After nearly three months, the Call of Duty: Vanguard season for the Call of Duty League is getting underway with the CDL Kickoff Classic; an unofficial tournament without CDL Points but with a $30,000 grand prize for the winner. Earlier today, the league released the official bracket for the event, which features some spicy matchups.
The 2022 Kickoff Classic will be single-elimination and feature all 12 teams in the Call of Duty League. This was thought to be the only time that all 12 teams would be on LAN together. In their initial format announcement, the CDL revealed that only eight teams would compete for each major, all of which on LAN. However, a recent report states that the league is planning to revert this decision and have every team in the league compete for every stage’s major championship.
CDL Kickoff Classic bracket
The official #CDL2022 Kickoff Classic Bracket presented by @Zenni_Gaming!
Which matchup are you looking forward to? 👀 pic.twitter.com/W9kjJ5eciY
— Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) January 10, 2022
The bracket is seeded by where each team finished in the CDL Champs standings from last season. Atlanta FaZe, Minnesota RØKKR, OpTic Texas and Toronto Ultra finished in the top four of the bracket, which means they get a bye in the event. OpTic Texas technically finished fifth-sixth in the event, as they’re half comprised of the former Dallas Empire roster, who placed fourth.
The rest of the teams will have to play in the first round against one another for the right to make it into the second round. Some of these matchups are worth watching with the new rosters in play. The Los Angeles Guerrillas should turn in their best season ever after their spending spree in 2021, while Boston’s rumored roster faces off against the revamped New York Subliners. There could also be an enticing rematch between Seattle Surge and Atlanta FaZe if Seattle bests London in Round 1. The last time Seattle and Atlanta played, the Surge pulled off one of the best upsets in COD history.
The CDL 2022 Kickoff Classic takes place from Jan. 21-23 at the Esports Stadium in Arlington, Texas. An exact schedule for the matches has yet to be announced.
