Call of Duty League (CDL) 2026 is rapidly approaching, but it’s already shaping up to be one of the most explosive seasons in CoD history. With Black Ops 7 leading the charge, this year’s competition promises entirely new formats, events, and the return of the world’s best teams—all battling for dominance!

If you’re gearing up to follow the action, this guide will break down everything you need to know about the CDL 2026 season, from the revamped format to the schedules, venues, and how to tune in.

Editor’s Note: This page was last updated on November 5, 2025, and will be refreshed as more CDL 2026 information becomes available.

What Is The CDL 2026?

Call of Duty League 2026 is the latest iteration of Activision’s flagship esports competition, featuring 12 city-based teams from North America. Throughout the season, teams compete in a series of tournaments, including Majors and playoffs, in a bid to clinch the world championship title. 

Based around Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, it will be interesting to see how the new entry changes the landscape of CoD esports as the playstyle shifts from BO6’s “boots-on-the-ground” gameplay to BO7’s futuristic mechanics like wall jumps.

CDL 2026 Format Explained

For CDL 2026, there are four international Majors (Dallas, Birmingham, Atlanta, and Paris, respectively), culminating in the Championship Weekend in Las Vegas. Each Major is preceded by Online Qualifiers that determine seeding and CDL Points.

Major II adopts a full 12-team round-robin format during its qualifiers, with the top 10 advancing to the LAN bracket (and seeds 7-10 entering a Play-In). Major III brings back a Pro-Am Classic, where the top CDL teams will clash against the top Challenger teams (two from Major II’s Open and NA/EU Elite Season 3 winners).

There will also be two Minor tournaments mid-season, offering additional CDL Points through 12-team single-elimination brackets. Major IV serves as the final push before the CDL Championship Weekend, where the top eight teams from the regular season will compete for the world title.

CDL 2026 Schedule: Dates And Key Events

CDL 2026 will start on December 5, 2025, and end on July 19, 2026. Here’s every confirmed event this season:

• Opening Weekend: December 5-7, 2025
• Major I: January 29-February 1, 2026
• Major II: March 27-29, 2026
• Minor I: April 24-26, 2026
• Major III: May 2026
• Minor II: June 5-7, 2026
• Major IV: June 25-28, 2026
• Championship Weekend: July 16-19, 2026

All CDL 2026 Teams And Rosters

Here’s a list of all confirmed CDL 2026 Teams and Rosters:

Team	Roster
Boston Breach	Roster to be announced
Carolina Royal Ravens	Austin "SlasheR" Liddicoat, TBD
Cloud9 New York	Roster to be announced
FaZe Vegas	Chris "Simp" Lehr, Zachary "Drazah" Jordan, Jovan "04" Rodriguez, Jordan "Abuzah" François
G2 Minnesota	Justice "Estreal" McMillan, TBD
Los Angeles Guerrillas M8	Roster to be announced
Los Angeles Thieves	Paco "HyDra" Rusiewiez, Thomas "Scrappy" Ernst, Tyler "aBeZy" Pharris, Kenneth "Kenny" Williams
Miami Heretics	Diego "SupeR" Escudero, David "RenKoR" Isern, Nicolas "Traix" Monaco, TBD
OpTic Texas	Brandon "Dashy" Otell, Cuyler "Huke" Garland, Anthony "Shotzzy" Cuevas-Castro, Mason "Mercules" Ramsey
Toronto KOI	Tobias "CleanX" Jønsson, Joseph "JoeDeceives" Romero, José "ReeaL" Fernández, Jamie "Insight" Craven
Vancouver Surge	Roster to be announced
Riyadh Falcons	McArthur "Cellium" Jovel, Amer “Pred” Zulbeari, Saud "Exnid" Alati, Matthew "KiSMET" Tinsley

CDL 2026 Points System Explained

Here’s all you need to know about the CDL 2026 Points system:

• Each Qualifier win earns teams 10 CDL Points.
• Minor tournament winners will receive 30 CDL Points, with second place awarding 20 CDL Points and third-fourth taking home 10 CDL Points each.
• Major winners will receive 100 CDL Points, while runners-up get 75 CDL Points.  The distribution of points decreases by 15 per placement down to seventh and eighth-placed teams, and those placed ninth to twelfth will get none.

COD Champs 2026: Championship Weekend Overview

Champs 2026 will be the final event of the CDL 2026 season, crowning the world champion. The tournament will take place in Las Vegas from July 16-19, 2026, and features a double-elimination format. The top eight teams from the regular season will compete in this event. 

OpTic Texas enters as the defending champion for this event, and considering their roster remains unchanged at the time of writing, they’re the favorites to win again.  

How To Watch CDL 2026: Live Stream Links

You can follow all the CDL action directly from the official Call of Duty League YouTube and Twitch channels, or partner streams. Remember to keep an eye on the Twitch channel and its partner streams, as they may have Twitch Drops enabled. 

If you want to co-stream CDL 2026 matches, you can use the official CDL website. Alternatively, you can purchase CDL 2026 tickets from the website by navigating to the “Tickets” tab, selecting your desired event, and clicking on “Buy Tickets.”

CDL 2026 Game Modes Explained

All CDL 2026 matches will feature Hardpoint, Search and Destroy, and the new CoD game mode Overload, introduced in Black Ops 7 as a replacement for Control. Here’s what Matt Scronce, Design Director at Treyarch, had to say about the change:

“We look forward to continuing our longstanding support of competitive play as we work closely with the league and teams to make this the most exciting year of competitive Call of Duty!”

FAQs

Where is COD Champs 2026 being held?

CDL Champs 2026 will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada, from July 16-19, 2026.

When does the CDL 2026 season start and end?

CDL 2026 starts on December 5, 2025, and ends on July 19, 2026.

How does the CDL 2026 points system work?

The CDL 2026 Points system awards 10 CDL Points for a Qualifier win, 30 CDL Points for Minor wins, and 100 CDL Points for Major wins.

Which teams are competing in the CDL 2026 season?

The following CDL teams are competing in the 2026 season: Boston Breach, Carolina Royal Ravens, Los Angeles Guerrillas M8, LA Thieves, Miami Heretics, Cloud9 New York, OpTic Texas, Vancouver Surge, FaZe Vegas, Riyadh Falcons, G2 Minnesota, and Toronto KOI.

How can fans buy tickets for CDL 2026 events?

You can buy tickets for CDL 2026 from the official CDL website.

References

1. Call of Duty League (YouTube)
2. CallofDuty_Esports (Twitch)
3. THE CALL OF DUTY LEAGUE WATCH PARTY PROGRAM WELCOMES CREATORS ON YOUTUBE (CALL OF DUTY LEAGUE)