The Toronto Ultra is turning up the heat once again. The Call of Duty League franchise has officially announced the return of its Hot Drop Warzone tournament, featuring a $25,000 prize pool and support from Monster Gaming.

The second annual Toronto Ultra Hot Drop kicks off on October 7th, 2025, marking the first major Call of Duty: Warzone competition since the World Series of Warzone Global Final earlier this year.

Is it hot in here or is it just us? 🔥

We’re partnering with @TorontoUltra for the second year in a row to bring you the Toronto Ultra Hot Drop, kicking off tomorrow at 5PM EST/2PM PST!

Be sure to tune in to catch all the action! pic.twitter.com/8CrDXgmX0D

— Monster Gaming (@MonsterGaming) October 6, 2025

Big Names, Big Prizes

Teams will compete in trios on Verdansk for their share of the $25,000 (~NZ$42,000) prize pool, with the champions pocketing $10,000 (~NZ$17,000). Scoring will follow a familiar format, with one point per elimination and a multiplier based on placement:

• 1st: 2x
• 2nd–5th: 1.8x
• 6th–10th: 1.4x
• 11th–20th: 1.4x
• 21st–30th: 1.2x
• 31st and below: 1x

Like last year, the Hot Drop will use the match point system. That means once a team reaches the target score, they’ll need to win the next match to seal the championship.

This year, Shifty returns to defend his title with a new trio: Riley “zSmit” Smith and Logan “Skullface” Greifelt. With Biffle retiring from competition, all eyes will be on this fresh lineup to see if lightning can strike twice.

The State of Warzone Esports

While Activision has yet to confirm whether the World Series of Warzone circuit will return in 2026, third-party organisers like Toronto Ultra are keeping the competitive scene alive. Recent months have seen new organisations like Gen.G entering the Warzone space, showing there’s still plenty of momentum for community-driven events.

This grassroots energy mirrors the renewed excitement seen in other FPS scenes, such as Counter-Strike, where streamer Erik “fl0m” Flom recently announced his own community-driven LAN, the $30,000 Mythical LAN in Las Vegas.

With Monster Gaming’s backing and a prize pool that guarantees high-stakes action, the Toronto Ultra Hot Drop looks set to be one of Warzone’s biggest post-season showdowns yet. Fans can tune in when the competition goes live on October 7th at 5PM EST (2PM PST) to catch all the chaos unfold.

The post Toronto Ultra and Monster Gaming Team Up for $25,000 Warzone Hot Drop appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

The battle’s back on, and it’s bigger than ever.

After an explosive showing in 2024, Call of Duty: Warzone is dropping straight back into the Esports World Cup (EWC) in Riyadh for 2025. From 6th to 9th August, 21 of the best trio squads from around the globe will battle it out on Rebirth Island, all for a shot at glory and a slice of a juicy $1 million USD prize pool.

A full week of COD Warzone at EWC 25 🔥

Here’s everything you need to know! pic.twitter.com/0QkSYrOraz

— EWC Extra (@EWC_Extra) August 4, 2025

Falcons Aim to Defend Their Throne

Last year’s champs, Team Falcons, made up of Biffle, Shifty, and Soka, absolutely cooked the lobby in 2024, walking away with the title and a cool $200,000. Not only did they rack up an eye-watering 137 kills across the finals, but they also went unbeaten in their group stage, a first in Warzone history.

Image Credit: Esports World Cup

Now, they’re back to defend their crown, but the competition’s looking fierce. With teams like 100 Thieves, FaZe Clan, Fnatic, Virtus.pro, and a full spread of regional qualifiers from MENA to LATAM, there’s no shortage of hungry challengers looking to knock them off the throne.

Tournament Format: Three Stages, One Winner

The Warzone EWC 2025 sticks to the now-familiar Resurgence Trios mode – meaning non-stop action and very little downtime.

Here’s how it breaks down:

Stage 1 – Group Stage:
21 teams are split into three groups of seven. Each group plays four maps. The top seven teams across all groups go straight to the finals.

Stage 2 – Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ):
The 14 teams who didn’t make it through the groups battle across six matches. Only the top seven from this stage move on.

Stage 3 – The Finals:
14 teams face off in a high-pressure Match Point format. Teams must reach a certain point threshold through kills and placements. Once they do, they enter “match point” status – but to win the tournament, they’ve got to win a match while on match point. Sounds stressful? It is. One win can flip everything.

Warzone Tournament Format | Image Credit: Esports World Cup

Big Names, Global Stage

This year’s lineup includes a mix of returning powerhouses and fresh faces. Keep an eye on:

Team Falcons (Defending Champs)

100 Thieves, FaZe Clan, Virtus.pro (North America)

Ninjas in Pyjamas, Fnatic, ELF, Gentle Mates (Europe)

EVOS Esports, KOI, ARG ON TOP (LATAM and MENA)

WhateverItTakes (APAC)

Participating Teams | Image via esportsworldcup.com

What’s on the Line?

Players are chasing a share of $1,000,000 USD, plus Club Points that contribute to the EWC Club Championship.

Prize Pool Breakdown | Image via liquipedia.net

An MVP award may also be in the mix, worth a bonus $10,000.

When and Where to Watch

Dates: 6th–9th August 2025
Location: EWC Arena 2, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

You can catch all the action live on:

• Twitch: twitch.tv/ewc_white – dedicated Warzone stream
• YouTube: @ewc – full replays, highlights, VODs

The schedule for the EWC COD #Warzone is here 🗓️ 🏆

Support us and book your tickets 🎫 https://t.co/6RLYcxmdUm#AlwaysVision #EWC pic.twitter.com/kYZKSXf3dd

— Team Vision (@VisionEsportggs) August 4, 2025

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