The biggest event of the Call of Duty competitive season, Call of Duty XP, is nearly upon us. Starting Thursday, 32 teams from across the world will compete for a chunk of the record-breaking $2 million prize pool, as well as the right to be called Call of Duty world champions.
In order to win the coveted prize, teams must first survive a best-of-five, round-robin gauntlet against their respective group opponents, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the double-elimination knockout portion of the bracket.
Let's take a look at who should advance out of Groups A-D:
Group A
Teams: Millenium, Splyce, eUnited, Black Forest Games
Advancing: Millenium and Splyce
Group A belongs to two of the powerhouses from the European Pro division, Millenium and Splyce. Millenium has had an up-and-down season, first winning the Stage 1 playoffs before an uncharacteristic stumble during the Stage 2 regular season saw the team nearly jettison slayer Dylan "MadCat" Daly in an attempt to quell roster turmoil. Cooler heads seemed to prevail, however, as the group opted to stick together through the rest of the season, ultimately claiming the Stage 2 title on the heels of terrific performances from MadCat and veteran Callum "Swanny" Swan. Even with Swanny unable to attend CoD XP, Millenium should still advance out of the group stage. But replacement player Marcus "MiRx" Carter will need to gel with the group quickly if the group plans on advancing deep into the tournament.
Splyce had similar ups-and-downs to its regional rivals. First came a surprise showing during Stage 1, which saw the team advance to the finals after a series of nail-biting matches, only to lose to Millenium. Then came a second-place finish during ESWC Zenith 2016 in which the team knocked off North American powerhouses FaZe Clan and Rise Nation before falling once again in the finals, this time to OpTic Gaming. Fast forward to the Stage 2 regular season, Splyce appeared to showcase a tantalizing amount of promise, finishing with a 12-6 record, good for third place in the league. However, dreams of returning to the finals were dashed after the team fell to Infused in a tight, seven-game semifinal bout.
While Splyce should make it out of the group portion of this event, streaky players such as Ben "Bance" Bance and Joshua-Lee "Joshh" Sheppard could carry the team even further into the tournament, should they catch momentum.
Group B
Teams: Rise Nation, HyperGames, Apotheon Esports, Supremacy
Advancing: Rise Nation and HyperGames
Rise Nation appears to be head and shoulders above its Group B counterparts, despite the team's lackluster performance during MLG Orlando (finished in fifth/sixth place). Simply put, Rise Nation has one of the best lineups in all of the CWL, thanks in part to Sam "Octane" Larew. When Octane is playing at his best, Rise can be a handful, as evidenced by its thrilling finish during the Stage 1 playoffs, where the team narrowly lost to OpTic Gaming in the finals. A strong tournament run could be in the cards if the lineup plays up to its immense potential.
The second team to advance out of Group B certainly feels like a toss-up, as both HyperGames and Apotheon Esports could make it into the knockout stages of the bracket. The advantage goes to the team who has competed in the CWL all season, but it certainly won't be easy. The No. 1 seed in Europe during Stage 2, HyperGames hasn't fared particularly well during LAN events, most notably losing in the first round of the Stage 2 playoffs. A second-place finish at the following Gfinity CWL Summer Masters tournament helped to wipe away some of the sting, but considering the team has just one member, Shea "Qwiker" Sweeney, who has participated in a CoD Champs event, the lack of experience coupled with inconsistent play on LAN could doom the group.
Group C
Teams: Luminosity Gaming, Mindfreak, FAB Game eSports, Chiefs eSports Club
Advancing: Luminosity Gaming and FAB Game eSports
Luminosity enters Call of Duty XP as the favorite to advance out of Group C after conquering OpTic Gaming during the Stage 2 playoffs. A threat to make a run at any tournament, Luminosity has slowly started to build momentum in recent tournaments, losing in the semifinals to Dream Team in the Stage 2 playoffs and finishing in fifth/sixth place at MLG Orlando. Led by outspoken slayer/sniper Jeremy "Studyy" Astacio, Luminosity is versatile in most game modes, but seems to lack a level of consistency needed in order to achieve top-tier results. Like many other North American teams, Luminosity should have no trouble making it out of the group stage, but will need to rely on monster performances from its star players in order to make a deep run.
Having recently acquired the entire Exertus roster heading into Call of Duty XP, FAB Game eSports might not look like a championship-level team on paper, as the team didn't even manage to make the Stage 2 playoffs, finishing the regular season with an 8-10 record. But in group play, star power can make all the difference and FAB Game eSports hosts arguably one of the best players in the European region, Billy "Hawqeh" Harris, who finished with the highest Kill/Death (KD) ratio (1.36) during Stage 2. FAB Game eSports will need to lean on Hawqeh if the team plans to make it out of the group stage.
Looming in the weeds is Mindfreak, the best team from the Australia/New Zealand region. While the team has yet to prove itself on an international level during Black Ops III, Mindfreak has dominated the competition in its respective region and boasts some experience at Call of Duty Champs, most notably finishing in sixth place last year. Mindfreak is certainly capable of a repeat performance, but the team's lack of exposure against other international competition might come back to hurt it.
Group D
Teams: Renegades, Allegiance, Epsilon, Pulse Gaming
Advancing: Renegades and Epsilon
It's fair to question which version of Renegades will show up at CoD XP, as the organization formerly known as Dream Team has had its share of success throughout the season, most notably placing second at the Stage 2 playoffs. But like many of the other second-tier talent in North America, Renegades has been plagued by inconsistency, as evidenced by the group's finish at both MLG Anaheim and MLG Orlando. While some have seemingly chalked up the team's Stage 2 playoff run as a fluke -- thanks in part to the tournament's single-elimination format -- Renegades does boast a player with championship pedigree, Adam "Killa" Sloss, who won CoD Champs in 2013. If Killa, who has suggested Call of Duty XP will be his last competitive event, can perform up to his lofty standards, Renegades should waltz into the knockout portion of the event.
For a team that hasn't placed higher than fifth at a major event all season, Epsilon still joins a long list of European teams capable of making noise at Call of Duty XP. Just like FAB Game eSports, star power could play a major factor in whether Epsilon can advance through the group stage, as both Matthew "Skrapz" Marshall and Thomas "Moose" Handley have had their fair share of success during the Stage 2 regular season. Skrapz, in particular was impressive, posting a 1.21 KD, which trailed only Hawqeh for the best figure during the European Stage 2 regular season. In any other group, Epsilon would likely face an uphill battle in order to move on to the knockout round, but surrounded by a plethora of other unproven teams, Skrapz and the rest of the team should have enough firepower to continue competing into the weekend.