Call of Duty’s World Series of Warzone 2025 will not have spectators

Activision has revealed that the World Series of Warzone 2025 event will not feature spectators.

The season-ending event for Call of Duty‘s battle royale is set to take place in the United States on October 1st.

In an announcement, Call of Duty’s publisher revealed Warzone’s biggest event of its competitive season will be a ‘broadcast-only event’. As a result, fans are only able to tune in across the title’s Twitch and YouTube channels.

In addition to the lack of spectators, Activision has yet to reveal an exact location for the event. 2024’s event took place in Las Vegas, Nevada, while London’s Copper Box Arena hosted the inaugural tournament in 2023.

Activision has also revised the tournament format for 2025. This year’s Match Point format has been reduced from 150 to 125. As a result, teams must reach the threshold and score a map victory to be eligible for a chance to be crowned champion.

Community reaction surrounding the lack of spectators has been largely negative, with several players AND FANS set to compete at the event questioning the decision not to allow fans to attend.

“I can’t believe the NA qualifiers lasted longer than the finals, what a disappointment for all the qualifiers,” commented one fan.

The World Series of Warzone 2025 brings an end to this year’s Activision-sanctioned tournament circuit. It’s unclear if it will continue in 2026.

The 2023 Global Finals recorded impressive viewing figures, becoming the title’s second most-watched esports event with a peak figure of 382,483.

2024’s event saw a 25% decline in peak viewership, recording 286,630 viewers tuning into the tournament.

Elsewhere, third-party event organisers continue to host online and LAN events for players to compete in. Prior to the World Series, attention turns to the Esports World Cup, where 21 teams will head to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for a chance to win a share of $1m (~£748,915) in prize money.