LA Thieves snatched their first Call of Duty League (CDL) Major trophy this season after completing their lower bracket run with a thrilling 4-3 victory against OpTic Texas in the intense grand final of the CDL Major 3 at DreamHack Atlanta.
The Thieves, who were coming off a win in the CDL Stage 3 Minor, seized their maiden Major title in the Black Ops 7 era. The squad of Scrap, aBeZy, HyDra, and Nium also snagged the $150,000 champion’s prize and 100 CDL points for a total of 305 to virtually secure their spot in the CoD Champs 2026.
After losing their first match in the playoffs, the Los Angeles-based team muscled their way through the lower bracket, beating four different squads before denying OpTic Texas another Major trophy.
2026 CDL Major 3 grand final map scores: LA Thieves vs. OpTic Texas
- Map 1: OpTic win 250-219 in Hardpoint on Colossus
- Map 2: LA Thieves win 6-3 in Search and Destroy on Raid
- Map 3: LA Thieves win 8-3 in Overload on Den
- Map 4: OpTic win 250-242 in Hardpoint on Den
- Map 5: OpTic win 6-4 in Search and Destroy on Scar
- Map 6: LA Thieves win 5-4 in Overload on Scar
- Map 7: LA Thieves win 6-2 in Search and Destroy on Den
LA Thieves vs. OpTic Texas final match recap in CDL Major 3 2026
OpTic took care of its first two matches in Group A before breezing through the upper bracket with victories over Miami Heretics (3-0), Riyadh Falcons (3-2), and Toronto KOI (3-2).
LA Thieves, on the other hand, went through a harder route to the finals. After topping Group C, Scrap and the crew lost to FaZe Vegas 2-3 in their first playoff series. They had to hurdle G2 Minnesota (3-1), Falcons (3-0), FaZe (3-1), and KOI (3-0).
In the grand final, the Thieves needed to make a comeback as OpTic grabbed the first championship point after Dashy hit a sensational quickscope in the SnD Game 5 on Scar.
LA Thieves put the series on a winner-takes-all with a close 5-4 Overload win in Game 6 as Scrap scored the final point following a Hellstorm Strike from Nium that picked off Shotzzy and Dashy.
With momentum on their side, the Thieves dominated the deciding SnD on Den, with Scrap winning a 1v2 against Huke and Mercules to cap off their incredible title run.
Scrap nabbed the Most Valuable Player award for his clutch plays throughout the tournament, especially in the nerve-wracking Game 7 of the grand final where he posted a 1.80 K/D rating.
The defending world champions OpTic have now lost three straight CDL Major finals following their Stage 1 defeat to Paris Gentle Mates and Stage 2 loss to FaZe Vegas.
Still, the Green Wall remained on top of the CDL Regular Season standings with 390 points
CDL Major 3 final standings
| Placement | Team | Prize Money | CDL Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Champion | LA Thieves | $150,000 | 100 |
| 2nd | OpTic Texas | $90,000 | 75 |
| 3rd | Toronto KOI | $50,000 | 60 |
| 4th | FaZe Vegas | $30,000 | 45 |
| 5th-6th | Paris Gentle Mates Riyadh Falcons |
$15,000 | 30 |
| 7th-8th | Miami Heretics G2 Minnesota |
$7,500 | 15 |
| 9th-12th | OMiT Carolina Royal Ravens Boston Breach Cloud9 New York |
– | – |
| 13th-16th | Vancouver Surge Huntsmen Project Notorious ROC Esports |
– | – |
The Call of Duty League will have one more Minor and Major in Stage 4 scheduled from May 29 to June 25 before concluding the season with the CoD Champs in July.
