Photo credit: @Spribs_ & @MediaByKJM
Following the conclusion of the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the 2023/24 Call of Duty (CoD) season has come to an end. Throughout the year, several players from the UK stepped foot on the biggest stages for a chance to contend and usurp the North American powerhouses that have kept a firm grasp of the top spot.
The Call of Duty League (CDL) only has 12 teams of four, resulting in minimal opportunities to earn a place on a starting roster with several franchises opting for all-American line-ups.
Here, we take a look back at the past season and how talent from the UK fared in an esport that North America typically dominates.
Major 1 – Insight victorious
The opening tournament of the Modern Warfare 3 (MW3) season got off to a positive start for the UK contingent competing in the CDL. Jamie ‘Insight’ Craven, former Toronto Ultra player achieved victory alongside his teammates, defeating eventual Esports World Cup winners Atlanta FaZe in the finals.
Alongside Insight, two other UK players in the form of Marcus ‘Afro’ Reid and Cameron ‘Cammy’ McKilligan represented the Los Angeles Thieves, finishing in the bottom four following a first-round defeat to the Los Angeles Guerrillas.
Major 2 – A mixed bag
Toronto Ultra were unable to replicate the success of Major 1 but still achieved a respectable fourth-place finish, another strong showing from Insight (pictured below) and the rest of the team.
The Los Angeles Thieves replaced Cammy in favour of Byron ‘Nastie’ Plumridge but were unable to escape the first round of the tournament after falling to the Guerrillas once again.
Major 3 – Return to form
Insight and Toronto Ultra continued to give the likes of OpTic Texas and Atlanta FaZe a run for their money during the third Major of the season in Toronto with a second-place finish.
As for Nastie and the Los Angeles Thieves, another roster change sparked a change of fortunes with a top-eight placement and making it past the first round of the bracket for the first time.
Major 4 – Consistency shows
The biggest shock of Major 4 was the destruction of OpTic Texas and the green wall which fell at the first hurdle to the Miami Heretics. From a UK perspective, Insight continued to hold his place as the highest-placing UK player of the Modern Warfare 3 season with a fourth place while Nastie and the Los Angeles Thieves saw further improvement with a top-six finish.
For Major 4, Ben ‘Beans’ McMellon (pictured top) returned to the top tier of Call of Duty esports under the Boston Breach banner, who were swept aside by the Las Vegas Legion resulting in a lowly top-12 finish.
Champs – An impressive finale
Success at the season-ending CDL Championship can decide whether a season has been a success or a failure. Toronto Ultra and Insight cemented their position as one of the top Modern Warfare 3 squads by narrowly missing out on the podium with another fourth place to their name while the Los Angeles Thieves and Nastie came close to making a shock run to the top three.
The days of all-UK rosters standing atop the competitive Call of Duty landscape are gone for the time being. See more context in our history of UK Call of Duty esports article.
Insight has cemented himself as one of the UK’s most established talents while Nastie has continued to grow into one of the hottest properties around. With a wealth of roster moves expected before the first Black Ops 6 event of the 2024/25 season, there’s plenty of room for more UK Call of Duty talent to join the highest tier of the esport.
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