Pakistani gamer makes history in Call of Duty

Sialkot-born gamer Abdur Rahman Atif becomes first Pakistani to be invited to World WSOW and Saudi Esports World Cup

Abdur Rahman Atif, a 22-year-old native of Sialkot now residing in Qatar, has made a significant impact in the gaming world by securing top positions in Call of Duty: Warzone tournaments. Competing under the alias CRMZ, Atif has become a notable figure in the esports community.

Call of Duty: Warzone is a free-to-play battle royale first-person shooter game that has captivated players worldwide. This year, the European Union (EU), Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), and North America (NA) regions saw 3,000 outstanding teams competing, with only 12 teams qualifying for the finals. Among these, Atif and his team achieved an impressive top-three ranking.

Atif is set to participate in the prestigious World Series of Warzone (WSOW) 2024, the premier Call of Duty: Warzone competition featuring more matches and an intense Global Final format with a $1 million prize pool. He is the first Pakistani to compete in the event.

In North America and EMEA, the path to the WSOW Global Final includes an extended online qualifier stage and a last chance qualifier, with 17 Trio slots available in each region. Competitors will drop into Urzikstan in their trios to vie for a share of the $1 million prize.

In addition, Atif has received an invitation to compete in the Saudi Esports World Cup, a major event in the esports calendar. The Esports World Cup is a tournament series announced in late 2023, building off the previously established Gamers8 series.

Warzone was added to the line-up on 13 June 2024, alongside Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, making Call of Duty the last game to be announced for EWC.

The tournament format includes matches played on Rebirth Island (Resurgence) with a Solo Seeding Stage, Group Stage, and Finals. The Solo Seeding Stage involves all teams competing as solos, with each team fielding two players across six matches.

The Group Stage consists of 21 teams split into three groups, playing eight matches in a round-robin format, with the top 14 advancing to the Finals.

The Finals feature eight matches with a prize pool of $1,000,000 USD distributed among participants. The prize distribution for the top eight teams is as follows:

1. 1st Place: $200,000 USD

2. 2nd Place: $150,000 USD

3. 3rd Place: $100,000 USD

4. 4th Place: $80,000 USD

5. 5th Place: $60,000 USD

6. 6th Place: $50,000 USD

7. 7th Place: $45,000 USD

8. 8th Place: $40,000 USD

Atif began his gaming journey at the age of 11, demonstrating relentless dedication and hard work to reach his current standing.