The newly announced competitive Call of Duty: Warzone Resurgence Series (COD:WRS) for 2026 will be directly integrated into the existing festival circuit for professional Call of Duty League (CDL) events. Activision has confirmed that the $1.2 million trios circuit will host its initial LAN finals at DreamHack Birmingham in March and DreamHack Atlanta in May, the same festivals that will concurrently host CDL Major II and CDL Major III, respectively.
The COD:WRS circuit begins with online qualifiers in February, leading to its first LAN final at DreamHack Birmingham on 29 March. Notably, the CDL Major II is scheduled for the same venue from 27-29 March. The pattern repeats in May, with the Warzone Atlanta final set for 17 May and the CDL Major III taking place at DreamHack Atlanta from 15-17 May. The Warzone circuit then culminates with a $1 million championship at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh in late July.
This parallel scheduling creates a cohesive event calendar for Call of Duty esports. The strategy mirrors moves by the ESL FACEIT Group (EFG), which organises DreamHack festivals, to consolidate major tournaments.
The COD:WRS series will unfold in three distinct phases. The first stage centres on DreamHack Birmingham, running from 9 February to 29 March. Open online qualifiers in North America and Europe will whittle down up to 512 trios to 32, who will then compete in closed qualifiers. The top five teams from each region will progress directly to the Birmingham Finals, while six more will earn their spot through a last-chance Birmingham Open event. This initial LAN final will award $100,000 and secure placements for the grand finale.
An identical format will repeat for the DreamHack Atlanta stage between 6 April and 17 May, distributing another $100,000 and further qualifications for Riyadh. The season will conclude at the COD:WRS Championship during the Esports World Cup (EWC) from 29 July to 1 August. There, 32 trios—including qualifiers from Birmingham and Atlanta, winners from global online qualifiers, and the defending champions—will compete for the $1 million prize and the 2026 title.
The integration of the Warzone Resurgence Series into these festivals provides the burgeoning competitive scene with immediate access to large-scale event production and live audiences, moving beyond the traditionally separate paths of the professional CDL and the open, mass-participation Warzone tournaments. This new circuit formalises high-stakes Warzone competition within the broader EWC framework.
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