CDL Championship 2026 to feature $2m prize pool

This year’s edition of the Call of Duty League (CDL) Championship will feature a $2m (~£1.4m) prize pool.

Taking place from July 16th to 19th at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, eight of the 12 franchises will compete at the season-ending event for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.

The $2m prize pool is the same amount that was up for grabs at 2025’s CDL Championship, which saw OpTic Texas emerge victorious in the Grand Final, winning $800,000 (~£591,408) along with the CDL trophy.

In addition to revealing the prize pool, the CDL revealed this year’s edition of Champs is jointly operated by ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) and FaZe Esports. EFG is no stranger to the Call of Duty esports scene, having operated a range of events before and during the CDL era.

This year’s CDL season has started on the front foot, with Paris Gentle Mates winning the opening Major of the year in Dallas, Texas. Major 1 also recorded impressive viewing figures, recording a viewership peak of over 350,000 when Paris Gentle Mates faced off against OpTic Texas in the Grand Final.

Major 1 becomes the second most-watched CDL event in its history, narrowly missing out on the top spot. The most-watched CDL event remains 2025’s CDL Championship, which recorded 353,525 viewers.

Following a successful Major 1, the attention of the CDL community turns to the Major 2 qualifiers beginning on February 13th. The six weeks of online matches will determine the ten teams that will head to DreamHack Birmingham from March 27th to 29th.

Before the action gets underway, one franchise has already opted to overhaul its roster in a bid to avoid another disappointing performance. After scoring a last-place finish at Major 1, Cloud9 New York has parted ways with its entire roster and looks to recruit a new lineup before the deadline on February 9th.