Vegas Legion reportedly out of CDL as big money Saudi org swoops

Amidst the mega Call of Duty rostermania sweeping the scene days after the 2024 Esports World Cup wrapped, CDL 2025 may have just lost its first team.

Reports are today indicating Vegas Legion will shut down, making way for the Saudi-backed Falcons to join the league. The surprise news was first reported by Breaking Point on X (formerly Twitter) on Aug. 19. It’s believed the team won’t just be released either: Breaking Point added Legion “as an organization will no longer exist” heading into 2025, with support staff also allegedly out of a job. If true, it’s a somber end to one of CDL’s launch orgs that struggled to leave its mark on the league in its near-five-year stint.

Vegas Legion, originally Paris Legion, entered the CDL in its inaugural season with the Australian Mindfreak and Reciprocity core of Denz, Louqa, and Shockz. A decently successful launch weekend quickly gave way to a smattering of poor results, including a disappointing elimination at the CoD team’s homestand in France.

Outside a single CDL Warzone weekend and the final regular season week in London, Legion never made it to a CDL stage final, with the team undergoing numerous roster changes over the years. Legion played out 2022 as Paris representatives before making a big switch to Las Vegas, but results still weren’t flowing.

The penny seems to have dropped after the CDL team failed to progress beyond the group stage at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh last week. Earlier today, the bulk of the CoD roster and coaching staff announced their immediate move into free agency ahead of CDL 2025 and the Black Ops 6 season. “Thanks to all of my players and coaches that I worked alongside this year,” Sam “Fenix” Spencer said in an X/Twitter post.

Rumored to replace Las Vegas Legion is Team Falcons, a Saudi-funded organization with a reach in many esports titles. The org has expanded quickly over the past few years, purchasing squads and slots in Dota 2, Counter-Strike 2, and Apex Legends, to name a few. Falcons fielded a player or competing team in almost every EWC event in Saudi Arabia over the last two months, helping the org to a big club championship win.

Franchises like the CDL have been a target of Team Falcons for quite some time, with the org previously showing interest in entering League of Legends through the European Championship. Dot Esports has reached out to Falcons and Las Vegas Legion but has not received a comment at the time this article was published.