THIS weekend, the Call of Duty League will be virtually stopping off in Paris for the franchise’s home series event. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has cancelled the Call of Duty League’s live events so, in their place, the competition has been moved online.
For a bit more context, the Call of Duty League is a competitive entity much like the NBA or NFL where city-based franchises purchase a spot to compete. The league is made up of 12 teams, each with five active players and a number of substitutes.
Each franchise hosts its own home series events that reward competitors with cash prizes and points. When the regular season ends, the eight highest-ranked teams will make it to the playoffs to see which will, eventually, become the inaugural Call of Duty League champion.
Over June 19-21, Paris Legion will host its own home series event, albeit online. The eight participating teams represent cities from across Canada, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The Minnesota Home Series wrapped in spectacular fashion during CDL Sunday.
Relive the hype and biggest plays in our highlight video. #CDL2020 pic.twitter.com/5nhskRKnDs
— Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) June 15, 2020
Currently ranked first and third in the league standings, Atlanta FaZe (6/4)and Dallas Empire (7/4) are undoubtedly the favourites going into this tournament. Despite both teams being bested by the Florida Mutineers (5/2) at the most recent home series event, we’re confident that the Empire and FaZe will perform this weekend.
Both teams have several world-championship winners on their rosters – including the likes of Ian "Crimsix" Porter, the winningest player in Call of Duty history, and Chris "Simp" Lehr, the 2019 Call of Duty Championship MVP. With four home series event wins between them this season, we suspect that the Empire and FaZe have a better chance than most to find success.
Despite the fierce competition, London Royal Ravens (12/1) may be able to place highly. The UK squad have shown glimmers of brilliance in the past and, upon picking up Trei “Zer0” Morris, the team finished second at their last event – only being beaten by another top team I. Chicago Huntsmen. Four of the five players on their active roster being CWL Pro League All-Stars in the past, so fans of the franchise will hope that the Ravens’ fortunes may change at the upcoming Paris home series event.
With the Call of Duty League standings becoming more concentrated towards the bottom of the league and spread out at the top, there really is everything to play for this weekend. Teams such as New York Subliners (16/1) and Paris Legion (50/1) will be battling to secure their spots in the playoffs, whilst Florida Mutineers will be attempting to forge a winning streak.
Esports fans can watch all the action unfold on the Call of Duty League’s YouTube channel, and catch highlights on their social media pages too. Betting on all of the matches played at Paris’ home series event will be available on Unibet.
