Call of Duty League Major 2 2026 Tournament Guide—Schedule, Format, and Teams

The Call of Duty League’s Major 2 tournament is almost here, and it’s the first one to land in the United Kingdom in almost six years. If you’re eager to learn everything you need to know about this event, then read on. This monumental event boasts a sizeable prize pool, a unique format for the CDL, and all of the action you’ve come to associate with the Call of Duty League.

Scroll down to learn everything about the schedule, format, teams, and predictions for the Call of Duty League Major 2 tournament at DreamHack Birmingham.

CDL Major 2 Birmingham Schedule and Format

The CDL Major 2 tournament in 2026 boasts a different format from every other Major in Call of Duty League history, simply because it’s a day shorter and uses a Play-In Stage.

This means that:

• The top six teams in the Qualifying Stage will directly enter the Playoffs
• The seventh to tenth seeds will compete in the Play-In Stage to either enter the Playoffs or be eliminated

So, there is a chance that two teams could fly to the United Kingdom to fall without winning a single map in their first match, but that’s the price of competition, folks.

The Play-In Stage and the Playoffs will feature best-of-five matches. The Grand Final is, as always, a best-of-seven series.

If you’re wondering about the CDL Major 2 schedule, it’s a simple enough thing to understand:

The exact timings weren’t confirmed at the time of publishing, but since the event is in the United Kingdom, you can expect it to feel weird from a North American perspective. The Grand Final will likely be played from around 4 PM or 5 PM UK time, which is around midday EST, for instance.

CDL Major 2 2026 Teams

The Call of Duty League Major 2 tournament is a run-of-the-mill event for teams. It’s a representation of the core CDL structure, which means the twelve teams you’re used to will take to the stage:

• OpTic Texas
• Miami Heretics
• LA Thieves
• Riyadh Falcons
• G2 Minnesota
• FaZe Vegas
• Carolina Royal Ravens
• Toronto KOI
• Vancouver Surge
• Paris Gentle Mates
• Boston Breach
• Cloud9 New York

Prize Pool

Here’s how the CDL Major 2 prize pool will be distributed:

• First Place: $150,000
• Second Place: $90,000
• Third Place: $50,000
• Fourth Place: $30,000
• Fifth – Sixth Place: $15,000
• Seventh – Eighth Place: $7,500
• Ninth – Tenth Place: $0

How to Watch Call of Duty League Major 2

This season, the Call of Duty League is split between two major platforms: YouTube and Twitch. Many watch parties have surfaced, backed by Activision and some of the biggest organizations in the space, but the official channels are:

Call of Duty League Major 2 Predictions

If you’ve been around the CDL during the recent qualifying stage, you’ll recognize OpTic Texas as the number one team to watch for this event. The squad, fresh off a win at COD Champs and the Esports World Cup, has entered the season with great gusto. At Major 1, a last-ditch push from Paris Gentle Mates meant a second-place finish, but it was pretty close.

In this stage, OpTic has secured a 10-1 match-win record, going unbeaten over nine fixtures. Behind OpTic Texas, the next-best-performing teams have been Miami Heretics, LA Thieves, and Riyadh Falcons, the latter being the only team to beat OpTic Texas since February 1.

Paris Gentle Mates, the Major 1 winners, have been all but written off after a terrible qualifying stage, and even FaZe Vegas is looking shakier than ever.

It’s easy to see the tournament wrapping up with an OpTic Texas vs. Miami or LAT Grand Final, but don’t count out Riyadh Falcons. It could be the organization’s first trophy in the Call of Duty League.

Which team do you think will win at Major 2 in the United Kingdom? Let us know your thoughts on the Insider Gaming Discord server.

For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out everything you need to know about VCT EMEA Stage 1