Aditya ChaudhuriLeading esports and video game entertainment firm ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) has announced the details and dates for the upcoming brand new ESL Pro Tour (EPT) for Dota 2, which will be held in April 2023.
The ESL Pro Tour will see the return of the DreamLeague, and the new seasons featuring 16 of the world’s best teams competing. The DreamLeague will be an online event, produced from EFG’s Stockholm Studios in Sweden. The DreamLeague is a Dota 2 tournament that had stopped in 2020.
The inaugural season of Dota 2 ESL Pro Tour will have two DreamLeague Seasons:
- Season 19: April 9–23, 2023. The winning team will qualify directly for the Group Stage of the Riyadh Masters.
- Season 20: June 7–25, 2023. The winners and runners-up will both qualify directly for the Riyadh Masters Group Stage.
The main EPT will have two group stages and a playoff round. The group stages will get underway in late March 2023, following which the first DreamLeague season will take place. Following DreamLeague Season 19, the group stages will resume, after which Season 20 of the DreamLeague will take place.
The group stages will have a total of 16 teams, with the top four advancing to the second group stage. The second group stage will have a total of eight teams. The EPT season final will take place at the Riyadh Masters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, scheduled for July 17–30, 2023. The top 20 teams will fight it out for a total prize pool of US$15,000,000 and the title of the EPT Champions.
Shane Clarke, Director Game Ecosystems – Dota 2 at EFG, commented:
“Over the past couple of years, we’ve already seen the success of the ESL Pro Tour and the structure it brings to a game’s esports ecosystem. Now, we are thrilled to expand it into the wonderful world of Dota 2 and thereby give players, fans, and partners – both existing and new – the opportunity to enjoy the best of the best that Dota 2 esports offers. Moreover, with the valuable Riyadh Masters competition functioning as the EPT Championship event, the circuit promises lots of electrifying moments and tier 1 action.“
Both DreamLeague seasons will be broadcast on DreamLeague’s Twitch and ESL’s Dota 2 YouTube channels.
