Combat Cup returns for 2025 with expanded games and new format

The Combat Cup is returning for 2025, and is bringing an expanded set of games to the circuit this year. An ongoing partnership between efuse and the USAA, the Combat Cup is a series of gaming tournaments that features former/active U.S. military competing alongside influencers for glory.

The tournament series supports good causes too, with a portion of the $60,000 in prizing from the 2025 Combat Cup season being donated to the non-profit Call of Duty Endowment (C.O.D.E). This charity helps veterans find jobs and careers after leaving the military.

The return of the competition for 2025 follows a very successful 2024 edition. The tournament amassed  over 1.4 million views and 75 million social impressions. To build on this momentum, the 2025 Combat Cup is being increased in size. There will be eight events this tear, and an all-new points system will turn the competition into a circuit.

There are also three new games being introduced. Call of Duty: Warzone, Fortnite, and College Football 25 join Combat Cup staples Call of Duty and Rocket League.

Events will be spread across the entirety of 2025, starting and finishing with Call of Duty events.

efuse say that the new Point System is "designed to drive healthy competition between Military Branches but also to crown one of them the 2025 USAA Combat Cup Champions."

Points accumulated at each event will not only determine the draft order of each military branch, but also how many teams they may field for any given event. 

At the end of the year, the Military Branch with the most points will also have an additional $5,000 donation made on their behalf to C.O.D.E.  Each event in the USAA Combat Cup 2025 season will have representation from all  U.S. forces, including Air Force, Space Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, Navy, and Military Affiliated Team Regiment.

A full breakdown of the Draft System, Point System and tournament mechanics can be found in the official USAA Combat Cup rulebook.

The USAA Combat Cup 2025 circuit will see 128 servicemen captained teams throughout the eight events, each selecting from a pool of influencers for that specific event.

Each event will consist of both a draft and competitive play. Each draft will feature service member captains from each branch who will select their teammates for the event. The competition stages vary in format between events, each with an individual winner. Call of Duty multiplayer events will each have a $10,000 prize pool. Additionally, other events will have a $5,000 prize pool.

The event schedule will be as follows.

Each event will be streamed on erena’s Twitch channel. Make sure to follow erena’s X page for updates on participants and news and watch esports.gg for updates from each event!