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The event takes place from January 29 to February 1, 2026, hosted in the city of Dallas (Texas, USA), a familiar CDL hub known for major eSports events. Its timing at the very start of the season makes it especially significant: teams debut refined rosters, test new maps and meta elements introduced with Black Ops 7, and set expectations that often carry deep into the mid-season Majors and ultimately the CDL Championship.

The tournament is fully organized and operated by Activision, the company behind the Call of Duty League, ensuring the same standardized broadcast, production quality, and competitive integrity expected from the CDL’s top-tier events. The assistance in organizing the event is provided by OpTic Texas – the local team, which also takes part in the event.

Venue, Format, and Prize Pool Overview for the Call of Duty League 2026: Stage 1 Major

The Call of Duty League 2026: Stage 1 Major will be hosted at Moody Coliseum in Dallas, an established eSports-friendly arena that regularly stages large indoor LAN events. As with all top-tier CDL Majors, the competition is held entirely offline, bringing all teams and players together on-site in a controlled LAN, indoor environment to ensure competitive integrity and peak performance.

A total of 12 franchised CDL teams will take part in the tournament. Call of Duty is continuing in its standardized 4v4 format for Black Ops 7. This means 48 core players will be competing on stage across the multi-day event. Every team in the league is present at this Major, making it one of the few points in the season where the entire CDL field gathers under one roof.

The prize pool for the Stage 1 Major is set at USD 365,000, forming one of the key financial incentives of the early season. While the exact breakdown varies by placement, the distribution follows the CDL’s usual structure in which every participating team earns a share, with the largest payout reserved for the grand final champion and progressively smaller amounts awarded to lower placements. This significant purse reinforces the Major’s importance as both a competitive milestone and a meaningful financial opportunity for teams starting their 2026 campaign.

Participating Teams in the Call of Duty League 2026: Stage 1 Major and Qualification Overview

As said, all franchised teams, 12 of them, of the Call of Duty League take part in the 2026 Stage 1 Major, bringing the entire competitive roster of CDL organizations together for the first LAN event of the Black Ops 7 season. This includes the full lineup of league franchises—each fielding their four-player starting roster—representing the most elite talent in professional Call of Duty. With every team participating, the Major becomes the first true test of lineup changes, rookie debuts, and off-season roster moves that shape the competitive landscape for the year.

The franchised teams are:

• Boston Breach
• Carolina Royal Ravens
• Cloud9 New York
• FaZe Vegas
• G2 Minnesota
• Los Angeles Thieves
• Miami Heretics
• OpTic Texas
• Paris Gentle Mates
• Riyadh Falcons
• Toronto KOI
• Vancouver Surge

Qualification for the event follows the CDL’s standardized seasonal format. Every team in the league automatically earns a place at the Stage 1 Major, but their positions in the bracket are determined by their performance in the Stage 1 online qualifiers, which will be concluded in January. During these qualifiers, teams face each other in a series of official league matches that award CDL points and determine their seeding for the Major’s double-elimination bracket. Strong online performances secure upper-bracket starts, while weaker results place teams in the lower bracket, forcing them to fight through elimination territory from the very beginning.

Structure and Match Format of the Call of Duty League 2026: Stage 1 Major

The Stage 1 Major of the 2026 Call of Duty League is structured as a single, self-contained tournament with one stage: a full double-elimination LAN bracket. There are no separate group stages or play-ins for this Major.

Across the event, every match is played in a best-of-five series, maintaining the CDL’s standard competitive format for Major-level play. Teams must win three maps to take the series, except for the grand final, which expands to a best-of-seven, requiring the champion to secure four map wins to lift the trophy. Because the tournament uses a double-elimination system, teams are only knocked out once they lose twice, creating a lower-bracket gauntlet that can set up dramatic championship runs for squads capable of fighting their way back.

The Call of Duty League 2026: Stage 1 Major Favorites, Betting Options, and Where to Watch

Heading into the Call of Duty League 2026: Stage 1 Major, several teams stand out as early-season favorites based on roster strength, off-season form, and historical consistency.

OpTic Texas enter the year with enormous expectations, boasting one of the most mechanically gifted lineups in the league and typically performing well at early-season LANs. FaZe Vegas is another perennial contender, known for its disciplined fundamentals and its ability to peak in high-pressure environments, making it a natural threat in a double-elimination bracket.

Meanwhile, Toronto KOI and Cloud9 New York emerge as dark-horse favorites, each fielding rosters stacked with explosive slayers and rising talent whose performance ceiling is among the highest in the CDL. For fans looking for an ambitious pick, the newly retooled G2 Minnesota lineup also carries breakout potential if their synergy clicks early.

Betting on the Stage 1 Major follows the same structure as most tier-one eSports events. Major regulated sportsbooks and eSports-focused betting platforms will typically offer markets such as match winner, map handicaps, total maps, outright tournament winner, and occasionally player-based props like most kills or map-specific performance.

To place wagers safely and reliably, bettors should look to licensed online sportsbooks that support eSports betting, e.g., the best eSports betting sites. Such platforms usually list all CDL Majors on their eSports pages, along with live odds during matches. It’s important to use platforms that provide verified odds, responsible gaming tools, and clear market explanations—especially given the fast pace of Call of Duty’s competitive structure.

The entire Stage 1 Major will be streamed live on the CDL’s official digital channels. Fans can watch every match on the Call of Duty League’s official YouTube channel, which continues to serve as the league’s primary broadcast home. Streams typically include full match coverage, desk analysis, pre-show segments, and post-series breakdowns.

In addition to YouTube, coverage is amplified through CDL’s official website and the league’s social media platforms, which post highlights, map-by-map results, and behind-the-scenes footage. For fans watching in real time, the Major’s LAN environment also means high production quality, live crowd reactions, and polished stage segments that make the broadcast one of the most energetic esports viewing experiences of the year.

Pros and Cons of the Call of Duty League 2026: Stage 1 Major Favorites