Only eight teams remain standing in the Esports World Cup 2025's Dota 2 competition.
The Dota 2 competition at the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2025 concluded its Elimination Phase on 13 July, with four teams advancing to the Playoffs and four more getting eliminated.
PARIVISION, 
Gaimin Gladiators, 
Tundra Esports, and 
Team Falcons have all bested their opponents in the second round of eliminations to make it into the third and final phase of the event. They join 
Team Spirit, 
BetBoom Team, 
Aurora Gaming, and 
Team Liquid as the final eight contenders in the Playoffs, where they will battle for the tournament title and a major slice of the US$3 million prize pool.
Meanwhile, 
Xtreme Gaming (XG), 
Team Yandex, 
Talon Esports, and 
Natus Vincere (NAVI) all faced rough 0-2 eliminations and bowed out of the tournament in 9th-12th place, taking home US$75,000 in consolation.
Here’s how the second round of eliminations panned out:
Dota 2 EWC: Elimination Phase 2 recap
Dota 2 at the EWC features a three-phase format. The first phase saw the Group Stage unfold with teams collecting points in four groups. While the top seeds of each group advanced directly into the Playoffs, the rest are sorted into the Elimination Phase. See the final Group Stage results here.
In the first elimination round, the 3rd-and 4th-ranked teams of the groups clashed against each other. The winners then advance into the second round, where they play against the 2nd-ranked teams from the groups.
As many in the community expected, the stronger teams in this elimination phase won all matches by a landslide. Underdogs and dark horses exited the tournament early, unable to figure out the top teams or deliver any upsets.
PARIVISION 2-0 Xtreme Gaming
In the first matchup, PARIVISION strongly dominated XG, executing better map control and winning valuable teamfights. Although both had a somewhat even laning performance, PARIVISION would take a commanding lead in net worth and power over the mid and late game. PARIVISION won both maps and eliminated XG, taking down the only Chinese representative at the Dota 2 EWC.
Gaimin Gladiators 2-0 Team Yandex
The next series saw the reigning champions, Gaimin Gladiators, sweep the relatively new stack Yandex, 2-0. The Eastern European underdog, notably led by veteran captain 
Alexey “Solo” Berezin, had won the lengthiest series of the tournament so far—100 minutes of game time—powering over 
Shopify Rebellion in the previous round.
But Yandex was unable to carry that momentum into their matchup against the Gladiators, who completely shut down their efforts. The first game ended in a quick 26 minutes, and the second in 34 minutes.
Tundra Esports 2-0 Talon Esports
In the third matchup, expectations were slightly more uncertain than usual. Talon Esports have a history of pulling off upsets and snowballing into top placements, despite often being considered one of the weaker teams in tournaments. Some have hoped to see this narrative unfold again in the Dota 2 EWC.
However, Tundra Esports gave no room for miracle runs. They dominated Talon to close the first game with a staggering 45-7 kill score, and followed it up with another crushing victory in the second. Talon’s defeat marks the end of Southeast Asia’s run in the tournament.
Team Falcons 2-0 NAVI
The final matchup of the second elimination round featured a shaky Team Falcons against the rising talent of NAVI. Falcons had a lackluster showing during the Group Stage, which sent them to the first round of eliminations—making them the only top-tier team at early risk of being knocked out. Meanwhile, NAVI entered as one of the event’s most anticipated dark horses, with hopes of pulling off major upsets.
But again, no miracle run unfolded at the Dota 2 EWC, as Falcons convincingly swept NAVI 2-0. They dominated the laning stage in both games and secured victory in 35 and 39 minutes, respectively. Despite a rough start to the event, Team Falcons has fought their way into the Playoffs and remains in contention for the EWC title.
The Dota 2 tournament at the Esports World Cup now fields eight final teams out of sixteen total participants. Ultimately, the weaker regions suffered with an early exit, and the European juggernauts remain for the final fight in the Playoffs, set to run from 16 - 19 July.
The EWC is a multi-title mega event with a stacked prize pool of over US$70 million–the Dota 2 competition alone claiming one of the largest shares at US$3 million. While the entire event spans nearly two months, fitting in 25 unique esports, the Dota 2 tournament will be one of the first to run, running from 8 to 19 July.
For everything you need to know about the EWC's Dota 2 competition, check here.
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