent years and the trend looks guaranteed to continue for the foreseeable future. Rainbow Six Siege X will be amongst the games featured.

Ubisoft has unveiled the Rainbow Six Siege X eSports roadmap for 2026, officially confirming its place as a mid-season highlight at the EWC. It is expected to be part of the ENC line-up later in the year.

South Africa will be eager for its top eSports exponents to secure the opportunity to showcase their talents in tournaments which are guaranteed to generate plenty of headlines.

From Casual Gaming to a Booming industry

Professional gaming in South Africa was worth around $14.3 million in 2020, but the sector has reportedly doubled in size since then.

Further growth is expected, with projections pointing towards a valuation of more than $44m by 2030. The explosion is down to more people having access to the internet.

As far as South Africans are concerned, eSports is no longer just casual gaming. It now operates on the same lines as traditional sports, with competitions, teams, coaches, rankings and prize money.

Professional gaming is allowing South Africans to earn more money than they could have imagined. It helps them develop digital skills such as coding, content creation, data analysis and event management.

These skills can be applied in numerous other digital sectors, which is invaluable in a country with high youth unemployment.

The Link Between Gaming and Education

Organisations such as Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) and the Confederation of African Esports (CAES) are helping local gamers climb the global ranks across multiple devices.

Eduvos is a private college which has invested in eSports as a learning platform that teaches teamwork, digital literacy and critical thinking.

The college launched a campus-wide eSports programme in 2023, looking to tap into gaming in a way that builds transferable skills that can be applied in the workplace.

They launched the eSports initiative across all 12 of its campuses, involving over 300 gamers and partnered with eight other educational establishments

The idea was to use competitive gaming to teach real-world skills that employers value. These skills are transferable in nearly any line of work, from technology to business and creative industries.

Tony Matchaba-Hove, Eduvos’ Bedfordview Campus general manager, said: “The link between education and gaming is what is driving us, the need to create future-ready graduates.

“Too often, students leave university with knowledge that is not easily transferable to the working world. Gaming helps us close that gap.”

Data from eSports Earnings shows that 846 South African players have collectively earned over $2 million across 648 tournaments, with Counter-Strike 2 accounting for more than 43 percent of the total earnings.

South Africa on the Global Stage

The EWC featured a sizeable prize pool in 2025, and incorporating the tournament in the 2026 schedule highlights its growing importance in the calendar.

Games such as Rainbow Six Siege X, Counter-Strike 2, Valorant, Apex Legends and PUBG are all on the table. South African players will be licking their lips at the prospect of competing in these games, given their vast experience in international titles.

Professional gaming tournaments are now big business. This paves the way for South African players to realistically pursue a long-term professional career in gaming rather than making sporadic appearances on the big stage.

The EWC attracts thousands of players from around the world, which is another sign of how big the industry has become.

The 2026 edition will feature 24 games, bringing together shooters, sports games, fighting games and other genres. This kind of exposure is priceless for South African players.