Mathieu Armand, Media365: Published Tuesday, June 30, 2026 at 12:34 pm PST.
Thanks to Gentlemate, Call of Duty returns to the forefront in France. The Major, organized by the Squeezie, Gotaga and Brawks structures, was a great success: about 20,000 people were present at the La Défense Arena in Paris.
“I don’t know what to say. I’ve already said thank you very much. But obviously I haven’t said enough about the dreams you’ve just made come true, whether for Gentlemate, for Braux or for myself,” says Gotaga on stage after the end of the major, organized by the French structure in Paris La Défense Arena (future Plenitude Arena).
In the early 2010s, Call of Duty (or COD) became a phenomenon in France. He is one of the pioneers of eSports in France, and also, above all, the accelerator of the popularity of YouTube in France. Big internet names started playing the game: Squeezy, Zach Nani and Domingo. Legends such as Gotaga and Brokes were also born. Team Vitality, France’s largest esports club, was created on COD by Gotaga, Brox, now the co-creator of Gentlemate, and Neo, who is still owned by Vitality. But gradually the scene died out, and other games took the place of Call of Duty, which nevertheless remains very popular among Americans.
Renaissance
Gotaga always wanted to return to COD after his professional gaming career ended in 2016. With Gentlemate, his wish came true. At the end of 2024, the “French Monster” structure, as it was nicknamed, announced with great fanfare that it would join the twelve Call of Duty League teams, the American League and the only professional league in the game. But the 2025 season turned out to be a failure: only 6 wins and 26 losses. So in 2026, the team changes completely and surprises everyone by winning the first Major in the lands of Optical Texas, the best team in Call of Duty history, defeating them in the finals. The rest of the season will be more difficult: they will finish in the top 6 at the other two majors.
Difficult start
“A month ago there was fire everywhere. We had just finished in the top six at a major and the players called and said they didn’t have to play together anymore,” Gotaga told L’Équipe. As a result, there is a change of two players, and the team has several weeks to prepare for the major, which will be held in front of fans, the situation is difficult. The first will be more difficult: the Parisian Gentlemen will beat Faze Vegas (the historical COD team) with a score of 3-1.
No problem, since you will have to lose twice to be eliminated. In front of nearly 20,000 people screaming and singing in her honor, M8 continues to win and ends up among the top four teams in the tournament on Sunday, known as “Championship Sunday.” There we find four of the most consistent lineups of the season: three major winners (Paris Gentlemate, Los Angeles Thieves and Faze Vegas), as well as two-time reigning world champion and three-major of the year finalist Optic Texas.
Unexpected podium
In this first match they will face Faze Vegas again, but this time Gentlemate (3-2) takes the advantage. M8 is one match away from the finals and will face Optic Texas. But the step was too high and the Gentlemates lost 3-0, their dream of winning at home gone. M8 finished in the top 3. A more than positive result, considering the situation in which the team found itself just a month ago. On the verge of collapse, the change of players brought positive dynamics. Even with very little preparation, the roster appears to have what it takes to compete with the best. This bodes well for the World Championships, which will take place July 16-19 in Las Vegas.
Optic Texas will break its curse by winning the trophy after losing three finals. Facing the LA Thieves, the only French team in the CDL, Hydra, the Texans won 4-3 in a final full of twists and turns. Optic wins in France and M8 wins in Texas, “that was the scenario,” Gotaga wrote on X.
But if there’s one thing that sticks out from this weekend, it’s the atmosphere inside Nanterre. Over the course of three days, Gentlemate fans supported their team with songs and an atmosphere rarely seen in eSports outside of other events held in France, once again proving to the world that France boasts the best fans in the field.