It has been a whirlwind year full of upsets, unexpected results, crushing news, and record-breaking numbers, but it’s all about to end. This weekend, from the 25th to the 28th of May, the final CDL Major of the season will take place, setting the ultimate stage for the Call of Duty League Championship. It’s the last opportunity for teams to earn points, securing the final qualification spots for Champs.

Following an intense qualifying stage, the starting bracket is locked in for Major V, which is being held in Toronto. For some teams, it may be the last time that we ever see them on a Call of Duty stage, and for others, it’s business as usual before we close out yet another season of the Call of Duty League.

The State of Play for the Players

Is this the end of the line for the Mutineers?

This final Major marks the end of the line for some organisations in the CDL. During the off-season, the Florida Mutineers will merge with the Spanish organisation – Heretics – to become the Miami Heretics. Owing to Florida’s placement in the CDL standings, Major V will be the last time that we see the team in the CDL.

It’s a similar story for the Los Angeles Guerrillas. It was revealed several weeks ago that the organisation’s parent firm, The Guard, intends to sell or merge the franchise at the end of the season. If that wasn’t enough, the future isn’t looking bright for the London Royal Ravens, either. It’s yet another season that the Royal Ravens have failed to secure even a single prize, and it’s their worst performance on record as the season comes to an end.

It means that the last remaining EU team in the Call of Duty League could be wiped out during the off-season period.

To the Final Major

There’s a huge and exciting bracket already shaping up for the final CDL Major. Here are the opening matches for the event:

Thursday, May 25th

Las Vegas Legion vs. Atlanta FaZe
New York Subliners vs. Toronto Ultra
Florida Mutineers vs. OpTic Texas
Minnesota Rokkr vs. Boston Breach

Friday, May 26th

LA Thieves vs. OpTic/Florida
Royal Ravens vs. Breach/Rokkr
Seattle vs. FaZe/Legion
Los Angeles Guerrillas vs. Ultra/Subliners

There are overwhelming expectations for OpTic Texas during this Major. Recently, the squad went 5 – 0 in back-to-back qualifying stages, but up until now, the closest the team has got to securing a chip has been a second-place finish. There’s so much momentum pulling Texas into Major V, it’s unreal.

But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t other competitors stepping up to the plate. For instance, Toronto Ultra, a team powered by white-hot rookie talent that was just months ago sitting in Call of Duty Challengers. Since the start of the season, these players have proved their worth and carried Ultra to a chip earlier in the season.

There’s also Atlanta FaZe, sitting at the top of the table and also boasting a chip that’s just weeks old. For the last few years, FaZe has been the team to beat, and that’ll remain true at Major V – if the squad can overcome the ultimate underdog team in Las Vegas Legion.

And finally, there’s the LA Thieves, defending champions and last year’s winner of the Call of Duty League Championship. During the qualifying stage for Major V, the Thieves offered up a paltry performance, but can the squad turn things around for the Major itself?