The second Major of the 2025 Call of Duty League (CDL) season takes place on March 20th to 23rd in Allen, Texas.
Before the action gets underway, Esports Insider has created a brief guide covering everything there is to know about the CDL 2025 Major 2 and where it slots into the Call of Duty esports ecosystem.
Major 2 is the second of five LAN events that form the CDL’s Major calendar and features all 12 franchises competing for a chance to earn CDL Points and a share of the prize pool.
Call of Duty League 2025 Major 2 Format Explained
Each of the 12 franchises has been placed into a double-elimination bracket based on seeding that’s determined by the previous three weeks of online qualifiers.
The top eight teams start the tournament in the winner’s bracket while the bottom four start in the elimination bracket.
Similar to Major 1, Major 2 will use the v1.2 competitive settings. This set of rules and regulations was developed by representatives from each franchise and the CDL itself.
The CDL hasn’t shared information on the Major 2 prize pool, continuing the trend of not disclosing details before its 2025 LAN events. The second Major of the 2024 season saw teams compete for $375,000 (~£289,119).
Teams that finish in the top eight will earn CDL Points that will contribute to seeding for the third Major of the season taking place in Boca Raton, Florida.
CDL Teams to Watch
Fan-favourite OpTic Texas is one of several teams to look out for in the second major of the 2025 CDL season. The turbulent start to the year for the Green Wall has continued, resulting in the franchise releasing Kenny ‘Kenny’ Williams from the starting line-up.
After recording one win during qualifying matches, the tournament hosts start in the elimination bracket with the aim of turning the momentum of its poor start in their favour.
The Los Angeles Thieves was the only team to end the qualifying matches without recording a loss. The team conceded just two maps across the three weeks, securing the top seed for Major 2. After finishing Major 1 in second, the Thieves will be looking to go one better in Texas.
Despite a slow start before the opening Major of the Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 season, two-time CDL champions Atlanta FaZe secured the victory in Madrid. Heading into Major 2 with the second seed, there’s a possibility of the team scoring consecutive victories.
A dark horse that has the potential to spring surprises is the Vancouver Surge. Despite the team earning the fifth seed, the team has experienced a significant uptick in form following a top-12 finish at Major 1. Surge recorded losses against LA Thieves and Toronto Ultra but managed to beat the Major 1 champions.
How to Watch Major 2
The opening matches begin on March 20th with the tournament concluding on March 23rd. The first match kicks off at 6.30 PM GMT.
The Grand Final is scheduled to take place on March 23rd at 11 PM GMT.
