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Activision Blizzard’s forthcoming Call of Duty esports league will take place in 2020 and all 12 teams have been finalized. The tournament will aim to mirror the success of the Overwatch League that uses a similar franchised approach with home and away matches. It promises to be a massive boost for Call of Duty competitive gaming and could see the game taking on CS:GO as the most popular first-person shooter esport.
Call of Duty competitive gaming has previously been an open circuit. This meant that any team could be eligible to compete in the tournaments. But the Call of Duty League is only open to teams who have paid the $25 million necessary to get a franchised spot.
12 Call of Duty Teams to bet on
The first season of the Call of Duty League features 12 teams that are mostly based in the USA. This means that cities and states like Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Florida, Minnesota, New York, Seattle, and Los Angeles will be represented. Los Angeles has two franchises that are owned by Immortals Gaming Club and KSE Esports.
There will be one franchised team from the Canadian city of Toronto, as well as two European teams based in Paris and London. It is widely expected that there will be more teams added to future Call of Duty League seasons in the future. Activision Blizzard’s Overwatch League recently expanded its roster of franchised teams to include 20 teams after the first season.
- Atlanta
- Seattle
- London
- Dallas
- Paris
- Florida
- Toronto
- Minnesota
- New York
- Los Angeles Spot 1: Immortals
- Chicago
- Los Angeles Spot 2: Kroenke Sports
Welcome our 5th player @Rated_COD to the @LondonCOD team pending league approval.
This completes our starting roster.#MindTheGap pic.twitter.com/qcqvke9jRH
— London Call of Duty (@LondonCOD) September 29, 2019
FAZE CLAN and 100 THIEVES to miss Call of Duty League
Each of the franchised teams in the Call of Duty League are backed by some well-known esports brands. Team Envy are former champions of the Call of Duty World competition, and they will representing Dallas. New York’s Call of Duty team will bring in former Evil Geniuses head coach John ‘Revan’ Boble, while Florida will be represented by Misfits Gaming.
Many Call of Duty fans were surprised to find that 100 Thieves won’t be taking part in the tournament. The team are run by Matt ‘Nadeshot’ Haag who was a legendary CoD gamer but he abstained from the contest due to the high cost of buying a franchised spot.
Similarly FaZe Clan chose not to purchase a franchise and some of their top players like Thomas ‘ZooMaa’ Paparetto have left to join the New York team.
Will Call of Duty betting match success of CSGO betting?
For many years Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has been the most popular first-person shooter in esports. This has led to many sites ranging from Bet365 esport to Arcanebet offering odds for a wide range of major and minor CSGO tournaments.
But the chaotic tournament structure of CSGO competitive gaming has been felt to make it hard for casual fans to follow the action. With the Call of Duty League offering a clear tournament format with a fixed number of teams, it could pave way for Call of Duty betting to overtake CSGO betting in the near future.
