The highest level of competitive Call of Duty play is set to start with Call of Duty World League Pro Division Stage 1. Starting on January 4th, the best teams in North America, Europe, and Australia/New Zealand will compete twice a week in a regional online league. The top teams at the end of Stage 1 will have a chance to compete for their region's prize pool and get one step closer to the biggest tournament of the year: Call of Duty Championship 2016.

The highest level of competitive Call of Duty play is set to start with Call of Duty World League Pro Division Stage 1. Starting on January 4th, the best teams in North America, Europe, and Australia/New Zealand will compete twice a week in a regional online league. The top teams at the end of Stage 1 will have a chance to compete for their region's prize pool and get one step closer to the biggest tournament of the year: Call of Duty Championship 2016.

The road to Pro Division Stage 1 began with the Invitational Qualifiers, where the top teams in each region competed on LAN for the first spots in the Pro Division. Then the competition was opened to all with the Online Qualifiers to fill out the remaining Pro Division spots. After these two rounds of qualifications, we now have the 12 North American teams, 10 European teams, and eight Australia/New Zealand teams competing in Stage 1 of the Call of Duty World League Pro Division.

Check out the main storylines heading in each region:

North America

North America has always been the most competitive region in Call of Duty eSports, and the field of teams in Stage 1 proves the point. All eyes will be on OpTic Gaming after their strong campaign in 2015. Look for teams like FaZe Clan, Rise Nation, and Team EnVyUs though to challenge for the top spot in this new year of competition with Black Ops 3.

Europe

Europe has their own juggernaut team in the form of Millenium, with Tommey, Jurd, MadCat, and Swanny making up a roster of proven players. Don't overlook some of the other United Kingdom teams though, as Epsilon eSports, Splyce, and Team Infused are all ready to compete at the highest level. The wildcards in the region will be the French teams, with Team Vitality, PuLse Gaming, and Team Spartan looking to prove their country's strength in Stage 1.

Australia/New Zealand

If the Invitational Qualifiers were any indication, Australia/New Zealand might be the most openly contested region in the Pro Division. MindFreak are still the alpha team heading into play, but strong performances from Tainted Minds and The Chiefs (previously Team Skyfire) have opened some eyes. The ANZ region is also breaking ground with Pure N3gs' Kayla "Squizzy" Squires, who will be the first female player to compete in the Call of Duty World League Pro Division.

You can catch every match of the Pro Division streamed live at CallofDuty.com/CWL. Check out the compete schedule and get ready for some exciting Call of Duty action starting on January 4th!

Follow CallofDuty.com/CWL and @CODWorldLeague on Twitter for the latest on the Call of Duty World League.