CoD Esports World Cup betting picks & top odds – Day 1 preview

The Call of Duty Esports World Cup 2025 tournament kicks off on Thursday, July 24, when 16 teams will begin their quest for the prestigious trophy and the largest share of the US$1.8 million prize pool. Check out our CoD betting tips for the opening group games, with top odds courtesy of the best esports bookmakers.

G2 ESPORTS vs CLOUD9

Best Odds: G2 +100 at BetOnline | C9 -138.89 at BetOnline
When: July 24, 2025 | 15:00 AST
Watch Live: Twitch

Cloud9 added Isaiah “Gwinn” Gwinn from Carolina Royal Ravens ahead of the Esports World Cup, and he should be an upgrade in the AR role. However, it is fair to question this new roster and their ceiling, especially if Daunte “Sib” Gray and Kyle “Kremp” Haworth don’t show more consistency.

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  Fast Payouts

G2 Esports (Minnesota RØKKR) have kept their roster together for EWC 2025, despite missing out on the CDL Championship with a ninth-place finish in the regular season. The lack of changes does not inspire confidence, nor does the fact that G2 have lost their last two meetings with Cloud9.

While the new-look Cloud9 lineup will need time to gel together, at this price they are a solid bet to defeat one of the weakest rosters in the Call of Duty League.

OPTIC GAMING vs FIVEFEARS

Best Odds: OpTic -20000 at SportsBetting.ag | FF +1600 at BetOnline
When: July 24, 2025 | 15:00 AST
Watch Live: Twitch

Call of Duty League champions OpTic Gaming are given a 99.5% implied probability of beating FiveFears and 69.4% to walk away with a 3-0 sweep. Those are huge numbers, regardless of the fact that FiveFears are a second-tier team who placed fifth-sixth at CoD Challengers Finals 2025. 

While OpTic winning without dropping a map seems like the most likely outcome, it is unlikely they put in much time to prepare for this series. Moreover, OpTic were not the most consistent team prior to the CDL finals.

At these numbers, a small play on FiveFears to take a map is worth a stab.

100 THIEVES vs GENTLE MATES

Best Odds: 100T -10000 at BetOnline | M8 +1400 at BetOnline
When: July 24, 2025 | 16:30 AST
Watch Live: Twitch

100 Thieves are the outright favourites to win the Esports World Cup trophy despite their horrendous performance in the CDL Championship, where they crashed out in the first round. The concerning ending to the season, however, should inspire better showings in Saudi Arabia, as anything less than a title run will lead to major roster changes.

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  The bookies' bookie

Gentle Mates (LA Guerrillas) struggled throughout the 2025 CDL season, which they finished in 11th place. They have since added Conor “Diamondcon” Johst on loan from Team WaR and signed Mehran “Mayhem” Anjomshoa as a new coach, but those minor changes are unlikely to lead to massive improvement.

100 Thieves are desperate to prove their worth, and they’re rightly priced as heavy favourites for this game.

VANCOUVER SURGE vs TEAM ORCHID

Best Odds: Surge -5000 at BetOnline | Orchid +1000 at BetOnline
When: July 24, 2025 | 16:30 AST
Watch Live: Twitch

Vancouver Surge had an incredible finish to the season, forcing OpTic Texas to eight maps in the CDL 2025 finals. Even though they’ve had their moments before, the Surge’s CDL Championship run showed they can perform at the top level.

Team Orchid finished the year in fourth place at the CoD Challengers Finals, which followed a silver medal from the DreamHack Open. While both are promising results, they are still a tier below the Surge.

Vancouver need a strong run at the Esports World Cup, and a loss here could put them in danger of missing the playoffs.

BOSTON BREACH vs TEAM WAR

Best Odds: Breach -5000 at BetOnline | WaR +1000 at SportsBetting.ag
When: July 24, 2025 | 18:00 AST
Watch Live: Twitch

Team WaR will compete at CoD EWC 2025 with coach Deandre “Bink” Garcia standing in for Thomas “Lynz” Gregorio, who decided to skip the event due to personal reasons.

WaR have had a solid run throughout the season, ending with a third-place finish in the Call of Duty Challengers 2025 Finals. However, without Lynz, Team WaR will struggle in this group.

While the Breach have not had the best run through the 2025 season, they ended the year with a bronze medal from the CDL Championship. That alone is a good enough reason to believe they can crush a weakened Challengers team.

KOI vs TEAM FALCONS

Best Odds: KOI -400 at BetOnline | Falcons +275 at SportsBetting.ag
When: July 24, 2025 | 18:00 AST
Watch Live: Twitch

Team Falcons have a shallow map pool, do not seem consistent, and did not perform well as a unit throughout the CDL 2025 season. All those issues explain why the best CoD betting sites have them at long odds to beat KOI, even after the signing of Thomas “TJHaLy” Haly from Carolina Royal Ravens.

KOI (Toronto Ultra) added Ronald “Abe” Abraham after a disappointing placement at CDL Championship 2025. However, this change will not make them much stronger if Tobias “CleanX” Jønsson and Jamie “Insight” Craven do not find more momentum.

While KOI were much more successful than Team Falcons in the CDL 2025 season, they slowed down significantly towards the end. The last-minute roster changes do not do them any favours either.

FAZE CLAN vs OMiT

Best Odds: FaZe -10000 at BetOnline | OMiT +1400 at BetOnline
When: July 24, 2025 | 19:30 AST
Watch Live: Twitch

FaZe Clan are among the top candidates to win Group D — and, unsurprisingly, they are heavily favoured to take down OMiT in the opening round of group play.

As one of the top CDL teams, FaZe should not be losing games like this; however, OMiT can play a spoiler as the most dominant Challengers squad of the year. They have won five titles this year, including the Dallas Open, DreamHack Open and CoD Challengers Finals, and loom as a real threat to any CDL teams who underestimate them.

FaZe’s Search & Destroy is strong, so an upset is unlikely, but their Hardpoint has not been the greatest. At +150 with the top esports betting sites, OMiT to win a map is a no-brainer pick.

TEAM HERETICS vs P7 ESPORTS

Best Odds: Heretics -3333.33 at BetOnline | P7 +950 at BetOnline
When: July 24, 2025 | 19:30 AST
Watch Live: Twitch

Team Heretics had an excellent finish to the 2025 season, placing fourth in the CDL Championship. The question is whether they can follow that up and contest a podium finish at the CoD Esports World Cup.

P7 Esports (OMiT Brooklyn) are CoD Challengers Finals runners-up and a very competent team. They have some weaknesses, though — namely Search & Destroy — and that will be a problem against Heretics and FaZe.

There is a world where P7 take a map, but with how Team Heretics have been playing, it’ll take a huge blunder from José “ReeaL” Fernández for this to end in anything but a 3-0 sweep.