The Call of Duty League finally announced the dates for the 2020 CDL Playoffs and Championship Weekend. Fans can watch their favorite teams compete in the playoffs on August 19th-23rd. The final four teams will move onto the Championship weekend on August 29th-30th.
The biggest Call of Duty event of the year is just around the corner. (Photo courtesy CDL)
The biggest Call of Duty event of the year is almost here. Every team will have a chance to make it to the Championship Weekend and become the first Call of Duty League champions. It will not be an easy road for most teams, however, as their placings in the playoffs depend on their standings.
Teams will be sorted into a Winner’s bracket and Elimination Bracket based on their performance and seeding in the regular season. The top eight teams in the league will start in the Winner’s Bracket while the bottom four teams will begin in the Elimination Bracket.
Teams that lose in the Winner’s Bracket will move to the Elimination Bracket, where they will have a chance to fight their way back to the finals. Once a team loses in the Elimination Bracket, however, they are out of the tournament.
Each playoff match will be best of five and have a set game mode rotation. Here is a breakdown of the game mode for each map in a series:
Map 1 – Hardpoint
Map 2 – Search and Destroy
Map 3 – Domination
Map 4 – Hardpoint
Map 5 – Search and Destroy
The bottom four teams will go head to head in the first round of the Elimination Bracket on Wednesday, August 19th. The fifth-eighth seeded teams will compete in the first round of the Winner’s Bracket on Thursday, August 20th, and the teams will either continue in the Winner’s Bracket or move to the Elimination Bracket.
The final two teams in the Winner’s Bracket will compete on Saturday, August 29th, for a spot in the Grand Finals. The last two teams in the Elimination Bracket will also compete on Saturday, and the winner will move on to face the loser from the Winner’s Bracket final match.
The Finals will feature a best of 9 format, and the team from the Winner’s Bracket starting with a 1-0 lead. Here is a breakdown of the game mode for each map in the format:
Map 1—Hardpoint
Map 2—Search and Destroy
Map 3—Domination
Map 4—Hardpoint
Map 5— Search and Destroy
Map 6—Domination
Map 7—Hardpoint
Map 8—Search and Destroy
The final two teams will compete in the Championship on Sunday, August 30th. The winning team will secure a $1.5 million prize, while the runner up will receive $900,000. The third and fourth place teams will win $600,000 and $450,000, respectively. The last six teams that qualify for a prize will earn $300,000- $100,000 based on their final placing.
There are two Home Series left in the regular season, which means struggling teams could improve their standings before the playoffs. Several teams have improved significantly late in the season, so a surprise upset or final matchup is not out of the question.
The Challengers Finals will also take place on August 15th-16th. A full schedule and breakdown of the event can be found here.
All matches in the playoffs and Championship Weekend will be played online and can be seen live on the official Call of Duty League YouTube channel or Website.
