Call of Duty is, at its heart, one of the most competitive esports titles on the planet. It’s a thriving ecosystem of esports, comprised of three sections: Call of Duty multiplayer, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Call of Duty: Mobile. It’s a dramatically popular franchise that boasts an audience of hundreds of millions of players. As the leading first-person shooter franchise, it has enjoyed ongoing esports investment from countless top-tier organisations, but which among them have become the best COD teams in history?
For more than a decade, Call of Duty has been on a steady and persistent rise, in terms of its esports potential. Today, there’s more value in Call of Duty than ever before, with the foundation of the esports space being built around a central league worth tens of millions of dollars. Today, we’re breaking down the best Call of Duty teams to ever grace the esports scene, looking at the most dominant organisations from across the last ten years of competition.
Let’s take a short walk down memory lane, and stop on the way to look at some of the hottest talent in the Call of Duty world today. As we explore the biggest, brightest, and most dominant dynasties in esports history, we’ll uncover the best COD teams of all time, both new and old.
Let’s begin.
The Best COD Teams of All Time
1. OpTic Gaming (OpTic Texas): 2006 to present
OpTic Gaming is often seen as the best Call of Duty team ever, once upon a time boasting the most unstoppable roster the world has ever seen. It was once thought that the OpTic Gaming dynasty which consisted of Crimsix, Karma, Scump, and FormaL was the sharpest, most talented team in Call of Duty history. Together, the squad went on to win eighteen major championships.
This is an organisation whose origins can be traced back to 2006, to the very dawn of competitive Call of Duty. It started out as a sniping and ‘trickshotting’ organisation, but quickly pivoted to competitive gaming, becoming a founding father organisation of modern Call of Duty esports. To this day, no Call of Duty organisation has won as many chips or trophies as OpTic Gaming, and more world championship players have passed through OpTic than any other brand in the space.
In the Call of Duty League, and other CoD tournaments, the organisation competes as ‘OpTic Texas’.
2. Atlanta FaZe (FaZe Clan): 2011 to present
FaZe Clan’s origins go back as far as 2011 in the competitive Call of Duty space. Today, the brand is synonymous with competitive gaming, but it has evolved, transcending simple gaming content to become an entertainment and lifestyle brand. However, in the world of esports, FaZe is one of the best COD teams around, playing in the Call of Duty League as Atlanta FaZe since 2020.
Since the Call of Duty League became established in 2020, Atlanta FaZe has been the most dominating team on the board. During the inaugural Call of Duty League season, FaZe produced one of the best records in history, topping the charts but falling just short at Champs. In the following year, on the Cold War platform, Atlanta FaZe cemented itself as one of the best COD teams of all time, ending the season 34 – 7, winning two Majors, and taking the top prize at Champs.
In 2022, it proved to be a tougher year for all involved, but Atlanta FaZe still topped the table and finished T3 at every Major event and Champs.
By today, FaZe Clan has won millions of dollars in the Call of Duty space, and as one of the best Call of Duty teams in history, there’s a bright future in store for all involved.
If you’re ever trying to bet on Call of Duty, definitely consider backing Atlanta FaZe.
3. compLexity: 2012 to 2018
There’s a common debate that occurs in the Call of Duty spaces as to which dynasty was greatest. The discussion ultimately boils down to two teams – OpTic Gaming and compLexity. However, the Call of Duty landscape is such that both of these dynasties featured relatively similar rosters.
Both Karma and Crimsix played within these two teams at the height of their competitive streaks. Furthermore, both teams are world champions, but only OpTic has gone on to compete in the Call of Duty League.
Over the years, compLexity had some prestigious players pass through its doors. It was a massive prolific organisation that peaked in 2014 with the Call of Duty Ghosts World Championship. The side of ACHES, TeePee, Crimsix, and Karma picked up a massive win to claim the team’s first and only world championship title. There’s no doubt that compLexity is one of the best COD teams of all time.
4. LA Thieves (100 Thieves): 2016 to present
When 100 Thieves was founded, it was by Call of Duty players specifically for Call of Duty. Now, it has become a multi-platform organisation, and it’s one of the most valuable brands in esports. There are few Call of Duty teams in history that boast the overall value or the sponsorship portfolio that 100 Thieves does. Today, its Call of Duty brand is named LA Thieves, and it’s one of the hottest teams in the COD League right now.
With the Call of Duty League odds stacked against the team, the LA Thieves dominated the 2022 season to win the CDL Championship. Not only that, but the team pulled off the win just weeks after winning a prestigious CDL Major, beating Atlanta FaZe to the punch both times. In the blink of an eye, LA Thieves became a world championship COD team, having defied all expectations to secure the biggest prize in the space.
Back in the day, the 100 Thieves brand was just as successful – at the 2019 Call of Duty World League Championship, 100 Thieves picked up second place. But then, following that close grab at victory, the team secured back-to-back wins at CWL Anaheim and CWL London, netting a total prize fund of $250k.
One of the best Call of Duty teams in history? Absolutely.
5. Evil Geniuses: 2014 to 2019
Evil Geniuses has a legacy that can be traced back to the late nineties, but the Call of Duty division kicked off in 2014. It quickly grew to become a world-class contender in the space, and some legendary players fleshed out its rosters.
Of course, in keeping with the trend of this article, Crimsix was one of those legendary players.
Although the history of the Evil Geniuses is somewhat patchy, some immense Call of Duty achievements can be found. In 2018, the Geniuses pulled off a huge win, securing the Call of Duty World League Championship, along with $600k in prize money.
Today, while the Evil Geniuses Call of Duty branch has disbanded, the organisation still pushes on with other titles.
6. eUnited: 2016 to 2019
eUnited was a huge Call of Duty team, starting out in the MLG scene back in 2016. Although it only lasted three years, eUnited built a foundation and a legacy that still ripples throughout Call of Duty today.
Back when it was active, eUnited essentially had its pick of the platform’s top-most talent. Throughout its short lifetime, players like Clayster, Simp, Arcitys, and JKap played under the eUnited banner with pride. In fact, it was the dramatically powerful side that featured those players (less JKap), as well as Prestinni and Clayster, that won the Call of Duty World League Championship in 2019.
It was a gargantuan $800k win, and it immediately followed a $500k CWL Pro League Playoff victory. It was easily one of the best Call of Duty teams in history, and one of the most dominating rosters overall.
7. Dallas Empire: 2019 to 2021
This is the third team on this list to have featured Crimsix, often considered the best Call of Duty player ever.
Dallas Empire was crowned the grand champion of the inaugural Call of Duty League season in 2020. It narrowly beat out Atlanta FaZe for the title, claiming an eye-watering $1.5 million in prize money. It was the most valuable win in Call of Duty history, and it was driven by some serious veteran might.
As the Call of Duty League entered its second season, Dallas Empire remained a strong contender for the championship. Also, according to Esports Charts, Dallas Empire is joint top with Atlanta FaZe for the highest peak viewership in Call of Duty history. However, a failure to secure the title in 2021 led to the team being retired ahead of the 2022 season, with the creation of OpTic Texas rising out of the ashes of the squad.
8. Team Kaliber: 2013 to 2018
Team Kaliber wasn’t ever a world-champion Call of Duty side, but it was an extremely prolific and long-lived team. It was founded back in 2013, and up until its closure in 2018, some of Call of Duty’s finest players were rostered under its banner.
In 2018, a side featuring Accuracy, Kenny, Fero, and Enable took second place in the Call of Duty League World Championship. That same squad had also picked up first place in a CWL Pro League Playoff stage, picking up a huge $200k prize.
While Kaliber wasn’t the most popular team out there, it indeed remains one of the best Call of Duty teams in history.
9. Toronto Ultra: 2019 to present
Toronto Ultra was essentially formed following a rebranding of Splyce, and it became Canada’s entry into the Call of Duty League. While the team had a shaky start in the inaugural season of the Call of Duty League, it became an immense contender in the 2021 season. Overnight, Ultra cleaned up, storming to win a $200k CDL Major after beating OpTic, Rokkr, Dallas Empire, and Atlanta FaZe… twice.
In 2021, Ultra put up one hell of a fight, ending up in second place in the standings and just missing out on a world championship title. It was an incredible run for a team that, up until that point, had struggled somewhat to gain traction. Following a mid-table season in 2022, Toronto Ultra still proved it could win matches, and the season wrapped up with a sixth-place finish at Champs.
However, there are high expectations for the team going into the 2023 season, given that the roster has been refreshed.
Better days ahead.
10. Seattle Surge (Luminosity): 2015 to Present
In the five years or so that Luminosity existed, it took on board the likes of FormaL, Skyz, Octane, and TeePee. There was no doubt that the team had a driving force behind it in terms of players, and the brand ended up becoming a fairly popular one. However, in 2019, the parent company of Luminosity Gaming pulled the brand from Call of Duty esports, opting instead to install a new team presence in the fresh, franchised Call of Duty League.
From that moment on, Seattle Surge was born, rising from the embers of Luminosity, one of the most iconic brands in esports. Now, Seattle Surge makes this list because of its attachment to Luminosity, which was once one of the best COD teams in the business. Unfortunately, since entering the CDL in 2020, Seattle Surge has had a relatively hard time of it. But, in 2022, a resurgence came in the form of a refreshed roster, propelling Surge into a position where the team could win a CDL Major.
It was a monumental moment, with Seattle Surge rising to defeat Atlanta FaZe, arguably the most dominant team in the Call of Duty League. It was a beautiful underdog story that played out perfectly, and it gave Surge the momentum to come in third place at COD Champs.
If you’d like to learn more about Call of Duty esports, consider pivoting and reading up a little on the popular handheld title, CODM. We’ve compiled a list of the best Call of Duty Mobile players, so you can understand a little about the space and the players that populate it.
