CESAFI Esports League Season 4 eyes continued growth of collegiate esports in Cebu

The Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) Esports League (CEL) opened its fourth season on February 21 and 22, 2026 at the SM Seaside City Cebu.

Cebu’s leading collegiate esports competition continues to grow as a student-centered league that promotes responsible gaming paired with academic discipline. 

From test-run to established league

Established in 2001, CESAFI succeeded the Cebu Amateur Athletic Association (CAAA), which operated from the 1930s until 2000.

CESAFI serves as the premier inter-school sports league in Cebu and is the province’s counterpart to the Manila-based leagues like the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 

The concept of bringing esports into the league dated back in early 2019, when CESAFI commissioner Felix Tiukinhoy Jr. approached Ryan Balbuena, now CEL tournament director and CESAFI executive director, to add an esports competition to the league.

“When Tiukinhoy asked me to lead the CEL, I was thinking of what to do to bring together the schools and esports, and how to eliminate the negative stereotypes of esports,” Balbuena said in an interview during the league’s third season.

Under his leadership, the CEL debuted in 2022 through a preseason tournament which saw positive results. 

“I saw that the preseason was successful and used the experience to make improvements in our inaugural season,” Balbuena noted. 

The CEL launched its regular season in December 2022, and since then it has grown to become the leading collegiate esports competition in the region. 

It initially featured a tournament in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB), and Valorant was later added in the league’s second season.

Safeguarding academic integrity

The CEL enforces strict academic eligibility rules to safeguard the academic integrity of the players. A player cannot join the league if they fail even a single course. 

This is a policy implemented by CESAFI to shape its athletes to be skilled in-game and be responsible students.

Additionally, the matches are scheduled on weekends to give the athletes sufficient time to work on their academic duties before playing in the tournaments. No matches are held during examination weeks to ensure that the players can focus on their studies.

Built for students and by students

Staying true to its mantra of being a “for students and by students” organization, the league is run mostly by student volunteers. 

The CEL is a hub for students to develop their skills in esports production, graphic design, writing, social media management, shoutcasting, photography, and more.

“The league is not only a platform for student-athletes to test their skills but also a platform for student volunteers to develop their skills in esports production, including esports broadcasting and organizing esports events,” Balbuena emphasized. 

The 10 participating schools

Currently, there are 10 participating schools in the league for this season. 

The University of San Carlos (USC), University of Cebu Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue (UCLM), UC Main Campus, University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R), Cebu Institute of Technology-University (CIT-U), University of the Philippines Cebu (UP Cebu), Cebu Eastern College (CEC), and University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) are all part of the CEL since its inception. 

Benedicto College (BC) joined during Season 3, while the Cebu Doctors’ University (CDU) is the newest school to compete in the league. 

The participating schools are supported by their respective athletic directors, who provide allowances and, in some cases, scholarships. 

The players are recognized as student-athletes who carry the banner of their institution when competing in the league. 

USC is an example of an institution that has granted scholarships to its athletes to help fund their studies.

Other institutions provide support through allowances and facilities where their athletes can practice their games. 

Past champions of CEL

In its inaugural season,  UCLM claimed the first-ever MLBB title. 

Season 2 saw USJ-R capturing the championship in Valorant, and USC securing their first MLBB title. 

USC became back-to-back MLBB champions after defending their crown in Season 3, while CIT-U bagged the Valorant title that same season. 

Introduction of a women’s division

Season 4 introduces a women’s division as a demo sport, allowing the league to evaluate its readiness to officially add a women’s division as part of the league’s regular tournaments. 

Matches for the division are held during the season opener and again at the Grand Finals in May.

Tournament format

The men’s MLBB and Valorant tournaments follow a three-stage format: Group Stage, Play-ins and Playoffs.

MLBB uses a single round-robin best-of-three (Bo3) format in the Group Stage. The top two teams advance directly to the Playoffs, which use a best-of-five (Bo5) format, while the third and fourth-ranked teams enter the Play-ins that use a two-game series format.

Valorant follows a similar three-stage structure but with shorter series formats, a two-game series Group Stage, one-game Play-ins and a Bo3 Playoff round.

Matches are streamed live every Saturday and Sunday from February to May on CEL’s Facebook page.