CoD Black Ops 6 Esports World Cup 2025 smashes viewership records

The Call of Duty 6 Esports World Cup 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, ended on July 27 with OpTic Gaming sweeping Vancouver Surge 4-0 in the grand final — a result that also produced one of the year’s most-watched CoD tournaments.

According to Esports Charts data, the four-day competition amassed 4.16 million hours watched across 35 hours of broadcast, a 56% increase over last year’s EWC Call of Duty event.

Peak viewership hit 268,927 concurrent viewers during the final between OpTic and Vancouver, nearly doubling the 2024 figure of 140,000 and setting a new benchmark for the franchise at the Esports World Cup.

Average viewership sat at 118,176, with English-language streams on YouTube driving most of the audience.

OpTic’s popularity was central to the surge.

The North American squad — led by Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro, Brandon “Dashy” Otell, Cuyler “Huke” Garland, and Byron “Mercules” Plumlee — entered the EWC fresh off their Call of Duty League Championship win and carried that momentum into Riyadh.

After flawless group play, they survived a tense semifinal reverse sweep against Team Heretics before dispatching Vancouver Surge in dominant fashion in the final as betting favourites with the top esports betting sites.

OpTic claim US$600,000 in prizemoney and 1,000 Club Points, pushing them into the top 10 in the Esports World Cup Club Championship standings.

Vancouver took home $320,000 for their runner-up finish, while Heretics and KOI rounded out the top four.

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This year’s EWC Call of Duty event also ranked as the third-most-watched CoD tournament of 2025, trailing only the CDL Stage 1 Major Qualifiers (6.5M HW) and Stage 2 Major Qualifiers (4.8M HW), but ahead of the CDL Playoffs (3.75M HW).

Within the multi-title Esports World Cup, it placed ninth in peak viewers — behind Mobile Legends, Dota 2, and PUBG Mobile — yet marked the highest growth year-over-year for any returning title.

With Call of Duty now solidifying itself as a consistent draw at the World Cup, and OpTic cementing a potential dynasty, attention turns to how the title’s presence will evolve in 2026 amid increasing competition from other mobile and PC esports.