Gamers from across Waterloo Region and the rest of the world are set to converge on the Kitchener Aud this weekend, starting on Thursday, for the Call of Duty League Championships.
The tournament will feature the top players in the world, with eight teams of four competing for a $2 million prize. There will also be a challenger’s league with 16 other teams competing for a US$100,000 prize. The competition runs from June 26-29 and is expected to see between 15,000 to 20,000 fans in attendance.
Teams that will be competing include Atlanta Faze, Vancouver Surge, Los Angeles Thieves, Miami Heretics, Carolina Royal Ravens, Boston Breach, Toronto Ultra, and last year’s champion OpTic Texas.
“Hosting the Championship Weekend demonstrates the incredible growth of Esports here in Waterloo Region,” said Allister Scorgie, Director of Sport Hosting at Explore Waterloo Region, in a press release.
“Our partnership with OverActive Media on this event provides us with direct access to a highly engaged global audience and will showcase our expertise and ability to provide world-class event hosting services and support.”
Noella Cater is a local streamer in Kitchener who goes by the gamer tag “Ellcatz.” She has been streaming on Twitch for four years and has attended previous tournaments, including the 2024 championship in Texas. She said the atmosphere inside the tournament is “so energetic, all the time.”
“The fact that it’s in KW, it’s so easy to get to, so affordable compared to the big cities that they are normally hosted in, and that makes it very accessible for everybody in the region,” said Cater.
This year’s tournament will be the first time that it is held outside of the United States in its 13-year history. Previous locations for the championship include Las Vegas, NV., Los Angeles, CA., and Allen, TX.
Neil Duffy, the Chief Commercial Officer of Overactive Media. called the Region of Waterloo “world-class” and said they and the City of Kitchener really stepped up when it came to hosting.
“When we were looking for venues, we wanted to find a venue that was capable of housing a tournament of this size and scale,” said Duffy. He said his team is excited to come to the Kitchener Aud and hosting in a place like Waterloo Region is much more affordable than places like Los Angeles and even Toronto.
“(The Region of Waterloo) really believe in E-sports and gaming, they’ve got a commission all set up around it. They are trying to look to the future and say ‘what does the generation of fans look like and how can we make them a part of the community.'”
As of Thursday morning, general admission tickets are still available for all four days. For those who can’t attend, all four days will be streamed live on the Call of Duty League’s YouTube Page. Duffy said last year’s stream of the championship saw over 10 million viewers.
The tournament will start every day at 3 p.m.