Dota 2 at EWC 2025 marks a major highlight of the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Running from July 8 to July 19, 2025, this event serves as the ultimate championship of the third season of the ESL Pro Tour, bringing together 16 of the world’s top Dota 2 teams.
With a $3 million USD prize pool and a brand-new structure, it’s poised to be one of the most exciting tournaments of the year.
There’s a laid-back, celebration‑of‑proplay kind of vibe around this one. It’s not just about who wins, but about cool hero plays, heartbreaks, rising stars and the audience sharing those moments on stream.
So whether you’re a seasoned fan or jumping in for the first time, this championships runs deeper than the numbers, it’s about community, competition, and killer plays.
Dota 2 Tournament Schedule
Kicking off July 8, the tournament jumps straight into group stage action and wraps up with the grand finals on July 19.
Here’s a friendly walkthrough of how things unfold on the calendar:
- July 8–12: Group Stage — teams are sorted into four groups (A, B, C, D), each playing a round-robin. Each match is best‑of‑two, so prep for some close finishes and tense tiebreakers.
- July 13–15: Play‑Ins & Lower‑Bracket — the group runners‑up battle for playoff spots in double-elimination matches.
- July 16–18: Playoff Bracket — single-elimination format kicks in, full best‑of‑three series leading to the final.
- July 19: Grand Final — a climactic best‑of‑five matchup to crown the champion.
ESL / EWC haven’t released minute-by-minute timings yet, but expect at least two matches per day during group stage, then ramping up as we hit quarters and semis. Official streams and VODs will cover all matches internationally.
Dota 2 Competing Teams
Sixteen teams will square off in Riyadh. Most earned their places through regional qualifiers and invited slots based on ESL Pro Tour standings.
Although the full team list isn’t 100 % official yet, Liquipedia has announced the main group participants:
- Group A: Team Spirit, Xtreme Gaming, Talon Esports, Natus Vincere
- Group B: BetBoom Team, Gaimin Gladiators, Team Falcons, Execration
- Group C: Tundra Esports, Virtus.pro, Aurora, Yandex
- Group D: HEROIC, PARIVISION, Shopify Rebellion, Team Liquid
Building out from qualifiers, the confirmed teams include:
- Shopify Rebellion (NA closed qualifier winner)
- Wildcard (runner-up NA qualifier)
- HEROIC (SA closed qualifier winner)
- Virtus.pro (MESWA closed qualifier winner)
- Teams via open regionals include Nigma Galaxy, Team Secret, MOUZ, 1w Team, among others.
A few of the regional winners:
- North America: Shopify Rebellion outplayed Wildcard, Yoru RyodaN, and 9z to clinch the final slot.
- South America: HEROIC topped a 7-team bracket to earn the main event ticket.
- Middle East & South Asia: Virtus.pro emerged on top of a 4-team field.
- Open qualifiers are feeding more squads into closed qualifiers—expect a few surprise teams like MOUZ and 1w Team.
The rest of the lineup is following invites and ESL Pro Tour criteria. As we approach early July, ESL and Liquipedia will update the full brackets.
Dota 2 Tournament Format
Format’s pretty straightforward, but worth clarifying.
Group Stage
- Four groups of four teams each.
- Round-robin format.
- Matches are best‑of‑two (2‑0, 1‑1, 0‑2 possible).
- Top two advanced: group winners go straight to upper-quarterfinals, second‑place teams enter lower‑bracket of playoffs.
Playoffs
- Single-elimination bracket.
- Quarterfinals and semifinals are best‑of‑three.
- Grand Final is a best‑of‑five.
- It’s double-elimination across groups, so teams dropping from upper paths still get a shot via lower bracket after group placements. But once the playoff bracket starts, it’s kill-or-be-killed.
Last year’s tournament started using play-ins mid-event, but this year it’s baked into group stage → playoff process.
Also note, tournament uses patch 7.39b, consistent with qualifiers. That means no surprises with massive gameplay meta shifts at the event.
Bracket
Source: EWC Official Website
Dota 2 Tournament Prize Pool
The total prize pool for Dota 2 at EWC 2025 is set at a solid $3,000,000 USD. Here’s a breakdown based on typical ESL/Pro Tour distributions:
- Champion: around $1,000,000
- Runner-up: approx. $500,000
- Semifinalists: around $250–300k each
- Quarterfinalists: likely $100–150k
- Group-stage finishers: roughly $50–80k
Exact breakdown hasn’t been posted yet, but that’s consistent with previous formats. Liquipedia confirmed prize info will be released closer to stage start.
Beyond team earnings, there’s also an MVP Award pool (~$450k across all games) and club championship points that feed into larger Esports World Cup rewards across all titles.
Where to Watch EWC 2025 Dota 2 Matches
Catching the action is easy—when it’s streamed live and recorded.
1. Official EWC / ESL Channels
- Twitch.tv/ESL_Dota2 and YouTube: ESL Dota2 will host the main channel with full coverage (English).
- Other languages (Russian, Chinese, SEA, Spanish) will have dedicated sub-channels. You can switch via EWC’s schedule page.
2. EWC Website
- Live match pages on esportsworldcup.com provide VODs, highlights, talent info, and interactive stats.
- They usually roll out new matches in the first hour after conclusion.
3. Liquipedia & Third-party
- Liquipedia publishes schedules, exact match times (in UTC), and strengths, but doesn’t stream.
- Other fan-covers (such as Beyond the Summit, BTS) might also host post-game analysis segments with interview coverage around 1–2 hours after matches.
Watch Tips
- Group‑stage days feature up to 4 matches daily starting usually ~09:00 UTC (12pm Riyadh).
- Quarters and semis might begin ~10–11 UTC to align with peak viewing times across Asia/Europe/Americas.
- Grand Final starts midday UTC to maximize global audience.
To tune in:
- On Twitch or YouTube, search “ESL EWC Dota2”.
- Check time conversions
- Replays and highlights typically go live shortly after matches end.
Wanna Play Like Dota 2 Pros?
Climbing the ranks in Dota 2 takes more than just game sense and good draft calls: your connection has to keep up, too.
While the pros at EWC 2025 compete in top-tier setups with stable, optimized networks, the average player often deals with lag, delays, or poor routing.
That’s where NoPing can make a real difference. It helps improve connection stability by optimizing the route between your machine and the game server, which can reduce ping and packet loss.
For anyone playing across regions or just looking for smoother matches, it’s an option worth checking out.
Here’s how to use NoPing to enhance your performance in online games:
- Sign-up through the website and download NoPing (you can test it for free).
- Open NoPing and search for your game inside the software
- Once you find it, click on it and, on the next screen, select “Choose automatic” or “Choose manual” and click “Continue”. We recommend choosing automatic, as NoPing’s technology analyzes all routes on a global scale and automatically selects the best option for you.
- On the next screen, click on “Optimize Game”.
- And that’s it, you can start playing with optimized ping!
You can test different servers within NoPing to see which gives you the lowest latency.
Dota 2 at EWC 2025 is shaping up to be a massive event: packed schedule, globally qualified teams, polished single-elimination excitement, and a tanked-up $3M prize pool.
It promises dramatic upsets, surprise runs, and meta-defining strategies,while offering lots of ways to engage, whether you’re watching the big plays or jumping into chats with fellow fans.
Quick Recap:
- Dates: July 8–19, 2025
- Teams: 16 (via regional qualifiers and invites)
- Format: Group stage → single-elim playoffs → Bo5 Grand Final
- Prize Pool: $3M USD
- Watch: Official ESL/EWC Twitch & YouTube channels
And to always play Dota 2 with max performance, use NoPing! Download now and start your free trial!
