Call of Duty League Kickoff Classic 2021: Schedule, teams and where to stream

After a turbulent offseason with huge roster switches, the Call of Duty League 2021 season will be preceded with Kickoff Classic.

This event will see all 12 teams have one match across two days, including new arrivals LA Thieves and the rebranded OpTic Chicago.

So what do you need to know about the Kickoff Classic? Here’s the breakdown. 

• Read more: London Royal Ravens player Zer0: “4v4 isn’t about getting the most kills” 

When does the CDL Kickoff Classic start?

The event spans two days from 23-24th January at 12pm PST/8pm GMT, with all matches set to take place online.

All match-ups were voted by fans on Twitter, resulting in some excellent storylines - with James “Clayster” Eubanks going up against his former squad Dallas Empire, while LA Thieves vs OpTic Chicago will revive a historic rivalry.

In addition to matches, the event will also have a group selection show for the main CDL 2021 season and other details about what to expect. 

What are the team rosters?

Call of Duty League 2021 rosters (Picture: CDL) 

You can check out every roster below for the 2021 season. 

Chicago OpTic

• Seth “Scump” Baner
• Matthew “FormaL” Piper
• Dylan “Envoy” Hannon
• Brandon “Dashy” Otell

Atlanta FaZe

• Alec “Arcitys” Sanderson
• Tyler “aBeZy” Pharris
• Chris “Simp” Lehr
• McArthur “Cellium” Jovel

Dallas Empire

• Indervir “iLLeY” Dhaliwal
• Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro
• Cuyler “Huke” Garland
• Ian “Crimsix” Porter

Minnesota ROKKR

• Preston “Priestahh” Greiner
• Michael “MajorManiak” Szymaniak
• Lamar “Accuracy” Abedi
• Dillon “Attach” Price

LA Guerrillas

• Reece “Vivid” Drost
• Bryan “Apathy” Zhelyazkov
• Adam “Assault” Garcia
• Justin “SiLLY” Fargo-Palmer

Seattle Surge

• Sam “Octane” Larew
• Peirce “Gunless” Hillman
• Preston “Prestinni” Sanderson
• Daniel “Loony” Loza

Toronto Ultra

• Ben “Bance” Bance
• Cameron “Cammy” McKilligan
• Tobias “CleanX” Jonsson
• Anthony “Methodz” Zinni

LA Thieves

• Thomas “TJHaly” Haly
• Kenny “Kuavo” Williams
• Donovan "Temp" Laroda
• Austin “SlasheR” Liddicoat
• Zack “Drazah” Jordan (sub)

New York Subliners

• James “Clayster” Eubanks

• Conor “Diamondcon” Johst

• Makenzie “Mack” Kelley
• Paco “HyDra” Rusiewiez

London Royal Ravens

• Sean “Seany” O’Connor
• Thomas "Dylan" Henderson
• Trei "Zer0" Morris
• Alex "Alexx" Carpenter

Florida Mutineers

• Cesar "Skyz" Bueno
• Cold "Havok" McLendon
• Joseph "Owakening" Conley
• Josiah "Slacked" Berry

Paris Legion 

• Ulysses “AquA” Silva
• Nicholas “Classic” DiConstanzo
• Matthew “Skrapz” Marshall
• Luis “Fire” Rivera

What is the schedule?

Saturday 23rd January

• Dallas Empire vs New York Subliners - 12pm PT/8pm GMT
• LA Guerrillas vs Seattle Surge - 1.30pm PT/9.30pm GMT
• Atlanta FaZe vs Florida Mutineers - 3pm PT/11pm GMT

Sunday 24th January

• London Royal Ravens vs Paris Legion - 12pm PT/8pm GMT
• Toronto Ultra vs Minnesota ROKKR - 1.30pm PT/9.30pm GMT
• OpTic Chicago vs LA Thieves - 3pm PT/11pm GMT

What are the matches to look out for?

LA Thieves will make their debut (Picture: 100 Thieves) 

The opening match between Dallas Empire and New York Subliners has added weight due to James “Clayster” Eubanks, who was dropped by Dallas shortly after they won the Championship title last year. But will he able to get revenge through New York Subliners?

The London Royal Ravens vs Paris Legion match-up has a similar story, with Matthew “Skrapz” Marshall moving to the latter after being dropped by the Ravens along with his twin brother.

Easily the biggest match of the weekend however will be OpTic Chicago vs LA Thieves. After 100 Thieves were absent from the CDL last year, this will bring back their classic rivalry with OpTic and showcase whether the LA Thieves have what it takes to go up against them.

Where can I stream the CDL Kickoff Classic?

Like the Call of Duty League last year, all matches will be streamed through the CDL channel on YouTube. We’ll include a link below when it goes live. 

For more Call of Duty news, be sure to check out our dedicated section or some of our MW2 Guides & Tutorials below:

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