The Call of Duty League’s Major 2 tournament is unravelling in the United Kingdom this weekend. It has proven to be a phenomenal event, drawing a crowd of more than 5,500 people, all flocking to the NEC in Birmingham to see the world’s most prolific Call of Duty teams compete on a grand stage.
If the event has proven one thing, it’s that the Call of Duty League needs to come back to the UK. The fans are hungry for it, the energy is electric, and everyone has fallen in love with the region’s vibe. In an interview with Insider Gaming Esports, the General Manager of the Call of Duty League, Daniel Tsay, suggested that we’re not far from getting the biggest COD event in Europe…
Will COD Champs Come to the United Kingdom?
Insider Gaming Esports has had a stellar presence this weekend at DreamHack Birmingham. It’s the first time that DreamHack has come to the nation, and there are whispers that it’s one of the most popular events in the organization’s illustrious history (potentially the most popular).
Most of the crowd has come for the Call of Duty League Major, which marks the first COD League event in six years to hit the British Isles.
And everyone has quickly discovered that we absolutely must have at least one UK-based Call of Duty event per season from now on. The energy has been unbelievable, and the crowd is putting on one hell of a show.
We sat down with Daniel Tsay, the GM of Call of Duty Esports at Activision, and asked him what it would take to bring the Call of Duty League Championship, the biggest event in the competitive calendar, out of North America and into Europe.
It’s definitely on the table, right?
We’ve been slowly getting back to Europe, with one of the Majors last year. As you know, Paris is going to be hosting a Major in just a couple of months, and it’s really going to be our most ambitious Major yet.
I think, as long as we keep showing this track record of delivering great events and people showing up, it’s going to give us all the confidence in the world to host a big Championship here.
Last year, the Call of Duty League went to Madrid, and as Tsay explained, it’s heading to Paris and is in the United Kingdom right now. For a Call of Duty League Championship to be held out of North America, something monumental would need to happen, logistically, but it would pay off.
Tsay also confirmed that, behind North America, the United Kingdom is the COD League’s second biggest market. If the team could bring COD Champs to say, London, there’s no doubt it would be a sell-out event. It would mark the first time in more than a decade that COD Champs had taken place outside of North America, and that’s sorely needed.
With the inclusion of organisations like Team Falcons and Gentle Mates, Call of Duty is becoming much more international again. Having Champs outside NA would be the perfect icing on the cake for that concept.
Do you think the Call of Duty League Championship should leave North America? Let us know what you’re thinking on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news about tomorrow’s banger match between OpTic Texas and FaZe Vegas
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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