Columbus Ohio hosts the 2018 Call of Duty World League Championship

For those that didn’t know, Gaming Nexus is based partially in Columbus, Ohio. Though we have writers all across the country, many of us call Columbus home. As a result, we don’t often get major gaming events in our own backyard. So it is exciting that the Call of Duty World League Championship is taking place here in our hometown, starting today. The event is sponsored by PlayStation 4, and is the culmination of the 2018 Call of Duty: World War II season.

From August 15-19, the top Call of Duty teams in the world will be in Columbus, culminating at the Nationwide Arena (for out-of-towners, this is an enormous, 20,000-seat venue). Teams will be battling it out for a championship ring and their share of the event’s $1.5 million in prizes.

“The 2018 Call of Duty World League Championship is the culmination of an unbelievably competitive season,” said Adam Apicella, Vice President, Event Operations, Activision Blizzard Esports Leagues. “This year has been a record-setting season for the CWL, which has seen online and offline participation grow, while viewership has topped last year. And it all comes down to this, let’s see who is the best Call of Duty esports squad in the world.”

Today and tomorrow, teams will compete at the MLG Arena to determine the top two teams in eight different groups of four. Then this weekend, the competition moves to Nationwide, where the top 16 teams will move on to a double-elimination format before the final champ is decided on Sunday.

Tickets are still available, with general admission tickets going for $50.00, and Prestige Experience tickets (which get you guaranteed floor seats and a bunch of goodies) going for $180.00. For those that can’t make it to see the event live, the entire thing is being broadcast on MLG.com/CallofDuty, Twitch.tv/CallofDuty and via the in-game Call of Duty: WWII Theater on PlayStation 4. Championship Sunday will be broadcast on Twitter via @CODWorldLeague.