This article is part of our Call of Duty series.
CWL Birmingham is set to crown another king of Europe before the start of the CWL Global Pro League in May. This is the second European region-locked event since CWL London and features $50,000 prize pool with first place taking home $20,000 and 10,000 Pro Points. The tournament will feature an open bracket to determine the four spots in pool play. Four groups of three teams have been decided, meaning just one spot remains open in each group. Group play will then be followed by the standard double elimination playoff bracket.
Splyce are the favorites to take the tournament after a small lin-up change. Dropping Joshua-Lee "Joshh" Shepard for Trei "Zer0" Morris, the European champions looked strong at CWL Dallas and were able to qualify for the CWL Pro League. They are set to have a particularly easy time in Group A against Black Forest Green Gaming and iGame, both teams that have yet to make a strong presence in the competitive scene.
Group B will consist of Millennium, Team Supremacy, and Black Forest Black Gaming. Millennium is set to emerge as the strongest team in Group B, but Supremacy stand steadfast. Their first game against each other will likely set the tone of the group. Black Forest Black Gaming, however, are currently a non-factor.
Group C is going to be the most interesting group. Consisting of Fnatic, Team Vitality, and Epsilon eSports, there is no clear favorite. Epsilon eSports recently obtained Joshh from Splyce. Team Vitality reformed only a weak ago with Wailers "Wailers" Locart as its leader. And Fnatic have had an exceptionally steady season. The true question comes down to Team Vitality and whether they've had enough practice as a team. If they can gel, they could be a dangerous unit. For now though, it appears as if Fnatic and Epsilon eSports look to be the favorites in this pool.
Group D will see rivals eLevate and Red Reserve face-off once again. FAB Game eSports is stuck between the two titans in what looks to be another interesting pool. Red Reserve and eLevate appear to be the likely candidates to emerge from the group, but FAB Game eSports have managed a handful of upsets in the past. Red Reserve in particular have had an uneven season full of roster changes. eLevate, on the other hand, have had very little roster swaps and continue to dominate Europe. FAB Game eSports, if they do manage an upset, will likely steal a win from Red Reserve.
Teams from the open bracket seem unlikely to get far against the European powerhouses of Splyce, Fnatic, eLevate, Red Reserve, Epsilon eSports, and Millennium. The newly formed Vitality may shake up the brackets with a team consisting of trained veterans and fresh faces. But the big deciding factor may be a controversial new patch that heavily buffed Shockwave. The minor trait is set to be big this weekend.
CWL Birmingham will take place April 14-16.
