Key Highlights:
- CDL Minor 1 takes place from January 10th-12th.
- All 12 franchises are taking part.
- Brand new for 2024/25 CDL season.
Quick Links:
After a break for the festive season, the Call of Duty League (CDL) has roared back into life in the form of the inaugural CDL Minor 1 tournament. In addition to the online qualification matches and the five Major tournaments taking place across the world, the smaller Minor tournaments offer even more opportunities for players to earn those all-important CDL Points and tens of thousands in prize money.
Minor tournaments are a new addition to the CDL schedule for the Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 esports season. Acting as a smaller tournament to raise the stakes in between qualification matches, they feature a dedicated prize pool alongside extra seeding points that determine seeding for the Major tournaments. The first Minor takes place on January 10th and we’ve got all the intel on the competition in this dedicated hub.
How to Watch CDL Minor 1 2025
Like all CDL matches, fans can tune into the action on the league’s official YouTube channel. Every single second of each match will be broadcast live and available on-demand once the battlefield has fallen silent, providing several opportunities to watch the best Call of Duty players in the world compete on Treyarch’s sixth Black Ops title.
So you don’t miss any of the matches, we’ve embedded the streams of all three days below:
Day 1 – January 10th, 2025
Day 2 – January 11th, 2025
Day 3 – January 12th, 2025
CDL Minor 1 2025 Format
For those familiar with Call of Duty esports, the arrival of a Minor tournament means there’s a new format to memorise. Typically, a double-elimination bracket is used throughout a CDL tournament but in the case of the CDL Minor 1 tournament, teams only have one chance to achieve victory. Up until the grand finals, teams will compete in best-of-five matches where the loser will be eliminated. The top two teams will face off in a best-of-seven match to determine the victor.
A single-elimination format raises the stakes for all 12 teams as there’s no second chance in the loser’s bracket. Once you’re out, you’re out and have to wait until the final week of qualifiers to earn some extra points before the CDL heads to Madrid for the opening Major of the year.
CDL Minor 1 2025 Schedule
In total, the CDL Minor 1 tournament will feature 11 matches placed across three days. So you can keep track of your favourite teams, here’s the full schedule and the times when the matches are set to take place:
Day 1 – January 10th, 2025
- Minnesota Rokkr v Los Angeles Guerrillas M8 – 8pm GMT / 12PM PST / 3PM ET
- Miami Heretics v Atlanta FaZe – 9.30PM GMT / 1.30PM PST / 4.30PM ET
- OpTic Texas Las Vegas Falcons – 11PM GMT / 3pm PST / 6PM ET
- Vancouver Surge v Cloud9 New York – 12.30AM GMT / 4.30PM PST / 7.30PM ET
Day 2 – January 11th, 2025
- Toronto Ultra v TBD – 8PM GMT / 12PM PST / 3PM ET
- Boston Breach v TBD – 9.30PM GMT / 1.30PM PST / 4.30PM ET
- Carolina Royal Ravens v TBD – 11PM GMT / 3PM PST / 6PM ET
- Los Angeles Guerrillas v TBD – 12.30AM GMT / 4.30PM PST / 7.30PM ET
Day 3 – January 12th, 2025
- Semi-Final 1 – 8PM GMT / 12PM PST / 3PM ET
- Semi-Final 2 – 9.30PM GMT / 1.30PM PST / 4.30PM ET
- Grand Finals – 11PM GMT / 3PM PST / 6PM ET
What is the CDL Minor 1 2025 Prize Pool?
For the CDL Minor 1 tournament, there’s a $20,000 prize pool up for grabs. Unlike other Call of Duty tournaments where the money is distributed among the top eight teams, the winner of the tournament is the only one who takes home any cash.
While the winner is the only one taking home any money, the CDL Points are split among those who finish in the top four. Take a look at the full prize and point breakdown below:
1st – $20,000 + 30 CDL Points
2nd – $0 + 20 CDL Points
3rd/4th – $0 + 10 CDL Points
CDL Minor 1 2025 Teams
The rosters of CDL teams change on a regular basis and for those unfamiliar with the top tier of competitive Call of Duty, knowing which franchise players represent could go a long way in picking a favourite. Here’s a full list of teams and players competing in the CDL Minor 1 tournament:
- Carolina Royal Ravens – Gwinn, SlasheR, TJHaly, Vivid
- Los Angeles Thieves – Envoy, Ghosty, HyDra, Scrappy
- Toronto Ultra – Beans, CleanX, Insight, JoeDeceives
- Boston Breach – Cammy, Owakening, Purj, Snoopy
- OpTic Texas – Dashy, Huke, Kenny, Shotzzy
- Minnesota Rokkr – Estreal, Gio, Nero, PaulEhx
- Miami Heretics – Lucky, MettalZ, Reeal, RenKoR
- Vancouver Surge – 04, Abuzah, Hickey, Nastie
- Cloud9 New York – Attach, Kremp, Mack, Sib
- Atlanta FaZe – aBeZy, Cellium, Drazah, Simp
- Los Angeles Guerrillas M8 – KiSMET, Lynz, Priestahh, Skyz
- Las Vegas Falcons – Exnid, Roxas, Khhx, KingAbody
CDL Minor 1 2025 Predictions
Throughout the opening weeks of qualifiers, there are a number of teams that are in contention to achieve victory in the CDL Minor 1 tournament. Leading the charge at the top of the table is the Carolina Royal Ravens, a team that has undergone significant changes and several seasons of mediocrity to go unbeaten after four matches. There’s a high chance the Royal Ravens continue to fly high and take the victory.
It’s hard not to ignore the North American powerhouse of the Los Angeles Thieves. The roster also has an unbeaten record this season and often relies on its slaying prowess to overcome its opposition. As one team that can clip the wings of the Royal Ravens, the Thieves have an excellent chance of stealing a win.
The third and final team in contention for winning is Toronto Ultra. Heading into the Minor with the same win-to-loss record as the LA Thieves, Toronto has cemented itself as one of the stronger teams competing in the CDL. Armed with a mixture of British, Danish, and North American talent, the hosts of Major 1 have their eyes on the first prize of the season.
Call of Duty esports often springs a few surprises and with Minor 1 taking place online, there’s always a chance of an upset. It would be silly to rule out OpTic Texas after adding Culer ‘Huke’ Garland to its starting lineup. The defending CDL champions have won their last three matches and can always make a deep run in a tournament.
Atlanta FaZe has had a rocky start to the Black Ops 6 season and finds itself close to the bottom of the league table with a solitary win to its name. The Red Militia is packed with experience and knows exactly what it takes to defeat the best in the world. Ruling them out of an impressive run during this Minor would be a mistake.
- 1st – Los Angeles Thieves
- 2nd – Carolina Royal Ravens
- 3rd – OpTic Texas