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The HelaBet e-Championship is back, and this time it is no longer just about finding the best FC player in the room.
After a competitive first edition that saw Ado beat Kenyan FC heavyweight Harry Kappa in a dramatic final, HelaBet is bringing the tournament back this weekend with a bigger prize pool, more games and a much bigger esports setup.
The second edition of the HelaBet e-Championship will take place on Saturday, August 15, and Sunday, August 16, 2026, at Leijona Lifestyle Center Nasra Estate Gate D next to Mama Lucy Hospital in Umoja, with the event set to feature tournaments in EA Sports FC, eFootball and Call of Duty Mobile.
ALSO READ: Helabet Tournament: Harry Kappa Returns From Morocco With a Bang but Ado Steals the Show
The prize pool has also jumped to KSh 100,000, while the organisers are promising live streaming, giveaways, food and drinks, and what the organizers describes as an “epic competition” with rewards. That is a noticeable step up from the first edition.
HelaBet e-Championship 2nd Edition: What You Need to Know
The second edition is scheduled for August 15–16, giving players and fans an entire weekend of gaming action.
According to the official event poster, the tournament will feature three main game categories:
- EA Sports FC
- eFootball
- Call of Duty Mobile
The event will be held at Leijona Lifestyle Center Nasra Estate Gate D next to Mama Lucy Hospital in Umoja, and will also be livestreamed, allowing fans who cannot make it to the venue to follow the action.
Other attractions listed by the organisers include:
- Exciting giveaways
- Food and drinks
- Top players
- Non-stop action
- Live competition rewards
For registration and enquiries, contact:
Nick Ogada: 0114 058125
Masinga Ooko: 0115 200418
You can also register directly via this link. The registration fee is Ksh 500 for FC 26 and Ksh 250 for the mobile games (eFootball and CODM).
How Ado Won the First HelaBet Edition
The first edition already produced one of the more entertaining FC tournament stories in Kenya. Ado emerged champion after defeating Harry Kappa in the final, winning a tournament that brought together some of the country’s strongest FC players.
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Kappa’s tournament run was particularly memorable. The Kenyan veteran had returned from Morocco after competing at the eBotola, and he looked like a player determined to make his return count. He produced one of the biggest comebacks of the tournament when he recovered from a 6–1 deficit against Collo Gamer to eventually win the match 9–8. That was the kind of tournament Kappa was having. He also defeated Absolute Mololo 9–4, edged Mohabi and Sam Jr 8–7, and eventually made his way through the knockout stages.
At one point, Kappa even defeated Ado 8–4 earlier in the competition. But the final was a different story. When the two met again with the title on the line, Ado found a way to get the job done. He defeated Kappa 4–3 in the grand final, with a late Samuel Eto’o goal helping decide the match.
Ado walked away with KSh 30,000, while Kappa collected KSh 20,000. Trex and Prorate shared the KSh 10,000 third-place prize. The first edition therefore already had what you want from a competitive FC event: big names, comebacks, rivalries and a final that went down to the wire.
Now HelaBet is trying to build on that foundation.
From an FC Tournament to a Multi-Game Championship
This is probably the biggest change between the two editions. The first HelaBet event was heavily centred around FC competition, but the second edition has expanded into a multi-title esports championship.
That means FC players will now share the weekend with competitors from eFootball and Call of Duty Mobile. For a Kenyan gaming community that is still growing across different competitive titles, that expansion matters. It also changes the atmosphere of the event. Instead of fans arriving only to watch football gaming, the venue can now bring together players from different parts of the gaming community.
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An FC player might come to compete and end up watching a Call of Duty Mobile tournament. An eFootball player could come across an FC competition featuring some of Kenya’s biggest names. That is how individual gaming tournaments can start becoming larger esports events.
The Prize Pool Has Gone Up
Another obvious sign that the second edition is bigger is the money on the line. The first edition had a combined prize pool of KSh 70,000. For Edition 2, HelaBet has announced a KSh 100,000 prize pool. That is a KSh 30,000 increase from the first edition.
Prize money does not just give players something to fight for. It can also attract stronger competition, increase the pressure during knockout matches and make players take the tournament more seriously. And with three game categories involved, there will be even more players looking to make their mark.
Who Will Take Over From Ado?
That is the question FC fans will be watching closely. Ado enters the second edition as the defending champion after his first-edition victory over Kappa. But winning a tournament once is one thing. Doing it again when everyone knows your name is another challenge.
The Kenyan FC scene has continued to produce major tournament winners and new rivalries throughout 2026, with players such as Harry Kappa, Shaq, Prorate, Trex, Collo Gamer, Sam Jr, Lord7, Tank, Lil Pip and others regularly featuring in major competitions. The second HelaBet e-Championship therefore arrives at an interesting time for the local scene.
ALSO READ: Africa ENC Top 500 Leaderboard: Kenya Places 16 Players Among Africa’s Best
The question isn’t simply whether Ado can win again. It is whether another established player can finally take the trophy away from him. And with the tournament now covering multiple games, the event has the chance to produce several new champions across the weekend.
Why the Bigger HelaBet e-Championship Matters
There is something important happening when a sponsor returns for a second edition and increases the size of an esports event. It shows that there is an appetite for this kind of competition.
Kenya’s gaming scene has plenty of talented players, but competitions need organisers, venues, sponsors and audiences if that talent is going to keep growing. The first HelaBet e-Championship provided a stage for FC players to compete for meaningful prize money. Now the second edition is opening that stage to more gaming communities. That is the part that makes this weekend particularly interesting. It is not just another FC tournament. It is becoming a broader gaming event.
The addition of eFootball and Call of Duty Mobile also gives the championship a chance to attract fans who might not normally follow EA Sports FC competitions. And with live streaming confirmed, the action will not be limited to the people inside Lejona Center.
A Bigger Weekend for Kenyan Gaming
The first edition gave us Ado versus Harry Kappa and a memorable FC final. The second edition is aiming higher. There is a bigger KSh 100,000 prize pool, three major game categories, a full weekend schedule, live streaming and additional entertainment built around the competition.
Most importantly, there is now a story to build on. Ado has already shown what it takes to become a HelaBet champion. Now a new group of players gets the opportunity to write their own chapter.
Whether it is on FC, eFootball or Call of Duty Mobile, the weekend should provide plenty of action for Kenya’s gaming community. And if the first edition taught us anything, it is that you probably shouldn’t switch off before the final whistle.
Conclusion
The HelaBet e-Championship has clearly grown from its first edition. Ado’s victory over Harry Kappa gave the inaugural FC competition a memorable ending, but Edition 2 is bringing a much bigger vision to the table.
With KSh 100,000 up for grabs, competitions across EA Sports FC, eFootball and Call of Duty Mobile, live streaming and a full weekend of gaming at Lejona Center, this event could be another major moment for Kenya’s esports community.
The defending champion has his target on his back. New challengers will be coming. And this time, there is more than one game to watch. The HelaBet e-Championship returns this weekend.
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