CDL Call of Duty League 2020 season: standings, schedule, format, more

[jwplayer DIFSbJn8] The inaugural 2020 season of the newly-formed CoD League is now underway and we’ve got everything you need to know, including updated standings, the full tournament schedule, the official format and ruleset, and more.

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UPDATE – Due to the ongoing global issues, the CDL has announced that all events will be played online for the 2020 season.

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2020 might go down as the most important year for competitive CoD, as the esport debuted its new home-and-away franchise-based Call of Duty League. Featuring 12 teams based in 11 cities, the CDL represents the new era of CoD esports, made up of three important pillars: the pro circuit, amateur Challengers division, and the fans.

Starting from January and continuing until well into August, the CDL .

Below, you can find everything you need to know about the inaugural 2020 campaign.

Jump to section:

• Standings
• Event Schedule
• Format & Point Structure
• Competitive Ruleset
• Teams & Rosters

 

Standings

Here are the final standings for the CDL 2020 regular season, last updated following the CDL Toronto Home Series. For information about how points work and the playoff structure, read the Format & Point Structure section below.

CDL Home Series winners:

• Florida Mutineers (3): Dallas, Minnesota, Paris
• Dallas Empire (3): Los Angeles, Chicago, London
• Atlanta FaZe (2): Atlanta, Florida
• Chicago Huntsmen (2): London, Seattle
• New York Subliners (1): New York
• Toronto Ultra (1): Toronto

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Event Schedule

The 2020 CDL season is made up of 13 regular-season events — the Launch Weekend and 12 other tournaments that will be hosted by the different franchises.

A full schedule for all of these events can be found below, including the teams that have been chosen to compete at each. For your convenience, for the tournaments that have already taken place, we have linked our full coverage hubs, which include rebroadcasts of all the action, scores, top plays, interviews, and more.

LAUNCH WEEKEND – MINNESOTA RØKKR – COVERAGE HUB

Dates: January 24-26

The first-ever event of the CDL was also the only one that didn’t feature a tournament-style format. All 12 teams participated and each played two matches against pre-determined opponents.

Four teams (FaZe, Huntsmen, ROKKR, and Legion) finished the weekend 2-0 while another four (Empire, Subliners, OpTic, and Surge) went winless at 0-2. Each win was worth 10 points, setting up the undefeated teams as early leaders in the season standings.

Full event recap and scores

Teams: 

• Atlanta FaZe (2-0)
• Chicago Huntsmen (2-0)
• Dallas Empire (0-2)
• Florida Mutineers (1-1)
• London Royal Ravens (1-1)
• Los Angeles Guerrillas (1-1)
• Minnesota RØKKR (2-0)
• New York Subliners (0-2)
• OpTic Gaming Los Angeles (0-2)
• Paris Legion (2-0)
• Seattle Surge (0-2)
• Toronto ULTRA (1-1)

LONDON ROYAL RAVENS HOME SERIES – COVERAGE HUB

The first tournament-style event of the 2020 CDL season saw Chicago Huntsmen crowned champions. Their 3-0 domination of the Empire in the grand final was their third win over Dallas just at this event alone and their fourth consecutive victory in the rivalry to start the season.

The top-four was rounded off with the two European sides – hosts London Royal Ravens and Paris Legion – who both crashed out in the semifinals after making it out of Group B.

Full event recap and scores

Dates: February 8-9

Final placements: 

1. Chicago Huntsmen (+50 points)
2. Dallas Empire (+30 points)
3. London Royal Ravens (+20 points)
4. Paris Legion (+20 points)
5. Seattle Surge (+10 points)
6. New York Subliners (+10 points)
7. Los Angeles Guerrillas (+0 points)
8. Toronto ULTRA (+0 points)

ATLANTA FAZE HOME SERIES – COVERAGE HUB

The CDL World Tour stopped at Atlanta, Georgia for its third event, and the Atlanta FaZe became the first franchise in the league’s young history to win as the hometown team.

As expected, they made it all the way to the Grand Final, however, contrary to most predicted, their opponents ended up not being the Chicago Huntsmen, who were stunningly upset in the semifinals and handed their first-ever loss by the Florida Mutineers.

FaZe took care of business in the final against the Mutineers, destroying them in 3-0 fashion. The top-four was rounded off by Minnesota ROKKR, who too were an underdog coming out of the group stage.

Full event recap, scores, brackets, and more

Dates: February 22-23

Final Placements: 

1. Atlanta FaZe (+50 points)
2. Florida Mutineers (+30)
3. Chicago Huntsmen (+20)
4. Minnesota ROKKR (+20)
5. London Royal Ravens (+10)
6. Paris Legion (+10)
7. Toronto Ultra (+0)
8. OpTic Gaming (+0)

LOS ANGELES GUERRILLAS & OPTIC GAMING LA HOME SERIES – COVERAGE HUB

The fourth Home Series of the 2020 season took place in Los Angeles, CA, hosted by the two hometown teams Guerrillas and OpTic Gaming. Dallas Empire were crowned victors, defeating Minnesota ROKKR in what ended up being an intense Grand Final.

Atlanta FaZe, who were heavily favored to win the event, ended up falling in the semifinals, taking just their first loss of the season. On the flip side, OpTic, who came into the event as the lone winless team, snagged two victories and made it all the way to the semis, a huge improvement over their dreadful start to the campaign.

Full event recap, highlights, scores, brackets, and more

Dates: March 7-8

Final Placements: 

1. Dallas Empire (+50 points)
2. Minnesota ROKKR (+30)
3. Atlanta FaZe (+20)
4. OpTic Gaming LA (+20)
5. Seattle Surge (+10)
6. Florida Mutineers (+10)
7. LA Guerrillas (+0)
8. New York Subliners (+0)

DALLAS EMPIRE HOME SERIES (Online)

The first tournament since the CDL restructured to an online format turned out to be the most surprising one of the season so far, as Florida Mutineers claimed victory despite being the fifth-best team at the event in terms of standings.

Favorites Chicago Huntsmen and Dallas Empire both lost in the semifinals, to Mutineers and Minnesota ROKKR respectively, and the Grand Final turned out to be relatively one-sided, as Florida dominated the last three maps to win 3-1.

For a full recap of the event, check out our CDL Dallas post-event hub, which includes highlights, scores, brackets, and more.

Dates: April 10-12

Final Placements:

1. Florida Mutineers (+50 points)
2. Minnesota ROKKR (+30)
3. Chicago Huntsmen (+20)
4. Dallas Empire (+20)
5. Paris Legion (+10)
6. Toronto Ultra (+10)
7. Seattle Surge (+0)
8. Los Angeles Guerrillas (+0)

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CHICAGO HUNSTMEN HOME SERIES (Online)

A tournament featuring the top three teams in the CDL was bound to finish with one of them on top, and it was Dallas Empire who became the first side to win two championships this season.

The victory was undoubtedly a statement one – not only did they finally get their first win against rivals Chicago Huntsmen in dominant 3-0 fashion, but they also defeated the vaunted Atlanta FaZe 3-1 in the Grand Final.

For a full recap of the event, check out our CDL Chicago post-event hub, which includes highlights, a summary of the Grand Final, brackets, scores, and more.

Dates: April 24-26

Final Placements: 

1. Dallas Empire (+50 points)
2. Atlanta FaZe (+30)
3. Chicago Huntsmen (+20)
4. Seattle Surge (+20)
5. New York Subliners(+10)
6. Los Angeles Guerrillas (+10)
7. London Royal Ravens (+0)
8. OpTic Gaming Los Angeles (+0)

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FLORIDA MUTINEERS HOME SERIES (Online)

CDL Florida was full of shocks and twists, but the one thing that didn’t come as a surprise was Atlanta FaZe being crowned champions, becoming the second team after Dallas Empire to multiple tournament wins this season.

They took care of OpTic Gaming LA 3-1 in the Grand Final, a series that had its fair share of back-and-forth action. Despite the loss, OGLA put in their best performance of the season this weekend, by far, looking like a completely different squad after what had been a very disappointing campaign so far.

For a full recap of the event, check out our CDL Florida post-event hub, which includes highlights, brackets, scores, and more.

Dates: May 8-10

Final placements: 

1. Atlanta FaZe (+50 points)
2. OpTic Gaming Los Angeles (+30)
3. New York Subliners (+20)
4. Toronto ULTRA (+20)
5. Minnesota RØKKR (+10)
6. London Royal Ravens (+10)
7. Florida Mutineers (+0)
8. Paris Legion (+0)

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SEATTLE SURGE HOME SERIES (Online)

Tournament favorites Chicago Huntsmen were crowned champions at CDL Seattle, becoming the third team this season (Dallas & Atlanta) to win multiple Home Series events.

They navigated the event relatively stress-free, as none of their four opponents – Paris, Minnesota, New York, or London – managed to push them to a game five. Speaking of Royal Ravens, although they fell in the Grand Final, the decision to bring in Zer0 seems to have already paid off, as they managed to make it farther than any other tournament this season.

For a full recap of the event, check out our CDL Seattle post-event hub, which includes highlights, brackets, scores, and more.

Dates: May 22-24

Final Placements: 

1. Chicago Huntsmen (+50 points)
2. London Royal Ravens (+30)
3. New York Subliners (+20)
4. OpTic Gaming Los Angeles (+20)
5. Minnesota RØKKR (+10)
6. Los Angeles Guerrillas (+10)
7. Paris Legion (+0)
8. Seattle Surge (+0)

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MINNESOTA RØKKR HOME SERIES (Online)

The most exciting and intense Home Series so far saw Florida Mutineers become champions for the second time this season after they took down Chicago Huntsmen, Dallas Empire, and Atlanta FaZe over the course of the weekend.

The tournament had enough twists and turns to satisfy any fan: eight of the matches went to a Game 5, there were four upsets, and three reverse-sweeps, all unprecedented numbers for a CDL event.

For a full recap, check out our CDL Minnesota post-event hub, which includes highlights, brackets, scores, and more.

Dates: June 12-14 (delayed by CDL)

Final Placements: 

1. Florida Mutineers (+50 points)
2. Atlanta FaZe (+30)
3. Dallas Empire (+20)
4. LA Guerrillas (+20)
5. Chicago Huntsmen (+10)
6. Seattle Surge (+10)
7. Minnesota ROKKR (+0)
8. Toronto Ultra (+0)

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PARIS LEGION HOME SERIES (Online)

The Florida Mutineers solidified their status as one of the league’s best teams by cruising to another championship at CDL Paris, becoming the first team to win three tournaments and also go back-to-back.

Their Grand Final performances vs Atlanta FaZe was especially amazing; not only did they pull off a comfortable 3-0 sweep, but their 235-70 victory in game three was the most one-sided Domination we’ve seen all year.

For a full recap, check out our CDL Paris post-event hub, which includes highlights, brackets, scores, and more.

Dates: June 19-21

Final Placements: 

1. Florida Mutineers (+50 points)
2. Atlanta FaZe (+30)
3. Dallas Empire (+20)
4. New York Subliners (+20)
5. Toronto Ultra (+10)
6. London Royal Ravens (+10)
7. OpTic Gaming Los Angeles (+0)
8. Paris Legion (+0)

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NEW YORK SUBLINERS HOME SERIES (Online)

A statement performance from New York Subliners as they defended their own Home Series and became the fifth different team to win a CDL tournament this season. A dominant 3-0 win over Chicago Huntsmen in the Grand Final has many thinking it’s time to consider NYSL as a elite-level threat.

The event also featured the first-ever meeting between Huntsmen and Atlanta FaZe, a highly-anticipated matchup that ended up being extremely one-sided as Chicago swept them in dominant fashion.

For a full recap, check out our CDL New York post-event hub, which includes highlights, brackets, scores, and more.

Dates: July 10-12

Final Placements: 

1. New York Subliners (+50 Points)
2. Chicago Huntsmen (+30)
3. Atlanta FaZe (+20)
4. Toronto Ultra (+20)
5. Paris Legion (+10)
6. London Royal Ravens (+10)
7. Los Angeles Guerrillas (+0)
8. Minnesota RØKKR (+0)

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LONDON ROYAL RAVENS HOME SERIES (Online)

It was pure domination from Dallas Empire as they dropped just one map on their way to becoming the second team to win three CDL Home Series this season.

Not only did they rip apart Paris Legion in a lopsided 3-0 Grand Final victory, but Empire also swept defending champion New York Subliner and three-time tournament winners, Florida Mutineers, all while their entire lineup finished with positive K/Ds.

For a full recap and highlights, check out our CDL London post-event hub, which also includes all the brackets and scores from the weekend and more.

Dates: July 17-19

Final Placements: 

1. Dallas Empire (+50 points)
2. Paris Legion (+30)
3. London Royal Ravens (+20)
4. Florida Mutineers (+20)
5. New York Subliners (+10)
6. OpTic Gaming Los Angeles (+10)
7. Seattle Surge (+0)
8. Los Angeles Guerrillas (+0)

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TORONTO ULTRA HOME SERIES (Online)

With the Toronto Home Series arguably being the most stacked event of the season, very few expected the Ultra to be the last ones standing. Not only did Toronto prove everyone wrong, but they did it in impressive fashion, taking down Atlanta FaZe, Dallas Empire, and Chicago Huntsmen in the process.

It didn’t come easy, however; they had several matches that could have gone either way, including their 3-2 victory over FaZe in the Grand Final. The series went all the way down to a game five, round 11, which took a clutch 1v2 from star-man Methodz to secure.

For a full recap and highlights, check out our CDL Toronto post-event hub, which also includes all the brackets and scores from the weekend and more.

Dates: July 24-26

Final placements:

1. Toronto Ultra (+50 points)
2. Atlanta FaZe (+30)
3. Dallas Empire (+20)
4. OpTic Gaming Los Angeles (+20)
5. Chicago Huntsmen (+10)
6. Florida Mutineers (+10)
7. Minnesota RØKKR (+0)
8. Seattle Surge (+0)

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CALL OF DUTY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS & CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND (Online)

Dates: August 19-23 (Playoffs); August 29-30 (Championship Weekend)

Teams:

• Atlanta FaZe
• Chicago Huntsmen
• Dallas Empire
• Florida Mutineers
• London Royal Ravens
• Los Angeles Guerrillas
• Minnesota RØKKR
• New York Subliners
• OpTic Gaming Los Angeles
• Paris Legion
• Seattle Surge
• Toronto Ultra

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Format & Point Structure

The Call of Duty League 2020 season features 13 regular-season events and Championship Weekend, where the World Champions for the inaugural campaign will be decided.

With the exception of Launch Weekend, which all 12 teams attended and played two matches each, all of these events are tournaments with a straight-up winner and placements.

CDL 2020 TOURNAMENT FORMAT

Each of the 12 regular-season tournaments will feature eight of the 12 franchises competing, so not every team will attend each event.

At each tournament, the eight teams will be split into two groups of four. The teams will play each other and the two squads that win two matches in each group will advance to the single-elimination bracket, from which the event’s champion will be determined.

Each victory a team gets at these tournaments will be worth 10 points, with an additional 10 points going to the overall winner. This means that teams can earn up to 50 points by winning an event.

• 1st – 50 CDL Points + $50,000
• 2nd – 30 CDL Points + $30,000
• 3rd/4th – 20 CDL Points + $10,000
• 5th/6th – 10 CDL Points
• 7th/8th – 0 CDL Points

CDL PLAYOFFS AND CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND

On May 19, the CDL announced changes to their original plan for the Championship Weekend in August. In this new format, all 12 teams will make it into the Championship tournament, as opposed to only the top eight, and their seeding in the bracket will be determined by where they finish in the regular-season standings.

• 1 and 2 place automatically seeded into Round 3 of the Winner’s Bracket
• 3 and 4 place automatically seeded into Round 2 of the Winner’s Bracket
• 5-8 place seeded into Round 1 of the Winner’s Bracket
• 9-12 place seeded into Round 1 of the Elimination Bracket

As a result, the prize pool distribution has also been tweaked:

• League Champion—$1.5 million
• Runner-up—$900,000
• 3rd place—$600,000
• 4th place—$450,000
• 5th place—$300,000 (2 teams)
• 7th place—$175,000 (2 teams)
• 9th place—$100,000 (2 teams)

All of the Playoff matches will be best-of-five as usual, but the Championship match is set to be a best-of-nine, with the team from the winners bracket starting up 1-0.

• Map 1—Hardpoint
• Map 2—Search and Destroy
• Map 3—Domination
• Map 4—Hardpoint
• Map 5— Search and Destroy
• Map 6—Domination
• Map 7—Hardpoint
• Map 8—Search and Destroy

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Competitive Ruleset

The CDL’s competitive ruleset lists the maps, modes, game settings, and restricted items at official competitions and online tournaments. The latest version of the ruleset can be found below.

Latest changes (June 11)

• Restricted Attachments
  • Muzzle – Suppressors (All)
    • Tactical Suppressor
    • Lightweight Suppressor
    • Monolithic Suppressor
  • Optic – Thermal Sights (All)
    • Solozero NVG Enhanced
    • Merc Thermal Optic
    • Thermal Hybrid
    • Thermal Sniper Scope
    • Thermal Dual Power Scope
  • Underbarrel – Merc Foregrip

• Restricted Weapons:
  • Shotgun
    • VLK Rogue
  • LMG
    • Bruen Mk9
  • Marksman Rifle
    • SKS

Search & Destroy Settings

Hardpoint Settings

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Teams & Rosters

There are 12 total franchises representing 11 cities in the inaugural season of the Call of Duty League. Each team is required to have at least seven players signed to their active roster, with a maximum of ten, meaning that every roster has a starting five and at least two substitutes.

In addition, teams have also brought on coaches, analysts, and specialists to help supplement their roster, with some on the coaching staff also doubling up as subs.

Confirmed in-season roster changes

JUNE 4

• Proto: Seattle Surge bench > starting lineup

JUNE 3

• Karma: Seattle Surge > retired

MAY 22

• Owakening: Free Agent > Florida Mutineers
• Maux: Florida Mutineers > bench

MAY 19

• Zer0: New York Subliners > London Royal Ravens
• Jurd: London Royal Ravens > bench

MAY 18

• Prestinni: Florida Mutineers > Chicago Huntsmen
• General: Chicago Huntsmen > bench

MAY 12

• Pandur: Seattle Surge > bench
• Enable: Seattle Surge bench > starting lineup

MAY 11

• Pacman: OpTic Gaming LA coach > F/A

MAY 4

• JKap: OpTic Gaming LA > bench
• Chino: OpTic Gaming LA bench > starting lineup
• Gunless: Chicago Huntsmen > bench
• General: Chicago Huntsmen bench > starting lineup

APRIL 24

• Happy: New York Subliners > bench
• Mack: New York Subliners bench > starting lineup

APRIL 10

• Loony: Toronto Ultra > bench
• MettalZ: Toronto Ultra bench > starting lineup

APRIL 5

• Nastie: London Royal Ravens > bench
• Seany: London Royal Ravens bench > starting lineup

MARCH 13

• Rated: London Royal Ravens > bench
• Nastie: Free Agent > London Royal Ravens

MARCH 8

• Mack: Free Agent > New York Subliners bench
• Zer0: New York Subliners > bench
• Happy: New York Subliners bench > Starting lineup

MARCH 6

• Fero: No Name Esports > Florida Mutineers
• Prestinni: Florida Mutineers > bench

MARCH 5

• ACHES, Saints, Lacefield: Los Angeles Guerrillas > LAG bench
• Blazt, Vivid, Spart: LAG bench > Starting lineup

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