Call of Duty League player salary leak reveals massive earnings

Just weeks after the Call of Duty League entered the 2026 season, an unexpected salary leak has surfaced, revealing the salaries of all players in the league.

While salary leaks should be taken with a grain of salt, former Vancouver Surge player Sabri “Lqgend” Kaci and retired Call of Duty pro Thomas “ZooMaa” Paparatto both confirmed that the leaked figures are very close to the actual salaries.

Numerous other players have, since the leak surfaced, stated that some figures are accurate, some are very close, while others are way off. The latter are likely related to the league’s top-paid players.

The leaked salary photo reveals massive gaps in pay between the top- and bottom-paid players.

According to the league, Riyadh Falcons’ McArthur “Cellium” Jovel is topping the list, earning US$850,000 per year, which is significantly more than any other player in the league.

To put it into perspective, Riyadh Falcons are spending $1.7 million in salaries for all four players; half of it is allocated to the former Atlanta FaZe player.

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His salary becomes even more impressive if compared to other players. Cloud9 New York are spending $260,000 in salaries for all four of their players ($65,000 each), while the Carolina Royal Ravens are paying out $250,000 per year, with Austin “SlasheR” Liddicoat as the highest-paid player on the roster with $75,000.

The only players who come close to Cellium are Amer “Pred” Zulbeari of Riyadh Falcons and Paco “HyDra” Rusiewiez and Thomas “Scrap” Ernst of Los Angeles Thieves, who earn $450,000 each.

OpTic Texas’ Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro is the only other player in the league who earns over $400,000 per year.

On the other end of the spectrum, Jay “Craze” Mallhi, Logan “Lurqxx” Brown, Dylan “Nero” Koch of Carolina Royal Ravens, and Ronald “Abe” Abraham, Noah “Lunarz” Whillock, and Sabri “Lqgend” Kaci are the lowest-paid players in CDL, earning $60,000 each.

Across the entire league, the average salary sits at just under $181,500.

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  The bookies' bookie

Top-paid CDL players:

1. McArthur “Cellium” Jovel (Riyadh Falcons) – 850,000 $
2. Thomas “Scrap” Ernst (Los Angeles Thieves) – 450,000 $
3. Paco “HyDra” Rusiewiez (Los Angeles Thieves) – 450,000 $
4. Amer “Pred” Zulbeari (Riyadh Falcons) – 450,000 $
5. Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro (OpTic Texas) – 425,000 $

Highest spending teams:

• 1. Riyadh Falcons – $1,700,000
• 2. Los Angeles Thieves – $1,385,000
• 3. OpTic Texas – $1,305,000
• 4. FaZe Vegas – $985,000
• 5. Paris Gentle Mates – $780,000