FaZe Vegas returned to the top of Call of Duty esports after dominating the three-peat seeking OpTic Texas, 5-2, in the Call of Duty League Championship 2026 (CoD Champs 2026) Black Ops 7 grand finals on Sunday at the Michelob ULTRA Arena inside the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
It was the second CoD Champs victory for FaZe after winning their first world title back in 2021 (Black Ops Cold War) when they were still based in Atlanta. The quartet of Simp, Drazah, Abuzah, and 04 denied OpTic’s bid for a third straight CoD Champs trophy as well as a fourth for Shotzzy.
Simp, who was part of Atlanta FaZe that won five years ago and eUnited that was crowned in 2019 (Black Ops 4), seized his third CDL Championship title to join the elite club of Crimsix, Clayster, Karma, and Shotzzy as winningest players in the league’s history. The 25-year-old veteran also bagged the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award.
MVP AURA 🤩 pic.twitter.com/mchsF8hpFZ
— Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) July 20, 2026
Drazah grabbed his second world silverware after winning with LA Thieves in 2022 (Vanguard) while Abuzah and 04 snared their first as the former Vancouver Surge standouts avenged their finals loss to OpTic last year.
Champions of CDL Major 2 against the same team, FaZe Vegas completed their solid run in the upper bracket to secure the $800,000 lion’s share of the $2 million prize money, beating G2 Minnesota (3-1), Riyadh Falcons (3-0), and OpTic (3-2) in the winners finals.
CoD Champs 2026 grand final map scores: FaZe Vegas vs. OpTic Texas
- Map 1: OpTic win 250-216 on Colossus Hardpoint
- Map 2: FaZe win 6-5 on Raid Search and Destroy
- Map 3: FaZe win 4-3 on Scar Overload
- Map 4: FaZe win 250-194 on Scar Hardpoint
- Map 5: FaZe win 6-5 on Den Search and Destroy
- Map 6: OpTic win 4-3 on Den Overload
- Map 7: FaZe win 6-5 on Hacienda Search and Destroy
- Map 8: Gridlock Hardpoint (not played)
- Map 9: Sake Search and Destroy (not played)
FaZe Vegas vs. OpTic Texas grand final recap at CoD Champs 2026
OpTic Texas drew first blood in the finals, with Mercules scoring 34 kills and Shotzzy picking up 31 kills to lead the Green Wall’s 250-216 victory in Hardpoint on Colossus.
FaZe Vegas equalized on Raid Search and Destroy as Simp hit a crucial first kill on Dashy to seal the first Round 11 win in the thrilling grand final.
From there, the momentum completely shifted to the FaZe side. Simp and the crew showed their tactical prowess to pull off a tight 4-3 win on Scar Overload, then Drazah took charge with 39 kills to power the 250-194 domination on Scar Hardpoint.
FaZe moved to championship point after emerging victorious in another SnD Round 11 on Den. OpTic, however, refused to die down as they snatched a 4-3 victory on Den Overload behind a strong second half performance.
Across 6 maps, a mere 24 points separate the two sides 🤯 pic.twitter.com/aEWq6YZYhc
— Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) July 20, 2026
FaZe though won’t let OpTic stage a late comeback. Down 4-5 on Hacienda SnD, Simp secured two massive pickoffs to force the third Round 11 in the series before FaZe dissected OpTic’s rush B play and Abuzah beat Mercules in a 1v1 to seal the CoD Champs 2026 crown.
OpTic Texas fell short of defending their throne after posting back-to-back victories in Modern Warfare 3 and Black Ops 6. They took $480,000 for their runner-up finish.
CoD Champs 2026 final standings and prize distribution
| Place | Team | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|
| Champion | FaZe Vegas | $800,000 |
| 2nd | OpTic Texas | $480,000 |
| 3rd | Riyadh Falcons | $320,000 |
| 4th | Paris Gentle Mates | $160,000 |
| 5th-6th | Miami Heretics G2 Minnesota |
$80,000 |
| 7th-8th | Toronto KOI Los Angeles Thieves |
$40,000 |
With the conclusion of its 2026 season, the CDL will now shift to the Modern Warfare 4 cycle, wherein key changes are expected to be implemented.
