Activision has officially revealed its complete operational structure and calendar for the Call of Duty League (CDL) 2027 season, following what the company billed as a record-setting 2026 competitive year.
Scheduled to kick off on 4 December 2026, the 2027 campaign will transition to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, featuring new competitive maps, updated weapons, and a new franchise addition in M80 Boston.
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The 2027 season calendar comprises four international Major cycles culminating in the Championship Weekend. The competitive year begins with the Kickoff Classic Tournament from 4 to 13 December 2026, featuring an online Pro-Am format where top North American Challengers teams compete directly against CDL franchises.
Following the opening circuit, Major I will be hosted in Europe from 12 to 14 February 2027, building on record attendance across European events in 2026. Major II once again takes place in Birmingham, United Kingdom, from 2 to 4 April 2027 in partnership with tournament organiser DreamHack, incorporating a LAN Pro-Am format that seeds the top four Challengers teams into main event competition.
The circuit moves to North America for the second half of the season, with Major III hosted in Toronto, Canada, by Toronto KOI from 20 to 23 May 2027. Regular season play concludes with Major IV on the West Coast of the United States from 18 to 20 June 2027, featuring the season’s second LAN Pro-Am. The season will conclude with Championship Weekend from 8 to 11 July 2027, hosted by OpTic Texas.
Official broadcasts will maintain live distribution across YouTube and Twitch alongside official co-streaming watch parties.
To further align Tier 1 and amateur ecosystems, the league is introducing three 16-team online Minor Tournaments between Majors, offering CDL Points and integrating North American Challengers teams into single-elimination gauntlet play. Major III will also implement a modified format, utilising a single-elimination play-in bracket for the bottom six qualifying teams to battle for two remaining slots in an eight-team double-elimination main stage.
The Kickoff Classic Tournament in December 2026, however, will not be the first official tournament played in Modern Warfare 4. Activision has previously announced a partnership with energy drink brand Monster Energy to launch the first-ever professional esports tournament for the game. The 2026 Monster Energy Launch Invitational will take place from November 6 to 8, marking the beginning of competitive play for the new tactical shooter, which is scheduled to release on October 23.
