The Call of Duty League officially has a start date for the 2020 season.
The first event of the year, the Call of Duty League Launch Weekend, will happen in Minnesota from Jan. 24 to 26 at the Minneapolis Armory, Activision announced today.
The event will be hosted by the Minnesota Røkkr, one of the 12 franchises competing in the Call of Duty League in 2020. All 12 teams will battle it out in the Call of Duty League Launch Weekend tournament.
Bobby Kotick, Activision Blizzard’s CEO, said he’s thrilled with the continued growth of CoD esports and excited about the city-based model, which was inspired by the Overwatch League.
“We are excited to unite the historic passion for the Call of Duty franchise with city-based fandom to create a league to rival the very best leagues in traditional sports in recognizing, celebrating and rewarding our players,” Kotick said.
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In addition to the professional competition, Activision will also debut the CoD Challengers Open in Minnesota. This will give amateur teams the opportunity to compete in an open bracket tournament format.
The CoD Challengers players will start playing in November through online ladders and tournaments, and the best competitors will qualify for the LAN event.