Dota 2 Esports World Cup 2025 Viewer Guide

The Dota 2 Esports World Cup 2025 is set to kick off on July 8, 2025, and it's already one of the most anticipated tournaments of the year. This prestigious tournament will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as part of the larger Esports World Cup event, supported by the EWC Foundation and organized in collaboration with the ESL FACEIT Group.

The competition will feature 16 top teams competing not only for the title of champions but also for a $3,000,000 prize pool with 1,000,000 for the winner and the chance to become EWC 2025 Global Champion. In this blog, we will provide a Viewer Guide to the Dota 2 Esports World Cup 2025, covering all the essential details.

Prize pool and format

Esports World Cup 2025 in Dota 2 will take place from 08.07.2025 –- 19.07.2025. The tournament will be held in 3 separate stages, which guarantees fair conditions in the fight for the title. Here is the format of the Dota 2 Esports World Cup 2025:

Phase 1 – Group Stage (July 8–11)

• Four groups of four teams in round-robin
• All series consist of two games
• Top team from each group advance to Phase 3
• 2nd place team from each group advance to second round of Phase 2
• Remaining teams from each group advance to first round of Phase 2

Many consider the initial stages of tournaments less important, but that's not the case here. The group stage sets the tone for the rest of the tournament, and the pressure is on from day one.

Phase 2 – Elimination Phase (July 12–13)

• Gauntlet bracket
• 4th vs 3rd from groups, winner vs 2nd
• Four teams advance to Phase 3

The Elimination Phase is where the real battle begins. Every match is crucial, and each result directly impacts a team’s position in the tournament. The intensity ramps up as teams face elimination.

Phase 3 – Playoffs (July 16–19)

• Single-elimination bracket with third-placed match

The playoffs are a classic, and all the most interesting matches take place here. In the final stage, the top 8 teams will play - one defeat and it's all over, but victory seems close enough.

Prize Pool

With a $3,000,000 USD prize pool, the Esports World Cup Dota 2 has one of the largest prize pools in esports. This massive sum serves as a powerful incentive for teams to perform at their absolute best. The exact distribution of the prize pool will be announced soon.

Match Schedule

The EWC Dota 2 group stage matches will start daily at 1:30 PM CET from July 8 to 11, 2025. The exact list of EWC matches can be found below.

Please note that the Dota 2 Esports World Cup 2025 is part of the EWC club standings which includes CS2, Valorant, LoL, PUBG, Rocket League, and many others disciplines. You can follow the progress of the esports world championship on the official event page.

Participating Teams

Here is the full list of teams that will compete in the Dota 2 Esports World Cup 2025. Some of these teams earned their spots through rigorous regional qualifiers, while others received direct invitations based on their standings in the EPT Leaderboard from previous performances.

Each of these teams has already achieved significant success, and earning a spot in the Esports World Cup is a major accomplishment in itself.

Prediction & Analysis

Looking at each team’s recent results, we can make some early predictions. The favorites to win the Esports World Cup 2025 Dota 2 are PARIVISION, Gaimin Gladiators, and Team Spirit, as these teams have been in top form this season. However, teams like Team Liquid and Team Falcons should not be overlooked in the race for the championship.

It will also be interesting to see the performance of Natus Vincere, who recently promoted their junior roster to the main team. To make a more detailed prediction, we will need to see the early results from the Group Stage and get a better sense of which teams are truly ready to compete at the highest level.