Seen Here: Back-to-back champions! 🏆🎮🔥 Curro Durbanville Wolves Prime, powered by Samsung, celebrate another historic Telkom VS Gaming HSEL Rocket League triumph at Comic Con Africa 2026. From relentless pressure to championship composure, the Wolves proved once again that they belong at the top of South African school esports. Two titles. One legacy. The Wolves are roaring louder than ever. 🐺⚽🎮🏆 Photo Credit: Supplied
The Curro Durbanville Wolves Prime, powered by Samsung, have cemented their place among South Africa’s elite school esports teams after successfully defending their Telkom VS Gaming High School Esports League (HSEL) Rocket League Championship title at Comic Con Africa 2026.
The defending champions produced a commanding performance at the Johannesburg Expo Centre, where the high school esports action formed part of the country’s biggest celebration of gaming, pop culture and entertainment.
For Curro Durbanville Wolves Prime, the victory was particularly significant. Having lifted the HSEL Rocket League trophy in 2025, the team returned to Comic Con Africa with the weight of expectation firmly on their shoulders — and delivered once again.
Team captain Kiran Jaynarayan described the triumph as the perfect way to end his final year competing in the tournament as a high school student.
“I feel like we went out with a bang because of how well we played. We played aggressively from start to finish.”
The champions’ approach was built around relentless pressure, forcing opponents into mistakes while maintaining an attacking tempo throughout the final.
“We put our opponents under pressure, which caused them to make mistakes and panic whenever we attacked. That really helped us secure the win,” Jaynarayan said.
Defending champions, defending a legacy
While retaining a championship is difficult enough, Wolves Prime entered the tournament with an additional challenge: protecting the reputation established by their 2025 triumph.
Jaynarayan acknowledged that the pressure was real, particularly with the team determined to maintain its winning momentum.
“You don’t want to lose your winning streak, so we just had to keep playing with confidence. We had to remain calm and composed throughout all our games,” he said.
The result was a performance that combined aggression with composure — qualities that ultimately enabled the Cape-based side to return to the top of the HSEL Rocket League standings.
Esports takes centre stage at Comic Con Africa
The Rocket League championship was just one part of an action-packed esports programme at Comic Con Africa 2026, where competitive gaming continues to occupy an increasingly prominent place alongside comics, cosplay, entertainment and pop culture.
The tournament also highlights the growing pathway for young South African gamers to compete at a high level while representing their schools.
With the HSEL bringing together talented school teams, the competition offers more than a trophy. It provides young players with an opportunity to develop teamwork, communication, strategic thinking and competitive discipline in one of gaming’s fastest-growing environments.
Masters Counter-Strike battle heats up
Attention also turned to the Telkom VS Gaming Masters Counter-Strike Championship, where the quarterfinal stage set the scene for another dramatic weekend of esports competition.
Kitsune ZA, who finished runners-up in the 2025 Masters Counter-Strike competition, returned with ambitions of going one step further this year.
Their journey to the title, however, will require overcoming a competitive semifinal field.
The Masters Counter-Strike semifinals feature:
- Kitsune ZA vs Phaze
- HighBorn vs Crimson
Kitsune will be looking to turn last year’s heartbreak into championship success after falling short in the 2025 final.
The road back to the final is complicated by the absence of Bravado Gaming, last year’s champions, who were unable to qualify for the seventh edition of Comic Con Africa and therefore cannot defend their title.
HSEL Counter-Strike showdown
The school esports programme will also deliver a highly anticipated Telkom VS Gaming HSEL Counter-Strike Grand Final, with St John’s College taking on Parklands College.
The fixture promises another showcase of the emerging talent coming through South Africa’s school esports ecosystem, with both institutions now one victory away from championship glory.
Rocket League semifinalists ready for battle
The Telkom VS Gaming Rocket League Championship has also reached its decisive stage, with four teams remaining in the hunt for the title.
The semifinal match-ups are:
First semifinal:
Synthesis ENMT vs Midwest Mafia
Second semifinal:
Dangerous Dans vs Future Esports Academy
With a place in the final at stake, the remaining teams will have little room for error as strategy, mechanical skill and split-second decision-making become increasingly important.
Gaming, entertainment and a new generation of stars
Comic Con Africa 2026 has once again demonstrated how gaming has become an integral part of the modern entertainment landscape.
From high-school competitors chasing their first major championship to established esports organisations battling for prestige, the event brings together different generations of gaming fans and competitors under one roof.
For Curro Durbanville Wolves Prime, however, the weekend already belongs to them.
Their back-to-back HSEL Rocket League triumph not only secures another championship for the school but also marks a memorable final chapter for captain Kiran Jaynarayan, who leaves the high-school competition having helped establish Wolves Prime as a force to be reckoned with.
As Comic Con Africa heads towards its final weekend, the remaining Rocket League and Counter-Strike contenders now have one objective: take the crown away from the challengers and write their own chapter in South African esports history.
Comic Con Africa 2026 runs from 24 to 27 September at the Johannesburg Expo Centre, bringing together gaming, esports, comics, cosplay, entertainment and pop culture for four days of immersive experiences.
