DreamLeague Season 25: Teams, format, prize pool, and where to watch

Image: ESL

16 teams will be fighting for their cut of a $1 million prize pool and a spot in Riyadh Masters 2025.

The Dota 2 action continues this month with DreamLeague Season 25, the 25th season of ESL's online tournament series. The event will take place from 16 February to 2 March, featuring 16 of the best Dota 2 teams from all across the world fighting for their cut of a $1 million prize pool and 20,440 ESL Pro Tour (EPT) point pool.

Here's everything you need to know about DreamLeague Season 25:

Teams

The 16 teams competing in DreamLeague Season 25 are comprised of four invited teams from the EPT leaderboard and eight teams that earned their spots through a series of regional qualifiers in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, China, Southeast Asia, North America, South America, and MESWA.

Here's the list of participating teams for DreamLeague Season 25:

PARIVISION - Invited
BetBoom Team - Invited
Team Falcons - Invited
Team Liquid - Invited
AVULUS WEU Qualifier
Tundra Esports - Western Europe qualifier
Gaimin Gladiators - Western Europe qualifier
Team Spirit - Eastern Europe qualifier
9Pandas - Eastern Europe qualifier
Yakult Brothers - China qualifier
Moodeng Warriors (former Aurora Gaming) - Southeast Asia qualifier
Shopify Rebellion - North America qualifier
HEROIC - South America qualifier
Chimera Esports - MESWA qualifier

Format

DreamLeague Season 25 is split into three distinct stages: Group Stage 1 from 16 February to 19, Group Stage 2 from 21 February to 27, and the Playoffs from 1 March to 2.

Group Stage 1 will split the 16 participating teams into two groups of eight teams each that will compete in a single round-robin format with best-of-two matches for advancement to Group Stage 2. The Top 4 teams from each group will advance to the next stage while the bottom four will be eliminated.

Here are the groupings for Group Stage 1:

Group Stage 2 will then pit the remaining eight teams into one single round-robin with best-of-three matches for advancement to the Playoffs. The Top 2 teams will advance to the upper bracket of the Playoffs, while the third and fourth-placed teams will have to start in the lower bracket.

The Playoffs will be a double-elimination bracket with all matches being a best-of-three except for the grand finals, which will be a full best-of-three series.

Prize pool

DreamLeague Season 25 features a $1 million prize pool and 20,440 EPT point pool. Of the $1 million in prize money, $750,000 will be awarded as player prize money while $250,000 will be awarded as club rewards. Meanwhile, the EPT points will go towards earning teams direct invites to future ESL events and a spot in Riyadh Masters 2025.

All teams that participate in DreamLeague Season 25 are guaranteed at least $10,000 and 42 EPT points.

Here's the full prize pool breakdown for DreamLeague Season 25:

1st: $250,000
2nd: $100,000
3rd: $80,000
4th: $60,000
5th: $40,000
6th: $35,000
7th: $30,000
8th: $25,000
9th-10th: $20,000
11th-12th: $17,500
13th-14th: $15,000
15th-16th: $10,000

Where to watch

DreamLeague Season 25 will be broadcast live in English on the official ESL Dota 2 Twitch and YouTube channels. Additional Twitch streams (ESL Dota 2 Ember, Storm, Earth) will also be active during the Group Stages to accommodate the high number of matches.