CDL 2026: four Majors, Overload mode, and Challengers overhaul

The Call of Duty League on Thursday released its 2026 calendar and a package of format changes tied to the launch of Call of Duty Black Ops 7, announcing four Majors across North America and Europe, a revamped Challengers circuit and alterations to competitive gameplay ahead of Championship Weekend in Las Vegas next July. The season opens in Dallas, Texas, January 29 to February 1, returns to the United Kingdom for Major II at DreamHack Birmingham March 27 to 29, stages a ProAm Major in Atlanta later in the spring, and holds a fourth Major in Paris from June 25 to 28. Championship Weekend will close the season in Las Vegas July 16 to 19, with Black Ops 7 also featuring as a separate event at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh.

The league said each Major will be preceded by online qualification windows to determine LAN seeding. Major I qualifiers will run five weeks, Major II six weeks and Majors III and IV three weeks each. Major II will use a round robin online qualifier that advances the top 10 teams to the LAN, with seeds seven through 10 entering a four‑team play‑in for spots in an eight‑team double elimination playoff. Major III will return as a ProAm Classic, allowing top...