OpTic Texas lose third straight Major final to LA Thieves

OpTic Texas lost 4-3 to the Los Angeles Thieves in the Call of Duty League Stage 3 Major final in Atlanta, and the match peaked at roughly 260,000 live viewers.

The best-of-seven final went the distance. OpTic reached match point after winning the fifth map, highlighted by Brandon ‘Dashy’ Otell’s 1v2 clutch and a quickscope finish that fired up the arena. Los Angeles won the sixth and seventh maps to complete a late comeback and clinch the title.

The defeat was OpTic’s third consecutive Major final loss in 2026, after earlier losses to Paris Gentle Mates and FaZe Vegas. OpTic has reached five straight grand finals, a streak not seen from the franchise since its 2015–2017 run with players including Seth “Scump” Abner, Matthew “FormaL” Piper, Ian “Crimsix” Porter and Damon “Karma” Barlow.

The Stage 3 Grand Final was the only match at the event to exceed 200,000 peak viewers and drew about 33% more peak viewers than the tournament’s second-most-watched match, OpTic’s upper-bracket meeting with Toronto KOI. Compared with the previous Major, peak and average audience figures were down 1.4% and 5.4%, respectively. Total hours watched rose versus the second Major after the event reverted to a format with GSL-style group play and a double-elimination playoff bracket, increasing total broadcast runtime.

OpTic remains the league’s leader in viewership. Stage 4 qualifiers begin May 29 and the next Major qualifying window opens shortly after as teams prepare for the next phase of the 2026 season.