The Call of Duty League recently ventured to the United Kingdom for the first time in six years, landing at DreamHack Birmingham with the Major II tournament. It was a spectacle, drawing a staggering crowd that provided an electric atmosphere and immense support for the almost exclusively North American circuit. and its competitors.
During a recent episode of The Process, published by OpTic Texas, we saw what went into the organization’s preparation, performance, and ultimately, downfall at Major II. The team went to the grand final but was quashed by FaZe Vegas. In one segment, OpTic’s Dashy explained how the UK crowd motivated them to go further.
United Kingdom Crowds Just Feel Better
When the Call of Duty League went to Madrid in 2025, I sat down with OpTic Texas and asked where in Europe they’d want to go next, and they said the United Kingdom. They had their wishes answered a year later, when the Call of Duty League wound up taking centre stage at DreamHack Birmingham.
It was one of the biggest crowds in CDL history, and it was phenomenal. Being in the hall, the energy on display was like nowhere else the Call of Duty League had surfaced. Even when the action in-game wasn’t hitting home, the crowd was buzzing, whether that was because of brilliant hosting, desk input, or international rivalries.
That’s what Brandon ‘Dashy’ Otell alluded to in a recent episode of The Process:
Competing in the UK just due to the fans. The fans are just so lit. They’re all hammered, which definitely helps as well. The atmosphere, they just bring a football type of vibe and energy to the whole venue, and it’s contagious. The players feel it. Everyone feels it.
It just feels unreal, honestly.
DreamHack Birmingham was such a success that the company has set up a return in one year to the same venue. In terms of numbers, it was the biggest first-time appearance for DreamHack in any country, ever.
As gaming events have taken a deep dive into the abyss in the United Kingdom in the last few years, the hunger for DreamHack was palpable, and it all certainly paid off.
Did you attend DreamHack Birmingham? Let us know what you thought about the event on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that FalleN is finally retiring from CS esports
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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