I'm looking forward to this but I too am concerned about the lack of a mini map. It's basically going to make the UAV a vital streak choice, so everyone will be running it, plus if teams are badly balanced then you'll end up facing an enemy team who has permanent UAV and it will make things even more one-sided. Also, after watching the multiplayer reveal event and hearing what the various streamers have to say about the game, a lot of them said that the lack of a UAV ruined the flow of the game. Reading the map is a skill, it's not a simple case of red dot chasing. Yes, some people do that, but better players know how to read the map to understand flanking routes, enemy spawn locations, and where your teammates are.
I wouldn't be at all surprised if there's fan outcry during the beta and it leads to IW adding the UAV back in in time for the full launch.