TJHaly calls out ‘miserable’ CDL Major II format after four-map UK trip

It’s been seven long years since the Call of Duty League left the US following the pandemic, with European fans pining after a sliver of action. But with the UK finally getting the chance to show why it’s a pivotal pillar stone of the esports community, Thomas “TJHaly” has called out the CDL Major II format for sending them home after just four maps.

The CDL has always been obstructed by its own 12-team limitations, having originally planned an audacious road show that only saw eight teams a week feature at global events. Nowadays, that format has been left behind due to wild expenses and the obstructions of lockdown, and the tournament organisers have yet to settle on a way to get all the teams playing in one seamless weekend.

The latest effort to appease fans saw a ten-team bracket formed, with the first four teams being split into a single-elimination ‘Play-In’ stage. But for the efforts of travelling all the way to the UK, TJHaly and the Surge were dumped from the event after just four maps, leaving the iconic community figure to call out the ‘miserable’ structure.

TJHaly and the Vancouver Surge lash out at CDL Major II format

Having suffered a sub-par online phase, Vancouver Surge were left in the Play-In stage against a Resurgence Toronto KOI. And to make things even more tense, the match was relegated to the B-Stream and second stage, with a much smaller crowd and an in-your-face setup.

While a reunited TJHaly and Isaiah “Gwinn” Gwinn put up a respectable fight against the worldstar Joseph “JoeDecieves” Romero, the roster fell short in a round 11 Search and Destroy map two, and couldn’t recover from there on out.

Losing to Toronto in a close 3-1 nailbiter, the Royal Ravens are now eliminated after half an hour of gameplay, and TJHaly has erupted on social media.

Format horseshit. Playing 10x more online dogshit cod than anything. Bring pool play back or something this shit is miserable

— Tj (@TJHaLy) March 27, 2026

This sentiment was reflected by Carolina Royal Ravens’ Jay “Craze” Mallhi, whose debut appearance in the UK ended in a similar fashion as the bowed out 3-1 to Paris Gentle Mates.

“Just flew to Birmingham for a [one and done series] GGs GM8s lost 3-1 and are out of the tournament,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter).

The bizarre Play-In stage does put the CDL Major II format under scrutiny, almost making many of the online qualifier matches redundant. 

For Surge, the eight-team format that has been largely adopted over the years would have seen them qualify as the seventh seed, while reigning champions Paris Gentle Mates would have been forced to give up their crown without even setting foot in the UK, as they finished qualifiers in tenth.

Now, Surge are out in one series, and Gentle Mates won three series on the opening day to book themselves a winners’ semi-final

There’s something to say for the atmosphere that was created by the Play-In stage, with the home crowd lapping up every second of the Carolina (previously London) Royal Ravens’ attempt to take down Gentle Mates, but the fact remains that on any other given day, Surge could be fighting a lower bracket run, while Paris watched on from home.