All teams qualified for the Esports World Cup 2025's Dota 2 tournament

Eight teams received direct invites to the Esports World Cup 2025's Dota 2 event while eight others earned their spots through regional qualifiers.

The full lineup of participants is now confirmed for the annual Esports World Cup (EWC) 2025's Dota 2 tournament, a marquee event boasting a US$3 million prize pool and serving as the culmination of the current ESL Pro Tour (EPT) season.

Spanning much of the Dota 2 competitive calendar, the EPT includes the high-stakes online DreamLeague series to the major LAN-based ESL One events. As with each season, the pinnacle tournament of EPT will occur as part of the broader, multi-title EWC, set to take place live in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 8 to 19 July.

The EWC 2025's Dota 2 competition will feature 16 of the world’s top teams. Gaimin Gladiators earned a direct invite as the reigning champions, following their victory at the 2024 Riyadh Masters. Eight additional teams received direct invitations based on their performance on the EPT Leaderboard, having accumulated the most points over the season. The remaining slots were filled through regional qualifiers, with one team representing each region.

Here is the full list of teams invited and qualified for the Dota 2 EWC:

Dota 2 Esports World Cup teams

• Gaimin Gladiators - Defending champions
• PARIVISION - EPT Leaderboard #1
• BetBoom Team - EPT Leaderboard #2
• Team Spirit  - EPT Leaderboard #3
• Team Falcons - EPT Leaderboard #4
• Team Liquid - EPT Leaderboard #5
• Tundra Esports - EPT Leaderboard #6
• Talon Esports - EPT Leaderboard #7
• Aurora Gaming - EPT Leaderboard #8
• Xtreme Gaming - China (CN) qualifier (Asian Champions League winner)
• Natus Vincere Junior - Western Europe (WEU) qualifier
• Cyber Goose - Eastern Europe (EEU) qualifier
• Execration - Southeast Asia (SEA) qualifier
• Shopify Rebellion - North America (NA) qualifier
• HEROIC - South America (SA) qualifier

Quick look-back at the EPT season

The 2024/2025 EPT season featured five tournaments, each boasting a US$1 million prize pool and a significant cache of EPT Points. 

Team Falcons initially led the leaderboard with a strong start, claiming victory at DreamLeague Season 22 in October last year. However, a newly-formed PARIVISION rapidly emerged as the season’s breakout contender, overtaking Falcons and every other prominent teams with victories at ESL One Bangkok 2024, ESL One Raleigh 2025, and DreamLeague Season 26. 

Their unwavering success secured them an astonishing lead, finishing the season with 24,745 points–nearly 9,000 points ahead of second-place BetBoom Team, who closed out with 15,760. Securing third place is Team Spirit, who have been consistent throughout the season, always hovering in the Top 6 plus a strong victory at DreamLeague Season 25.

Following closely on the leaderboard are Western Europe’s powerhouses–Team Falcons, Team Liquid, and Tundra Esports–teams widely expected to secure their spots at the grand event.

In a surprising turn, Southeast Asia’s Talon Esports claimed the seventh spot. Despite a dry season marked by subpar results, the return of Nuengnara “23savage” Teeramahanon sparked a resurgence in form. The team achieved a Top 3 finish at DreamLeague Season 26, earning a crucial surge in EPT points and climbing into the upper ranks of the leaderboard.

Another standout story comes from Eastern Europe’s new contender, Aurora Gaming. Finding momentum at the last minute, they secured a 4th place finish at the same tournament, just enough to break into the top eight and claim a coveted direct invite.

The qualifier phase for Dota 2’s Esports World Cup began with China, kicking off on 16 May under the banner of the Asian Champions League (ACL). Other regional qualifiers followed from 5 to 13 June, with South America’s representative rounding out the final lineup. With all 16 teams confirmed, the stage is set.

The Dota 2 Esports World Cup, hosted by the EWC Foundation and ESL FACEIT Group, will deliver high-profile Dota 2 action, alongside a lineup of many other esports titles, in the vibrant Boulevard Riyadh City this July. It will be the next big stop on the Dota 2 calendar before the game’s world championship, The International 2025, occurs from 4 to 14 September in Hamburg, Germany.

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