The race for the inaugural ESEA Bronze Series Esports Championship titles has intensified after a busy opening day in Benin City. Six gaming titles produced a series of results on Friday, October 30, with teams securing places in Saturday’s decisive contests, Bold Sports reports.
Estabein Esports, Sugu Esports, Maximus Esports and the University of Benin (UNIBEN) Esports Team all secured qualification places across the six titles. Meanwhile, the competition has already confirmed third-place finishers in three games, leaving the remaining teams to contest the top two positions on the final day.
The Edo State Esports Association (ESEA) organised the two-day championship, which features five teams competing across six gaming titles for prizes and incentives worth more than ₦1 million.
ESEA Bronze Series Day 1 results across six gaming titles
The opening day featured EA SPORTS FC 26, eFootball Console, Street Fighter 6, Rocket League, Mortal Kombat 1 and NBA 2K26.
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Several teams recorded convincing victories, while others faced difficult routes to qualification. The results also established the teams that will compete for championship honours on Saturday.
EA SPORTS FC 26: three teams qualify for final-day contest
Estabein Esports, the University of Benin Esports Team and Maximus Esports secured qualification for the EA SPORTS FC 26 finals.
Estabein Esports recorded the biggest victory in the listed matches, defeating Maximus Esports 9–2. The team also beat Bros Emma Games 2–0, although it lost 3–2 to the University of Benin Esports Team. Sugu Esports claimed a 7–3 victory over the University of Benin Esports Team and later defeated Bros Emma Games 6–2.
Maximus Esports beat Bros Emma Games 2–1 and Sugu Esports 4–3 before drawing 4–4 with the University of Benin Esports Team.
The three qualified teams will compete for first, second and third place on Saturday. Bros Emma Games missed out on qualification.
| Match | Result |
|---|---|
| Maximus Esports vs Bros Emma Games | 2–1 |
| Sugu Esports vs University of Benin Esports Team | 7–3 |
| Estabein Esports vs Maximus Esports | 9–2 |
| Sugu Esports vs Estabein Esports | 5–6 |
| Bros Emma Games vs University of Benin Esports Team | 1–2 |
| Maximus Esports vs Sugu Esports | 4–3 |
| Estabein Esports vs Bros Emma Games | 2–0 |
| University of Benin Esports Team vs Maximus Esports | 4–4 |
| Estabein Esports vs University of Benin Esports Team | 2–3 |
| Sugu Esports vs Bros Emma Games | 6–2 |
Qualified teams: Estabein Esports, University of Benin Esports Team and Maximus Esports.
eFootball: Estabein lead the qualification charge
Estabein Esports, the University of Benin Esports Team and Sugu Esports qualified for the eFootball Console finals.
Estabein Esports produced several strong performances, including a 7–0 win over Maximus Esports and a 5–0 victory against Bros Emma Games. The team also defeated the University of Benin Esports Team 3–0 and Sugu Esports 1–0.
The University of Benin Esports Team beat Maximus Esports 2–0 and Sugu Esports 5–2. Sugu Esports also secured a 5–2 win against Bros Emma Games and defeated Maximus Esports 4–0.
Maximus Esports struggled to find results, losing all four of its listed matches. Bros Emma Games also suffered heavy defeats against Estabein Esports and Sugu Esports.
The three qualifiers will battle for the podium positions on the final day.
| Match | Result |
|---|---|
| Sugu Esports vs Estabein Esports | 0–1 |
| Maximus Esports vs University of Benin Esports Team | 0–2 |
| Sugu Esports vs University of Benin Esports Team | 2–5 |
| Bros Emma Games vs Maximus Esports | 3–2 |
| Estabein Esports vs Bros Emma Games | 5–0 |
| Estabein Esports vs University of Benin Esports Team | 3–0 |
| Sugu Esports vs Bros Emma Games | 5–2 |
| Estabein Esports vs Maximus Esports | 7–0 |
| Sugu Esports vs Maximus Esports | 4–0 |
| University of Benin Esports Team vs Bros Emma Games | 2–1 |
Qualified teams: Estabein Esports, University of Benin Esports Team and Sugu Esports.
Street Fighter 6: Estabein and Sugu advance
Estabein Esports and Sugu Esports secured places in the Street Fighter 6 final.
Estabein Esports recorded three victories over Maximus Esports, Bros Emma Games and the University of Benin Esports Team, winning each contest 3–0. Sugu Esports also registered several victories, including a 3–1 win over Bros Emma Games and a 3–0 victory against Maximus Esports.
The University of Benin Esports Team defeated Bros Emma Games 3–2 but could not maintain that momentum against the leading teams. The university side lost 3–1 to Sugu Esports and suffered two 3–0 defeats against Estabein Esports.
The University of Benin Esports Team finished third, securing the final podium position. Estabein Esports and Sugu Esports will now compete for the championship and runner-up places.
| Match | Result |
|---|---|
| Sugu Esports vs Bros Emma Games | 3–1 |
| Sugu Esports vs Estabein Esports | 2–3 |
| Estabein Esports vs Maximus Esports | 3–0 |
| University of Benin Esports Team vs Bros Emma Games | 2–3 |
| University of Benin Esports Team vs Sugu Esports | 1–3 |
| Estabein Esports vs Bros Emma Games | 3–0 |
| University of Benin Esports Team vs Maximus Esports | 3–0 |
| Sugu Esports vs Maximus Esports | 3–0 |
| Bros Emma Games vs Maximus Esports | 0–3 |
| Estabein Esports vs University of Benin Esports Team | 3–0 |
Finalists: Estabein Esports and Sugu Esports.
Third place: University of Benin Esports Team.
Rocket League: Maximus and Sugu book final places
Maximus Esports and Sugu Esports advanced to the Rocket League final after a series of closely contested matches.
Maximus Esports defeated Estabein Esports 1–0 and recorded the same score against the University of Benin Esports Team, Bros Emma Games and Sugu Esports. Those results secured Maximus Esports a place in the title contest.
Sugu Esports also recorded three 1–0 victories, beating Bros Emma Games, Estabein Esports and the University of Benin Esports Team. The team will meet Maximus Esports again to determine the champion.
Estabein Esports finished third, despite recording a 1–0 win over the University of Benin Esports Team and another 1–0 victory against Bros Emma Games. The team’s 1–0 defeat to Maximus Esports prevented it from reaching the final.
Every listed Rocket League match ended with a single-goal margin, highlighting how closely contested the competition was.
| Match | Result |
|---|---|
| Sugu Esports vs Bros Emma Games | 1–0 |
| Sugu Esports vs Estabein Esports | 1–0 |
| Estabein Esports vs Maximus Esports | 0–1 |
| University of Benin Esports Team vs Bros Emma Games | 1–0 |
| University of Benin Esports Team vs Sugu Esports | 0–1 |
| Estabein Esports vs Bros Emma Games | 1–0 |
| University of Benin Esports Team vs Maximus Esports | 0–1 |
| Sugu Esports vs Maximus Esports | 0–1 |
| Bros Emma Games vs Maximus Esports | 0–1 |
| Estabein Esports vs University of Benin Esports Team | 1–0 |
Finalists: Maximus Esports and Sugu Esports.
Third place: Estabein Esports.
Mortal Kombat 1: Estabein and UNIBEN reach the final
Estabein Esports and the University of Benin Esports Team secured the two final places in Mortal Kombat 1 after dominant performances on the opening day.
Estabein Esports defeated Sugu Esports, Maximus Esports and Bros Emma Games 3–0. The team also beat the University of Benin Esports Team 3–0 in their final listed encounter.
The University of Benin Esports Team recorded 3–0 victories over Bros Emma Games, Sugu Esports and Maximus Esports. However, its defeat to Estabein Esports left the team to contest the title against the same opponent in the final.
Maximus Esports finished third, despite losing its listed matches against Estabein Esports and the University of Benin Esports Team. The team secured the final podium position ahead of the decisive contest.
| Match | Result |
|---|---|
| Sugu Esports vs Bros Emma Games | 3–0 |
| Sugu Esports vs Estabein Esports | 0–3 |
| Estabein Esports vs Maximus Esports | 3–0 |
| University of Benin Esports Team vs Bros Emma Games | 3–0 |
| University of Benin Esports Team vs Sugu Esports | 3–0 |
| Estabein Esports vs Bros Emma Games | 3–0 |
| University of Benin Esports Team vs Maximus Esports | 3–0 |
| Sugu Esports vs Maximus Esports | 0–3 |
| Bros Emma Games vs Maximus Esports | 0–3 |
| Estabein Esports vs University of Benin Esports Team | 3–0 |
Finalists: Estabein Esports and University of Benin Esports Team.
Third place: Maximus Esports.
NBA 2K26: Sugu, Estabein and Maximus qualify
Sugu Esports, Estabein Esports and Maximus Esports secured qualification for the NBA 2K26 finals after a high-scoring opening day.
Sugu Esports recorded the biggest winning margin among the listed matches, beating Bros Emma Games 97–24. The team also defeated the University of Benin Esports Team 54–42 and beat Estabein Esports 62–45.
Estabein Esports secured a 47–37 win over the University of Benin Esports Team and later defeated Bros Emma Games 62–30. Maximus Esports also recorded a 50–47 victory over Sugu Esports and beat Bros Emma Games 51–38.
Two matches ended with 100–0 scorelines. Maximus Esports defeated the University of Benin Esports Team by that margin, while Bros Emma Games recorded the same score against the university side in another encounter.
The three qualified teams will compete for the first three positions on Saturday.
| Match | Result |
|---|---|
| Estabein Esports vs University of Benin Esports Team | 47–37 |
| Sugu Esports vs Bros Emma Games | 97–24 |
| Maximus Esports vs Estabein Esports | 32–42 |
| Sugu Esports vs University of Benin Esports Team | 54–42 |
| Maximus Esports vs University of Benin Esports Team | 100–0 |
| Estabein Esports vs Sugu Esports | 45–62 |
| Maximus Esports vs Sugu Esports | 50–47 |
| Estabein Esports vs Bros Emma Games | 62–30 |
| Maximus Esports vs Bros Emma Games | 51–38 |
| Bros Emma Games vs University of Benin Esports Team | 100–0 |
Qualified teams: Sugu Esports, Estabein Esports and Maximus Esports.
Third-place finishers confirmed in three titles
While teams remain in contention for championship positions across the different games, three titles already have confirmed third-place finishers.
The University of Benin Esports Team secured third place in Street Fighter 6. Maximus Esports took third place in Mortal Kombat 1, while Estabein Esports claimed third place in Rocket League.
These results mean that the remaining two teams in each of those three titles will compete directly for first and second place during Saturday’s Grand Finale.
The other three games — EA SPORTS FC 26, eFootball Console and NBA 2K26 — each have three qualified teams. Those teams will contest the first three positions.
ESEA Bronze Series Grand Finale set for Saturday
The championship will conclude on Saturday, October 31, at the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub on Airport Road, Benin City.
The venue will host the Grand Finale, where the qualified teams will compete for the remaining podium positions and the inaugural Bronze Series titles.
The opening day took place at the Media Centre of the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium on Stadium Road, Benin City.
The Edo State Esports Association organised the tournament to support the development of competitive esports in Edo State. The championship also carries the endorsement of the Esports Federation of Nigeria and the Edo State Sports Commission.
With qualification decided across all six gaming titles, attention now turns to the Grand Finale. The final day will determine the inaugural champions of the ESEA Bronze Series and settle the remaining podium positions.
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