Call of Duty League 2021 Stage 1 groups & fixtures revealed
Call of Duty League 2021 Stage 1 begins on February 11, and at the CDL Kickoff Classic, the groups and fixtures for this first stage were officially announced.
While it was fun seeing the new 4v4 rosters facing off against each other in the Kickoff Classic event, perhaps the most important part of the weekend was seeing Stage 1’s group selection take place.
Before the highly-anticipated OpTic Chicago v LA Thieves show match, we saw members and owners of each CDL team choose who would be playing in opposing groups, officially revealing the Stage 1 groups.
Here are the groups going into CDL 2021 Stage 1, how they were chosen, and what this first stage will look like.
CDL 2021 Stage 1 groups
| Group A | Group B |
| Dallas Empire | Atlanta FaZe |
| LA Thieves | OpTic Chicago |
| Minnesota RØKKR | Florida Mutineers |
| London Royal Raves | Toronto Ultra |
| New York Subliners | LA Guerrillas |
| Seattle Surge | Paris Legion |
How the CDL Stage 1 groups were chosen
In a slightly confusing format described as a ‘reverse snake draft,’ teams chose who would play in the opposing group.
As the top two teams from CDL 2020, Dallas Empire and Atlanta FaZe were placed into different groups, A and B. Teams then picked who would be competing in the opposing group, beginning with Dallas Empire.
Dallas Empire, last year’s champs, chose first, and then FaZe chose after. The selection process went like this:
- Dallas Empire chose OpTic Chicago for Group B
- FaZe chose LA Thieves for Group A
- OpTic Chicago chose Minnesota RØKKR for group A
- LA Thieves chose Florida Mutineers for Group B
Teams continued to choose teams turn about until each group had been decided.
Atlanta FaZe Home Series
Each stage consists of three Home Series weekends, with Atlanta FaZe hosting the opening weekend on February 11. Group A will be playing on Thursday and Saturday, with Group B playing on Friday and Sunday.
It kicks off with newcomers LA Thieves going against Minnesota RØKKR, and champs Dallas Empire taking on Seattle Surge.
After getting knocked out by Atlanta FaZe in the 2020 semi-finals, OpTic Chicago (formerly Chicago Huntsmen), will be looking to settle the score on Sunday. To add further rivalry, FaZe’s Arcitys played for the Huntsmen in last year’s league.
You can check out the fixtures for the entirety of Stage 1 on CallofDutyLeague.com.
The top two teams from Stage 1 will have first pick in Stage 2, which is set to begin on March 18.
Image Credit: Activision