Esports World Cup 2025 Dota 2: Teams, Format, and What to Expect

Dota 2 is heading straight into the Esports World Cup 2025 after an intense round of Regional Qualifiers. Now that we have the full list of qualified teams, it’s time to dive into the key details you need to know: the tournament schedule, format, venue, participating teams, and what to expect in Riyadh.

If you can’t wait to see the world’s strongest teams clash in the year’s first major international event, don’t worry — we’ve got you covered. Here’s everything you need to create your own viewing guide for the Esports World Cup.

____________________________________________________________________

It’ll be interesting to see how Gaimin Gladiators perform as defending champions. – Credit: Twitter (@EWC_EN)

Esports World Cup 2025: Qualified Teams

Let’s begin by looking at the teams. A total of 16 squads from around the globe will compete in Riyadh, each qualifying through different paths.

Who do you think will come out on top after the EWC is over? – Credit: Twitter (@EWC_EN)

Eight teams earned their spots directly via the ESL Pro Tour Leaderboard. The other eight came through Regional Qualifiers, with two exceptions:

• Gaimin Gladiators received a direct invite as defending champions. Although they've had a rough season, they’ll return to defend their title.
• Xtreme Gaming qualified by winning the Asian Champions League, a small Chinese tournament featuring just four teams. They defeated Team Tidebound in the Grand Finals on May 16th.

Tournament Format and Organization

As the climax of the ESL Pro Tour season, the Esports World Cup 2025 will be organized by ESL and will consist of three stages: Group Stage, Elimination Phase, and Playoffs.

Group Stage

The Group Stage kicks off on July 8th, featuring four groups in a classic round-robin format with best-of-2 matches. The top team from each group advances directly to the Playoffs, while the remaining teams move to the Elimination Phase.

Elimination Phase

With an 8-day window between the Group Stage and Playoffs, it’s likely this phase will run from July 12th to July 15th. In this stage:

• The 3rd and 4th place teams from each group will be shuffled and play best-of-3 elimination matches in a Gauntlet Bracket.
• Winners will face the 2nd place teams from the groups.
• Any team that loses is eliminated immediately.

This format feels familiar and is somewhat similar to this year’s TI. – Credit: ESL

Playoffs

The Playoffs will take place from July 16th to July 19th. This stage features a single elimination bracket with:

• Best-of-3 matches for the Quarterfinals and Semifinals.

• A best-of-5 Grand Final, maintaining the classic format fans love.

There is a lot of fun to be had on this tournament. – Credit: Esports World Cup

While the groups and match schedules haven't been revealed yet, the current structure gives us a lot to look forward to. We’ll publish a complete schedule once the groups are announced.

Prize Pool Distribution

The Esports World Cup 2025 for Dota 2 will feature a total prize pool of $3 million USD, making it one of the biggest events of the year for the professional scene. However, ESL/EWC has not yet clarified how that $3 million will be distributed among the 16 teams.

How much of this massive prize will the champions get for themselves? – Credit: ESL

While details about the tournament format and total prize pool are clearly outlined — whether it will follow a standard tiered structure (e.g. top 3 payouts) or be shared differently across all participants — remains undisclosed.

What to Expect From the Esports World Cup 2025

Many teams have been working toward this tournament since the end of the ESL Pro Tour season. Some — like Team Spirit and Tundra Esports — even gave up their slots at DreamLeague Season 26 to focus on preparing early.

Meanwhile, PARIVISION has dominated recent ESL events, winning ESL One and DreamLeague back-to-back. They enter the EWC as one of the clear favorites.

One most wonder how much hiding their strategies will hurt PARIVISION. – Credit: Eric de Oliveira

Other teams to watch include:

• Team Liquid, current The International Champions.

• Team Falcons, a strong contender but with recent performance issues.

• BetBoom Team and Aurora, both from Eastern Europe, who could deliver major upsets.

That’s all the information currently available — and it’s already quite a lot! If you want to stay up to date with everything Dota 2 and the Esports World Cup 2025, be sure to check out the news section on the Strafe official website.

Featured Image Source: Twitter (@EWC_EN)