With phones firmly in hand, the players exude intense concentration. They are mere hours away from competing in the qualifiers for the eFootball World Cup, the globe’s most popular mobile football game, with the main event slated for November in Riyadh. Ibrahima Diop, known as Ibzo, the national team’s coach, delivers his final tactical guidance.

Ibzo has assembled Senegal’s top eFootball talents; his squad impressively secured the number one spot in the African rankings for the first time just last March. Being a free-to-play title, the game’s popularity now dwarfs that of its console counterparts. Mohamed, or Medzo, a spirited 17-year-old who traveled from Saint-Louis for these crucial qualifiers, shares his passion: “It’s simply enjoyable. There’s a real competitive spirit; you tell yourself, ‘you won’t beat me.’ It’s also very easy to play. Crucially, you don’t need an expensive phone. While consoles are costly, a simple phone with 3GB RAM is enough to play. Senegalese players are skilled, numerous, and incredibly focused on the game.“

Medzo, like many others, dreams of a professional career. Pape Mouhamed Saloum Sow, a law student, echoes this ambition: “I aspire to reach the highest level. I believe eFootball has become much more than just a game. We met here as strangers and now we’re like a family.“

Challenges: “the server problem“

However, these talented Senegalese players contend with several significant disadvantages. Firstly, on TikTok, the platform where they share game analyses and tips, content monetization is not yet available in Africa, unlike in Europe or the United States. More critically, persistent connection issues put them at a disadvantage against many international opponents. “Here in Senegal, we face the server problem,” Ibzo explains. “Across Africa, there’s only one server, located in South Africa. We suffer greatly from excessive latency. You make a pass, and it can take what feels like two minutes for the action to register.“

To further professionalize the sector, Ibzo established his own club. He also benefits from the support of the national electronic sports federation, Fesseda, which was founded two years ago. “We have formalized an agreement to launch what we call ‘e-navétanes’ – electronic versions of traditional local football tournaments,” details its president, El Hadji Mansour Jacques Sagna. “This initiative will enable a vast number of young people to participate in organized competitions across the national territory.“

The federation has also announced the imminent opening of an e-sport analysis and performance center, which will be housed within the prestigious Léopold-Sédar-Senghor stadium, designed to foster the professional development of the discipline.