Activision Blizzard has officially revealed the first details about how the Call of Duty League (CDL) will be structured. Twelve teams spanning the world will be featured, with home-vs-away matches set to start in early 2020.

Launching the Call of Duty League 2020 season

The teams and their home cities are:

  • Chicago, IL – NRG Esports
  • Dallas, TX –  Envy Gaming, Inc.
  • Florida – Misfits Gaming
  • London, United Kingdom – ReKTGlobal, Inc
  • Los Angeles, CA – Immortals Gaming Club (IGC)
  • Los Angeles, CA – Kroenke Sports & Entertainment
  • Minnesota – WISE Ventures
  • New York, NY – Sterling.VC
  • Paris, France – c0ntact Gaming
  • Seattle, WA – The Aquilini Group
  • Toronto, Canada – OverActive Media

Two “Home Series” weekend events – one in the spring, the other in the summer – will be hosted by each team in their respective cities. Additionally, special Call of Duty League Midseason Weekend events, where all 12 teams will be featured in all-pro tournaments, will be hosted between the spring and summer splits.

The regular professional season will feature Call of Duty: Modern Warfare on the PlayStation 4, and the teams will compete in a series of best-of-five matches. The best teams will advance to the postseason, where they will face-off in double elimination Playoff tournaments until a single winner remains.

“It is an honor to introduce the Call of Duty League, built to reimagine what esports can be,” Call of Duty League Commissioner Johanna Faries said in a statement. “We’ve partnered with top-tier organizations who share our commitment to supporting the best players in the world and to entertain fans in unique ways.”

Call of Duty Challengers amateur league to begin

The Call of Duty League will also foster growth through an amateur competition called the Call of Duty Challengers. Comprised of online ladders, tournaments, and other open competitions in November, amateur players will have a chance to win a prize pool of over $1 million while following a path toward the professional league.

Several pro teams will support the amateur leagues by hosting Call of Duty Challengers competitions in their home markets.

Casual Call of Duty fans can be involved with esports competitions by hosting online and local competitions on behalf of their favorite pro team cities using the Call of Duty League City Circuit. The fan-focused circuit will launch in 2020 alongside the professional and amateur leagues. Featuring the duos-based Call of Duty: Modern Warfare mode “Gunfight,” the City Circuit will have its own prize pool and the event will culminate into a finals event.

Steven Wong
Steven has covered the video game industry for over a decade, including development, marketing, and emerging technologies. He has written for companies and publications such as AOL, AListDaily, and more.

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