Dota 2 Esports World Cup 2025: Teams, Format, Schedule

Dota 2 is one of several esports titles holding a notable tournament at the 2025 Esports World Cup.

The final event of the ESL Pro Tour will see teams from across the world descend on Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for a chance to earn $3m (~£2.2m) in prize money and points that contribute to the EWC Club Championship.

Ahead of the event, here’s everything there is to know about the Dota 2 Esports World Cup 2025 event, taking place from July 7th to 19th, 2025.

The 16 teams competing at EWC will be drawn into four groups of four. These organisations will then play round-robin matches against each other. The top team from each group qualifies for the Playoffs, while the team that finishes in second qualifies for the second round of the Elimination Phase.

The two remaining teams advance to the first round of the Elimination Phase, which takes place from July 12th to 13th.

Using the Gauntlet bracket format, teams that place third and fourth in the Group Stage will play each other, with the winner advancing to play the team that finished second. Four teams from the Elimination Phase will advance to the Playoffs.

The Playoffs consist of a standard eight-team single-elimination bracket, with a third-place decider match.

Elimination Phase and Playoff matches are contested over a best-of-three series, with the Grand Final using a best-of-five to determine the eventual champion.

Below are all 16 teams competing at the Esports World Cup, along with their respective groups:

Defending Riyadh Masters champion Gaimin Gladiators begin its campaign in Group B, featuring an in-form BetBoom Team, which heads into the event after achieving victory at PGL Wallachia Season 5.

Another team looking to continue its strong 2025 is Tundra Esports. The UK-based organisation has appeared in several Grand Finals this year, with victories at BLAST Slam II, BLAST Slam III and FISSURE Playground 1.

After entering Dota 2 esports in November 2023, the hometown organisation of Team Falcons is also in contention for championship glory. Two runner-up places at FISSURE Playground 1 and BLAST Slam III has placed the team towards the top of Valve’s MOBA title.

A total of $3m (~£2.2m) in prize money is on offer at the Esports World Cup event. Below is a full breakdown of its distribution:

Fans wanting to watch the action can tune in across a variety of platforms. The Dota 2 tournament will be broadcast across the EWC’s Twitch, YouTube, TikTok, Weibo, and Bilibili channels.

In addition to watching the event, fans can also participate in free-to-play fantasy competitions, with the chance of winning prize money.