The Call of Duty League is back. For the first Major of the 2023 season, the league takes a bit of a different approach. This time around, 16 teams will be involved and not just the 12 CDL teams. This is the Major 1 Pro-Am.
For the first time since Call of Duty went franchised with their league, amateur players will be able to compete against the best in the world.
When and where is Major 1?
The first Major of the 2023 Call of Duty League season will happen in Raleigh, North Carolina. It’s the first time that Call of Duty have hosted an event in the city.
Raleigh venue confirmed for Call of Duty League Major 1
The venue held 8,000 spectators for the Halo Championship Series in 2021.
The event itself is in the Raleigh Convention Center. It also hosted the Halo Infinite Kick-off Major in 2021.
Major 1 takes place from Dec. 14-18. It will consist of four different events, all running simultaneously. The main focus of the event will be the Call of Duty League Major 1 tournament.
The Raleigh Convention Center. Image via The Raleigh Convention Center.
Running alongside it will be the Call of Duty: Mobile World Championship, the Call of Duty Endowment (C.O.D.E) Bowl and the Raleigh Challengers Open. All four events will take place in the same venue.
Major 1 format
The Call of Duty League Major 1 format is one like no other in franchised history. For the first time, Challengers players will be involved with the league teams on a grand scale.
Challengers competition is the breeding ground for some of the brightest up-and-coming stars in Call of Duty esports. Image via Ant Stonelake.
Eight Challengers teams from around the world will qualify for a mini play-in tournament on Dec. 14. The top four teams from that tournament will move on to pool play on Dec. 15.
These eight teams will be made up of three from NA, three from EU, one from APAC and one from LATAM.
Call of Duty Challengers unable to get team passes to first Open event of the season
Some players are being charged $530 more than retail value.
The top two teams in each group from the four groups of four will make it through to the Championship Bracket that starts on Dec. 16 and runs until Dec. 18.
Full format:
Dec. 14: Challengers play-in tournamentDec. 15: Pool play (four groups of four)Dec. 16-18: Championship Bracket
Who will be taking part?
All 12 CDL teams will be taking part in the group stage of the Major 1 tournament. They will be joined by four teams that qualify through the Pro-Am qualifiers on Saturday, Dec. 3.
The 12 CDL teams competing in Major 1.
OpTic TexasAtlanta FaZeNew York SublinersLA ThievesLA GuerrillasSeattle SurgeToronto UltraLondon Royal RavensMinnesota RokkrBoston BreachLas Vegas LegionFlorida Mutineers#1 Challengers Qualifier#2 Challengers Qualifier #3 Challengers Qualifier #4 Challengers Qualifier
These teams will be split into four groups depending on how the CDL teams perform in the two weeks of online qualifiers leading up to the Major.
Call of Duty Major 1 prize pool
The prize pool for the Call of Duty League Major 1 tournament is $500,000. Teams will also win CDL points that count towards their qualification to Champs at the end of the season based on where they place.
PlacementPrizeCDL Points1st$200,000652nd$120,000503rd$80,000404th$40,000305-6th$20,000207-8th$10,00010Any team finishing below 8th will win $0 and no CDL points.
CDL points will not be awarded to Challengers teams for progressing through the Major.
Where to watch the Call of Duty League
All of the qualifiers and all of the action from Raleigh can be watched on the official Call of Duty Twitch channel.
There will be four streams available during the pool play of the Major 1 tournament, but details of those streams are not yet available.
Full CDL Major 1 qualifiers schedule
The CDL is back on Twitch. Qualifiers for Major 1 will all be streamed on the platform.
Major 1 for the CDL in 2023 will have two weeks of qualifiers played online before heading to LAN in Raleigh.
All of the CDL action will be streamed on Twitch for the first time in years. Previously, it was on YouTube, but the exclusive deal that the league had with YouTube expired in the offseason.
Week 1
CDL opening weekend features each of the 12 teams that will make up the Call of Duty League for the 2023 season.
Friday, Dec. 2
Boston Breach vs Atlanta FaZe (12 PM PST, 3 PM EST, 8 PM GMT)OpTic Texas vs Minnesota Rokkr (1:30 PM PST, 4:30 PM EST, 9:30 PM GMT)Las Vegas Legion vs LA Thieves (3 PM PST, 6 PM EST, 11 PM GMT)LA Guerrillas vs Seattle Surge (4:30 PM PST, 7:30 PM EST, 12:30 AM GMT)
Saturday, Dec. 3
Minnesota Rokkr vs Toronto Ultra (12 PM PST, 3 PM EST, 8 PM GMT)New York Subliners vs London Royal Ravens (1:30 PM PST, 4:30 PM EST, 9:30 PM GMT)Seattle Surge vs Boston Breach (3 PM PST, 6 PM EST, 11 PM GMT)Florida Mutineers vs Las Vegas Legion (4:30 PM PST, 7:30 PM EST, 12:30 AM GMT)
Sunday, Dec. 4
LA Guerrillas vs London Royal Ravens (12 PM PST, 3 PM EST, 8 PM GMT)OpTic Texas vs Florida Mutineers (1:30 PM PST, 4:30 PM EST, 9:30 PM GMT)LA Thieves vs Atlanta FaZe (3 PM PST, 6 PM EST, 11 PM GMT)Toronto Ultra vs New York Subliners (4:30 PM PST, 7:30 PM EST, 12:30 AM GMT)
Week 2
The second week is the final week of qualifiers for the Major 1 tournament in Raleigh.
Friday, Dec. 9
Seattle Surge vs London Royal Ravens (12 PM PST, 3 PM EST, 8 PM GMT)Florida Mutineers vs Minnesota Rokkr (1:30 PM PST, 4:30 PM EST, 9:30 PM GMT)New York Subliners vs LA Guerrillas (3 PM PST, 6 PM EST, 11 PM GMT)Toronto Ultra vs Atlanta FaZe (4:30 PM PST, 7:30 PM EST, 12:30 AM GMT)
Saturday, Dec. 10
Atlanta FaZe vs Las Vegas Legion (12 PM PST, 3 PM EST, 8 PM GMT)OpTic Texas vs London Royal Ravens (1:30 PM PST, 4:30 PM EST, 9:30 PM GMT)New York Subliners vs Boston Breach (3 PM PST, 6 PM EST, 11 PM GMT)Florida Mutineers vs LA Thieves (4:30 PM PST, 7:30 PM EST, 12:30 AM GMT)
Sunday, Dec. 11
Minnesota Rokkr vs Las Vegas Legion (12 PM PST, 3 PM EST, 8 PM GMT)Seattle Surge vs Toronto Ultra (1:30 PM PST, 4:30 PM EST, 9:30 PM GMT)OpTic Texas vs LA Thieves (3 PM PST, 6 PM EST, 11 PM GMT)LA Guerrillas vs Boston Breach (4:30 PM PST, 7:30 PM EST, 12:30 AM GMT)
Stay tuned on Esports.gg for all the latest Call of Duty and Warzone 2 news and updates.
About Post Author
