After a long off-season, competitive Call of Duty returns with the Call of Duty League Kickoff Classic, a special event to celebrate the first anniversary of the league that launched in January 2020.
To kick off the Black Ops Cold War season, all 12 franchises will be in action in a series of showcase matches before the first week of competition begins on February 11th with the Atlanta Home Series.
Find everything you need to know about the Kickoff Classic, including a full schedule, where to watch the matches, and more!
Where To Watch
Just like last season’s action, the Kickoff Classic will be streamed live on the Call of Duty League’s YouTube channel.
Kickoff Classic Dates And Schedule
The Kickoff Classic takes place from January 23rd-24th and will see all 12 franchises in action for the first time this season.
Three of the matches were voted for by the fans while the teams that were not selected will take part in another three games on the second day.
Find the full schedule for the event below:
Day 1
8PM GMT/12PM PST/9PM CET | Dallas Empire v New York Subliners |
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9.30PM GMT/1.30PM PST/10.30PM CET | Los Angeles Guerrillas v Seattle Surge |
12AM GMT (January 25th)/ 3PM PST/ 1AM CET (January 25th) | Atlanta FaZe v Florida Mutineers |
Day 2
8PM GMT/12PM PST/9PM CET | London Royal Ravens v Paris Legion |
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9.30PM GMT/1.30PM PST/10.30PM CET | Toronto Ultra v Minnesota ROKKR |
12AM GMT (January 25th)/ 3PM PST/ 1AM CET (January 25th) | OpTic Chicago v Los Angeles Thieves |
Kickoff Classic Format
Three of the six matches taking place were decided by fan votes. The community opted to see defending champions Dallas Empire do battle with former teammate and three-time world champ James “Clayster” Eubanks who aims to find success under the New York banner.
The second match saw fans vote for 2020 runners-up Atlanta FaZe take on the Florida Mutineers in what could be a hotly contested match between two evenly matched sides.
The third and final fan-voted match will be a showdown between Hector “Hecz” Rodriguez and Matt “Nadeshot” Haag as the Chicago OpTic face off against the Los Angeles Thieves.
Kickoff Classic Prize Pool
As this is a showcase event, there will be no prize money on the lines for the teams competing.
Although no prize pool will be up for grabs, a total of $5 million will be on the line during the regular season and the playoffs of the 2021 season.