The second season of the Call of Duty League will begin play next month. Today, Activision Blizzard announced that the CDL regular season for 2021 will kick off with an opening event from February 11th–14th, though the actual schedule and matchups have yet to be determined.
The league debuted last year with an ambitious plan to blend city-based teams with esports, similar to the Overwatch League. However, due to the pandemic, the CDL — along with most other competitive gaming leagues — was forced to shift to an online format. The season culminated with a championship weekend in August where the Dallas Empire won a literal throne.
The 2021 season will introduce a few changes, including 4 vs. 4 gameplay and a shift to PC. There will also be a new team among the 12 CDL clubs: the Los Angeles Thieves will replace Optic Gaming Los Angeles. Like last year, all games will be broadcast exclusively on YouTube.
While the season won’t start until next month, a preseason event will take place on January 23rd and 24th, where fans from the top three teams last year — Dallas, Atlanta, and Chicago — will be able to vote on who they play against.
