Call of Duty: A salary leak reveals huge gaps in the CDL

A major CDL salary leak reveals staggering player pay gaps, with Riyadh Falcons dominating the earnings chart.

Falcons top the pay chart with nearly 1.7 million dollars distributed annually among their four players

The Call of Duty League returned in early December, bringing with it a wave of new rosters and projects across the competition. However, an unexpected leak has surfaced, allegedly revealing the salaries of every player in the league. The information, partially verified by CDL pros such as French player Sabri "Lqgend" Kaci and Thomas "ZooMaa" Paparatto, should still be taken with a grain of salt, though both insiders and community figures largely seem to agree on its accuracy.

The leaked CDL salary chart.

Unsurprisingly, Riyadh Falcons—the franchise backed by Saudi organization Team Falcons—reportedly tops the list as the highest spender, with nearly 1.7 million dollars distributed annually among its four players. McArthur "Cellium" Jovel alone accounts for half of that sum, earning a staggering 850,000 dollars per year. The two-time Stage 1 and Stage 2 winner of 2025 with Atlanta FaZe now earns more on his own than the entire combined payrolls of Carolina Royal Ravens (250k), Cloud9 New York (260k), and Vancouver Surge (270k). You’d need to add nearly all of G2 Minnesota’s total roster salaries, about 300,000 dollars annually across four players, to finally surpass Cellium’s individual contract.

An average salary of 181,500 dollars in CDL

It’s also striking to note that Cellium earns roughly six times more than his current teammate Matthew "KiSMET" Tinsley at Riyadh Falcons. He’s also earning double the salary of Paco "HyDra" Rusiewiez and Thomas "Scrap" Ernst—both at 450,000 dollars—who sit just below him as the second-highest-paid players in the league.

Also Read: A Cut to Guaranteed Revenues Plunges Teams into Uncertainty in CDL

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Carolina Royal Ravens seemingly operate on the smallest budget, fielding three of the six lowest-paid players in the CDL. Their annual salary of 60,000 dollars per player is only slightly above the 59,000-dollar minimum set by Activision. According to the leak, the average salary across the league currently stands at around 181,500 dollars per year, while the median is roughly 150,000 dollars.

For comparison, data from Sheep Esports indicates that in the LEC, the European Championship for League of Legends, players earn on average around 240,000 euros (280 800 $), with the median salary sitting near 170,000 euros (198 900 $), a clear illustration of how CDL compensation stacks up against Europe’s most established esports leagues.

Highest-paid players in the Call of Duty League:

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 $
6 - Chris "Simp" Lehr (FaZe Vegas) — 350,000 $
7 - Brandon "Dashy" Otell (OpTic Texas) — 350,000 $
8 - Tyler "aBeZy" Pharris (Los Angeles Thieves) — 300,000 $
9 - Zachary "Drazah" Jordan (FaZe Vegas) — 285,000 $
10 - Cuyler "Huke" Garland (OpTic Texas) — 280,000 $

Header Photo Credit: Activision / CDL