The Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 tournament is kicking off on July 24th. What is the BO6 Esports World Cup format, which teams will compete, and when will key games be taking place?
BO6 Esports World Cup competitors: Who is defending the title, and which teams are competing to become new champions?
A total of 16 teams are competing in the BO6 Esports World Cup tournament. FaZe Clan, defending champions from 2024, return to attempt a back-to-back title win.
As defending champions, FaZe Clan automatically qualified for the Esports World Cup 2025. All remaining teams qualified through the CDL (Call of Duty League) Championship, CDL Regular Season, Dreamhack Dallas Open 2025, or the Call of Duty Challengers Finals.
Although FaZe are the returning 2024 BO6 Esports World Cup champions, OpTic Gaming arrive at the tournament as CDL Championship Winners. OMiT are also attending as the DreamHack Dallas Open 2025 Winners. Therefore, FaZe Clan will face stiff competition in their back-to-back title attempt.
OpTic Gaming are particularly fierce competitors this year, following their fairytale CDL Weekend run that earned them a consecutive World Championship after a tumultuous season.
Here is the complete list of competing teams and their qualification method:
- FaZe Clan (Defending Champions)
- OpTic Gaming (CDL Championship Winners)
- Vancouver Surge (CDL Championship 2nd Place)
- Boston Breach (CDL Championship 3rd Place)
- Team Heretics (CDL Championship 4th Place)
- KOI (CDL Championship 5th Place)
- 100 Thieves (CDL Championship 7th Place)
- G2 Esports (CDL Regular Season 9th Place)
- Cloud9 (CDL Regular Season 10th Place)
- Gentle Mates (CDL Regular Season 11th Place)
- Team Falcons (CDL Regular Season 12th Place)
- OMiT (DreamHack Dallas Open 2025 Winners)
- Project 7 Esports (Call of Duty Challengers Finals 2nd Place)
- Team WaR (Call of Duty Challengers Finals 3rd Place)
- Team Orchid (Call of Duty Challengers Finals 4th Place)
- FiveFears (Call of Duty Challengers Finals 5th Place)
What is the BO6 Esports World Cup schedule, and what format does it follow?
Call of Duty BO6 at the Esports World Cup begins on Thursday, July 24th, with the Group Stage. The Group Stage will run from July 24th to 25th.
All Group Stage games follow a best-of-five format.
First, the four teams in each group will compete in an opening match, which will determine the teams playing the Winners Match and the Elimination Match. The loser of the Winner’s Match will then play the winner of the Elimination Match in the Decider Match.
Following this, the top two teams from each group will move forward to the Playoffs stage.
The 16 competing rosters are split into four groups of four:
Group A:
- Cloud9
- FiveFears
- G2 Esports
- OpTic Gaming
Group B:
- 100 Thieves
- Gentle Mates
- Team Orchid
- Vancouver Surge
Group C:
- Boston Breach
- KOI
- Team Falcons
- Team WaR
Group D:
- FaZe Clan
- OMiT
- Project 7 Esports
- Team Heretics
July 26th marks the start of the playoff stages. Four Quarterfinal games run through Saturday, July 26th, followed by two Semifinal games on Sunday, July 27th. Completing the tournament, a 3rd Place Decider and Grand Final are also scheduled for July 27th.
All Quarterfinal, Semifinal, and 3rd Place Decider games run in a best-of-five format. However, the Grand Final will be a hard-fought best-of-seven.
With such a fast-paced and competitive format, fans will enjoy numerous exhilarating games over the four days of competition.
Adding to the fun, some will try their luck on Esports betting sites to pick their winner. Whether FaZe Clan will be able to defend their title is uncertain, but a fight for the title is guaranteed, with $600,000 USD (~£442,000 GBP) on the line for the winners.
Hannah is a writer specialising in the esports, gaming, and technology sectors. Working for outlets such as Dot Esports, Esports Insider, and of course ENUK, she has developed a love for wider esports and Apex Legends, although it may never surpass her drive to passionately beat her friends in every game of Mariokart. You may have seen her at various esports and gaming events, including ESI London, EGX, Discover: Esports and many League of Legends watch parties.
