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The official dates for the main event have been released: March 27-29, 2026. Given that CDL usually announces Major locations and dates closer to the season calendar, we had to wait a bit for the host city to be confirmed. It’s Birmingham, England, UK.

Stage 2 Major is important because:

• It awards large CDL Points used for season rankings
• It strongly impacts Championship Weekend qualification
• It features all top franchise teams competing on LAN
• It serves as a mid-season power indicator before later Majors

In short, it’s one of the key stepping stones toward the CDL World Championship.

Stage 2 Major is organized by Activision Blizzard (an American video game publisher) and DreamHack (a Swedish ESL Gaming brand specializing in eSports tournaments and other gaming conventions).

Venue, Competitors’ Structure, and Prize Pool Overview for the Call of Duty League 2026: Stage 2 Major

The designated arena for the Call of Duty League 2026: Stage 2 Major is one of the most commonly used large-scale esports venues in the UK and is well-suited for full-crowd. It’s bp pulse LIVE, within Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre (NEC). All matches are played on-site, with players competing 4v4 on the same local network to ensure competitive integrity.

Ten teams will play the main event. These are the 10 franchised Call of Duty League teams. The total prize pool is $365,000. Payout by placement:

• 1st: $150,000 (110 CDL Points)
• 2nd: $90,000 (75 CDL Points)
• 3rd: $50,000 (60 CDL Points)
• 4th: $30,000 (45 CDL Points)
• 5th–6th: $15,000 each (30 CDL Points)
• 7th–8th: $7,500 each (15 CDL Points)
• 9th–10th: None (no CDL Points)

Participating Teams in the Call of Duty League 2026: Stage 2 Major and Qualification Overview

As noted, all teams that will play in the Call of Duty League 2026: Stage 2 Major are from the franchised 2026 Call of Duty League season, but only the top 10 from the Major 2 online qualifiers, which aren’t over yet, will advance to the live LAN bracket.
Note: All these teams also play throughout the CDL season and earn points toward Major seeding; the Major qualifier stage before Birmingham determined who made LAN.

Qualification system:

• All 12 CDL franchise teams play in a round-robin online qualifier from Feb 13 to Mar 22, 2026.
• The top 10 teams based on those online matches (wins and CDL points) earned spots at Major 2 in Birmingham.
• Teams seeded 7–10 have to play play-in matches at the event to secure full bracket spots.
• Two franchise teams are eliminated after the qualifiers and won’t make the Major.

Structure and Competition Format of the Call of Duty League 2026: Stage 2 Major

Not counting an online qualifier, the Stage 2 Major has two main competition phases:

• Play-ins (LAN)
  Mar 27, 2026
  Lower-seeded teams play to earn a spot in the main bracket.
• Major LAN Bracket
  Mar 28–29, 2026
  The main championship bracket that decides the winner.

Match formats:

All competitive matches at the Stage 2 Major are best of 5. This is the standard CDL Major format for playoff rounds.

Elimination system:

Double-elimination bracket. Once the LAN bracket begins, it works like this:

• Lower bracket & upper bracket
  → Teams start in the upper bracket.
  → If a team loses once, they move to the lower bracket.
  → Second loss = elimination from the tournament.

• Grand final. The final match to crown the champion is also best of 5 (bo5).

Favorites in the Call of Duty League 2026: Stage 2 Major, Betting Options, and Where to Watch

Here are some of the teams analysts and fans commonly consider favorites to perform well at the Stage 2 Major in Birmingham (if they qualify):

• OpTic Texas — strong LAN pedigree and deep CDL experience
• FaZe Vegas — consistently competitive and tactically flexible
• Cloud9 New York — explosive firepower and strong map control
• Riyadh Falcons — rising contenders with high individual skill

These picks are based on recent CDL season performance, historic Major placements, and community expectations — not on future outcomes.

If you’re interested in following odds and markets, that information is typically published on our dedicated page which recommends best site for eSports betting. There, you’ll find major sports betting platforms that include eSports markets and eSports-oriented betting aggregators that list Call of Duty League odds assigned for each match and compared.

You’ll be able to watch the Stage 2 Major live through official CDL broadcast channels, including:

• Twitch — CDL has an official channel that streams all Major matches
• YouTube — the CDL official channel also rebroadcasts matches and highlights
• CDL app/website — often embeds live streams and schedules

These platforms carry free official broadcasts with commentary, player cams, maps, and on-screen stats.

Pros and Cons of Favorites in the Call of Duty League 2026: Stage 2 Major