Stellenbosch University shines with six teams qualifying for the inaugural finals held at the EFC Performance Institute in Johannesburg.
Johannesburg, 25–27 July 2025 – The inaugural Varsity Esports Split One Seeding Finals saw Stellenbosch University (Maties) assert their dominance across three competitive titles, with six of the twelve qualifying teams coming from Stellenbosch alone. Held at the prestigious EFC Performance Institute, the three-day event brought together South Africa’s top university esports talent ahead of the upcoming Grand Finals at Rage Expo.
Day One – EFC25, and Rocket League Action
The spotlight then turned to EA FC 25, where Maties’ latest recruit and first-year player, Vihape Mungunda, was pitted against South Africa’s most in-form EA FC player, Aasim from Varsity College. Vihape stunned spectators by taking the lead in the opening match, but Aasim showed his experience to come back and win the series 3–1. The second match was even closer, Vihape went up 2–1 and was just minutes away from forcing a third match before Aasim equalised and won in a nail-biting penalty shootout.
Next up was Maties veteran Keeran Swettenham, who faced off against Kennedy, a nationally known content creator and top-level EA FC competitor. Keeran settled after early nerves and pushed Kennedy all the way to penalties after a draw in regulation time, narrowly losing in the shootout. This set up a 3rd/4th seeding match between the two Maties players. In a friendly yet competitive showdown, Keeran used his experience to beat Vihape in both matches, securing the higher seed.
The Rocket League competition followed, where the unbeaten SU TaMaties squad made up of Blade, Darth, and Xyro — took on Tuks in the semi-finals and emerged 3–1 winners. In the other semi-final, SU Turbo Charge (Maties B team), featuring Cameron, Ethan, and Janru, upset UCT’s first team with a 3–1 win as well. This ensured that Stellenbosch would take both first and second seeds heading into the Rocket League Grand Finals.
Day Two – Valorant Drama and Grand Finals Qualification
Day two kicked off with an all-Stellenbosch semi-final in Valorant, as SU Odin took on SU Bravo. It was a one-sided affair, with Odin dominating the series 2–0. The final saw SU Odin square off against the highly rated UCT Arcane Defenders, the very team who had beaten them in the qualifiers.
What followed was a Valorant series for the ages. SU Odin took the first map in a strong showing. UCT answered back with a tense 14–12 overtime win in game two. The decider was razor-close, with UCT narrowly edging out SU Odin 13–11. Despite the loss, the match proved SU Odin’s caliber on the national stage.
A Strong Start for Maties Esports
With impressive performances across the board, Stellenbosch University has laid down a strong marker in this first split of the Varsity Esports tournament. Taking top seeds in Rocket League and fielding standout talents in EA FC and Valorant, Maties are poised to make even more noise at the Grand Finals, set to take place at Rage in Johannesburg later this year.
Maties Esports will now focus on building momentum, refining strategies, and possibly expanding their roster as they look ahead to the second split and the national showdown.
