The Carolina Royal Ravens will not compete at the 2025 Esports World Cup after it breached rules surrounding roster changes.
As a result of the Call of Duty League (CDL) franchise’s absence, Challengers side FiveFears will take the organisation’s place.
The Royal Ravens were deemed ineligible to compete after making more than one roster change following the conclusion of the CDL Championship. For the 2025 Esports World Cup, teams are only allowed to make one change to their starting line-up.
As a result of Isiah ‘Gwinn’ Gwinn and Thomas ‘TJHaLy’ Haly departing the franchise, only two eligible players remained. Despite attempts to sign new players to compete in the tournament, the Royal Ravens were denied the opportunity to make the required changes, disqualifying the team from the tournament before it began.
“We are deeply disappointed to announce that despite our best efforts to come to an agreement with the TO about our participation in this year’s competition, we were denied, and we will not be competing this year,” read a statement from the Royal Ravens social media channels.
Who Is FiveFears?
Replacing the Royal Ravens is FiveFears, a team that has spent the Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 season competing in the North American Challengers circuit.
The team scored a top-six finish at the Challengers Finals, narrowly missing out on direct qualification to the Esports World Cup. Despite this, the team’s Pro Point total made it the top candidate to fill the remaining space.
Ahead of the tournament, FiveFears saw Abe depart for Toronto Ultra, leaving the team searching for a player to complete the lineup. It’s believed that former Carolina Royal Ravens player Kenyen ‘Capsidal’ Sutton will join the team.
Competing at the Esports World Cup is an excellent opportunity for FiveFears to compete against the best teams in the world.
