CDL Major 2 Boston: Tournament Bracket, matches, prize pool

Activision is hosting the Call of Duty League Major 2 event Feb. 2-5 at the MGM Fenway Music Hall in Boston, Massachusetts. The event will feature all 12 teams from the CDL competing for only the second LAN tournament of the 2023 Modern Warfare 2 season. CDL Major 2 has a lot on the line as there will be a grand total of $500,000 in the prize pool that teams will aim to get a share of.

The Boston Major LAN tournament follows three weeks of grueling online matches to determine seeding for the event. The hosting team Boston Breach, who is starting in the winner’s bracket, will have the home field advantage when it comes to the competition.

Here’s what you need to know about the upcoming event.

The CDL Major 2 Boston tournament format will be different from the first Major in Raleigh back in Dec. 2022. Instead of 16 teams, including pro and amateur teams alike, the Boston Major will only feature the core 12 professional Call of Duty esports teams.

Seeding was determined through three weeks of online matches, where each team played five opponents to determine their starting position. The tournament features a double-elimination bracket where the top eight teams from Stage 2 begin in the upper (winner) bracket.

On the other hand, the bottom four teams from the qualifiers begin in the bottom (elimination) bracket. A loss in the winner’s bracket is by no means the end of their tournament run as the team will simply move to the bottom bracket for one more chance at victory.

However, teams that start in the elimination bracket, or anyone who drops to that spot, will be completely eliminated with a loss. Matches will be played in a best-of-five format, with one exception. The grand finals match between the winner’s bracket victor and elimination bracket’s survivor will face off in a final best-of-seven rounds match.

They will include the same maps and modes as previous matches in the season, including Hardpoint, Search & Destroy, and Control.

As you can see in the image above, the seeding for CDL Major 2 is here. The tournament will feature the following seeding and first-round matches:

There is a total prize pool of $500,000 on the line in CDL Major 2. Prizing for the event will include not only money but also CDL points. These points are also crucial for the 2023 season in determining the top eight teams that will qualify for the World Championship in the summer.

Here is how the prizing nets out for each placement at the Boston Major:

Of the 12 teams, there are five particular rosters for fans to keep an eye on at the CDL Major 2 tournament. These are the fan-favorites and dark horses who are among the most likely to make it to Championship Sunday on Feb. 5.

The recently formed OpTic Texas team is the first seed for the upcoming major and a heavy favorite going into the event. Despite the retirement of their star player, Seth ”Scump” Abner, in Jan. 2023, the team is going strong.

All eyes will be on the mix of players from the old OpTic Texas roster and newcomer, Cuyler ”Huke” Garland. Reunited with his old Dallas Empire teammates, this new OpTic Texas roster will aim to place much higher than their disappointing performance at Major 1.

The current reigning champs from CDL Major 1 in Raleigh will look to retain their title at Major 2. It is quite uncommon in the Call of Duty League for a team to win two back-to-back events, though it has been done by the likes of LAT and Atlanta FaZe in the past. Only time will tell if their early win in the season was due to their overwhelming dominance or simply being ahead of the other teams at playing Modern Warfare 2.

Atlanta FaZe notably went the entire 2022 season without a single event win, despite numerous grand finals appearances. Major 2 is crucial for the 2021 Call of Duty League Champs to prove they shouldn’t be forgotten about, especially after just falling short at Major 1 with a third place spot.

Boston Breach has the home crowd on their side with their hosting event at Major 2. The still newest organization in the CDL has a lot to prove after a middle-of-the-pack performance in the 2022 season. Despite strong looks at times online this season, they have yet to translate that to a LAN environment. But with home field advantage for the first time, this could be Boston’s chance to grab their first event win.

Toronto Ultra currently sits as the second-best team in the CDL. This young team has immense skill and talent that is reminiscent of the strong performance that Toronto previously had during the Black Ops Cold War season. With a relatively easier side of the bracket, Ultra is one of the few teams poised for a somewhat easier path to the winner’s finals if they can match up against a team like FaZe.

In addition to the main Boston Major, the Boston Breach organization is hosting a Challengers Open tournament for amateur teams. This event will take place at a nearby location and feature a select number of teams. Teams will compete in best-of-three matches until the top 32 are placed into a double-elimination best-of-five bracket.

There is $75,000 on the line for the amateur teams at Boston and Challengers points for the Championship at the end of the year. Plus, there is the opportunity to make waves in hopes of earning a spot on a pro CDL team.

Fans will have the chance to watch the CDL Boston Major, both in-person and online. Attendees can buy tickets right now to watch the matches live at the MGM Fenway Music Hall in Boston. Online viewers can check out the livestream for all the matches on the official Call of Duty Twitch channel.

For more information on the CDL stay tuned to Esports.gg.