Call of Duty League Major 1 2026 preview and predictions

The Call of Duty League (CDL) returns to LAN from January 29th to February 1st for the opening Major of the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 season. After five weeks of online qualifiers, the 12 franchises are headed to Dallas, Texas, to compete for the lion’s share of a $365,000 (~£264,792) prize pool.

Following an off-season where several franchises overhauled their rosters and relocated, there are plenty of new faces looking to cement their place at the pinnacle of Call of Duty esports. 

Before the action gets underway, Esports Insider takes a closer look at the championship contenders, along with predicting the outcome of what is set to be a highly competitive event.

Following its relocation to Saudi Arabia and the signing of 2021 world champion McArthur ‘Cellium’ Jovel, the Riyadh Falcons has found itself among the CDL’s established names thanks to an impressive showing in online qualifiers. 

Despite defeats to the Los Angeles Thieves and OpTic Texas, the Falcons won its last two matches against G2 Minnesota and Cloud9 New York. The Saudi Arabian organisation concluded the qualifiers with a 5-2 record to secure the third seed and a place in the upper bracket. 

After ending 2025’s regular season at the bottom of the league table and starting its Black Ops 7 campaign with a defeat to Team WaR in the Monster Energy Invitational, Riyadh’s transformation into a roster that’s a force to be reckoned with has put the franchise in a position to contend against Call of Duty’s biggest names.

The 2025/26 season marks the first full season for French esports organisation Gentle Mates, which purchased the franchise slot that previously operated under the Los Angeles Guerrillas banner.

In addition to a rebrand and relocation, the organisation embarked on a complete roster overhaul, recruiting the former Los Angeles Thieves pair of Dylan ‘Envoy’ Hannon and Daniel ‘Ghosty’ Rothe, along with the ex-Vancouver Surge talents of Travis ‘Neptune’ McCloud and Daunte ‘Sib’ Gray.

Paris Gentle Mates heads into the Major with three consecutive victories to its name to secure the top seed. With a wealth of experienced players finding form, the franchise is one of the top contenders for the title.

The Carolina Royal Ravens spent the majority of last year attempting to find consistency following a strong start to the season. In Black Ops 7, the franchise has once again hit form during the online qualifiers, with its gamble on young talent paying off.

Despite Royal Ravens having limited top-tier experience following the retirement of Austin ‘SlasheR’ Liddicoat in early January, the newfound aggression of the roster has delivered plenty of impact against proven opposition. 

Defeats to Boston Breach and Riyadh Falcons in the qualifiers saw the Royal Ravens complete a four-way tie for first place. However, due to its map record, the franchise will enter Major 1 as the fourth seed, setting up a tantalising clash against the Los Angeles Thieves in the upper bracket quarter-finals.

Thanks to the close nature of the online qualifiers, there are several teams capable of excelling in the first LAN of Black Ops 7. The likes of FaZe Vegas and OpTic Texas have the firepower to make a deep run through the upper bracket, but with the rise of Riyadh Falcons and the Carolina Royal Ravens, there’s plenty of scope for an upset result. 

If the Carolina Royal Ravens can transition its online form over to the LAN, its explosive slaying power puts it in an excellent position to lift its first trophy of the CDL era. 

CDL Major 1 2026 winner: Carolina Royal Ravens