Call of Duty World League is a growing esports event year after year, changing and evolving with each new game that comes out. This year it’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s turn to take the stage as players compete for a massive prize pool in various brackets leading up to the finals in 2019. Kicking off in Las Vegas, Nevada, the first event of the new season features the largest open bracket event in the league’s history, with more than 1280 players competing.
More than 260 teams are gathered in the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas to open the season. Running from December 7 through December 9, the entire event will be broadcast on MLG.com and the CWL Twitch channels. Championships for the Las Vegas event will take place Sunday, December 9.
Popularity of the event is also on the rise. As the new season begins, spectator passes for the Las Vegas tournament are completely sold out. Onsite attendees will be able to participate in a variety of Call of Duty experiences, including open Blackout games and Zombies Rush game modes. There’s also a photo booth where fans can take pictures with weapons and props from Zombies. Of course, attendees can also watch the players live, from the qualifying rounds on Friday, through to the Las Vegas Championships on Sunday.
Treyarch’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 was designed around five man teams, and CWL Vegas is the first event to increase from the standard four players up to five. The massive event in Las Vegas is an opportunity for teams to earn a spot in the CWL Pro League, a 12-week tournament featuring 16 teams that will start in February 2019 and lead up to the finals later in the year. More spots will be available at a qualifier in Columbus, Ohio in January 2019.
Last season’s CWL finals had players competing for a grand prize of $600,000, awarded to the four members of Evil Geniuses that won the competition. The full finals had a total pool of $1.5 million, the biggest in CWL history, though we’re likely to see an even more massive prize pool this year.
You can catch all of the action on the Call of Duty Twitch channel, MLG.com, on the COD World League Twitter, and through the Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 in-game viewer on your PS4.
