Jan 15, 2025

Call of Duty League 2025: Stage 1 Major – A Comprehensive Overview

Introduction

The Call of Duty League (CDL) 2025 season has commenced with significant enthusiasm, featuring the highly anticipated Stage 1 Major. This event marks the first major tournament of the season, bringing together top-tier teams to compete for supremacy in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.

The first victory is already here.

‍

Tournament Structure and Format

The Stage 1 Major is scheduled to take place from January 30 to February 2, 2025, in Madrid, Spain. All 12 CDL teams will participate, with seeding determined by their performance during the online qualifiers held from December 6, 2024, to January 26, 2025. The tournament will follow a double-elimination format, with all matches being best-of-five series, except for the Grand Finals, which will be a best-of-seven showdown.

‍

Map Pool and Game Modes

The competitive map pool for the Stage 1 Major includes:

Hardpoint: Protocol, Red Card, Rewind, Skyline, Vault

Search & Destroy: Protocol, Red Card, Rewind, Skyline, Vault

Control: Protocol, Vault

These maps have been selected to test teams' strategic depth and adaptability across various game modes.

A multitude a modes are played during CDL.

‍

Participating Teams and Rosters

The 12 franchised teams competing in the Stage 1 Major are:

Atlanta FaZe: aBeZy, Simp, Cellium, Drazah

Boston Breach: Snoopy, Owakening, Purj, Cammy

Carolina Royal Ravens: Gwinn, SlasheR, Vivid, TJHaly

LA Guerrillas: Priestahh, KiSMET, Skyz, Lynz

LA Thieves: HyDra, Scrap, Ghosty, Envoy

Miami Heretics: ReeaL, Lucky, Mettalz, Vikul, RenKoR

Minnesota RØKKR: PaulEhx, Nero, Gio, Estreal

Cloud9 New York: Mack, Kremp, Attach, Sib

OpTic Texas: Shotzzy, Dashy, Pred, Kenny

Toronto Ultra: Insight, CleanX, JoeDeceives, Beans

Vancouver Surge: Hicksy, Nastie, Abuzah, 04

Vegas Falcons: Exnid, Roxas, Khhx, KingAbody

These teams have undergone roster changes during the off-season, aiming to enhance their performance in the 2025 CDL season.

A multitude of expert teams are taking place.

‍

Minor 1 Tournament Insights

In addition to the qualifiers, the CDL introduced a mid-stage Minor Tournament, held from January 10 to 12, 2025. This single-elimination event offered teams an opportunity to earn additional CDL points and a $20,000 winner-takes-all prize. Atlanta FaZe showcased exceptional skill, securing victory and reaffirming their status as a formidable contender for the upcoming Major.

‍

Viewership and Fan Engagement

The Stage 1 Major is expected to attract substantial viewership, building upon the momentum from the qualifiers. The online qualifiers garnered a peak of 208,042 viewers, with an average of 97,333 viewers over approximately 41 hours of airtime. These metrics underscore the growing popularity of the CDL and the increasing interest in competitive Call of Duty.