Here are all teams participating in the Dota 2 Esports World Cup, tournament dates, format, and more

A total of 24 teams will head to Paris next month for the US$2 million Dota 2 EWC.

Everything is set in stone for the Dota 2 Esports World Cup (EWC). It is one of the biggest Dota 2 tournaments of the year, running as part of the multi-title EWC. A total of 24 teams have secured their places through direct invitations or the recently concluded regional qualifiers, with them set to kick off competition on 6 July in Paris, France.

There were two primary routes into the tournament. The defending champion, Team Spirit, received a direct berth into the event. Direct invitations were also given to the top teams of the ESL Pro Tour (EPT) Leaderboard, comprising the best performers across ESL One and DreamLeague tournaments. The remaining participants made it through regional qualifiers occurring in seven regions: Western Europe (WEU), Eastern Europe (EEU), China (CN), Southeast Asia (SEA), North America (NA), South America (SA), and Middle East and West Africa (MESWA).

What teams are competing at the Dota 2 Esports World Cup 2026?

Here are all the Dota 2 Esports World Cup teams and how they qualified:

1. Team Spirit – Defending EWC champions / #6 EPT Leaderboard
2. 1w Team (former roster of Tundra Esports) – #1 EPT Leaderboard
3. PARIVISION – #2 EPT Leaderboard
4. Aurora Gaming – #3 EPT Leaderboard
5. Xtreme Gaming – #4 EPT Leaderboard
6. Team Yandex – #5 EPT Leaderboard
7. Team Falcons – #7 EPT Leaderboard
8. Team Liquid – #8 EPT Leaderboard
9. BetBoom Team – #9 EPT Leaderboard
10. MOUZ – #10 EPT Leaderboard
11. PlayTime – #11 EPT Leaderboard
12. OG – #12 EPT Leaderboard
13. Virtus.pro – #13 EPT Leaderboard
14. LGD Gaming (former roster of Heroic) – #1 WEU qualifier
15. Rune Eaters Esports – #2 WEU qualifier
16. Two Move – #1-2 EEU qualifier
17. Poor Rangers – #1-2 EEU qualifier
18. L1GA TEAM – #3-4 EEU qualifier
19. IC x Insanity – #3-4 EEU qualifier
20. Vici Gaming – #1 CN qualifier
21. REKONIX – #1 SEA qualifier
22. GamerLegion – #1 NA qualifier
23. Team Nemesis – #1 SA qualifier
24. Nigma Galaxy – #1 MESWA qualifier

A quick preview of the Dota 2 EWC teams

Most of the EPT invitees are of course the favourites heading into the tournament. 1win, now fielding the former Tundra Esports roster, alongside season standouts such as PARIVISION, Team Yandex, Aurora Gaming, BetBoom Team, and Team Falcons are the elite performers this season. In recent events, PARIVISION, Yandex and Aurora have seen greater results, making them the headline contenders.

Several prominent teams also boast great potential to overtake the frontrunners, namely Team Liquid, LGD Gaming, Xtreme Gaming, and defending champions Team Spirit. 

There are plenty of potential dark horses. PlayTime, Vici Gaming, MOUZ, Nigma Galaxy, Virtus.pro and OG have all shown flashes of promise throughout the year and could surprise some of the tournament favourites.

The field also features quite a number of underdogs, including GamerLegion, REKONIX, and Team Nemesis. Despite appearing rarely in the top-tier tournaments, Tier 2 European teams such as L1GA TEAM and Rune Eaters can hardly be underestimated. 

When is the Dota 2 Esports World Cup?

The Dota 2 EWC will run from 6–18 July 2026 in Paris, France, with the live matches taking place at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles.

The tournament spans nearly two weeks and will be divided into three phases: the Group Stage, Survival Stage, and Playoffs. Specific dates for each phase have yet to be announced.

What is the Dota 2 Esports World Cup format?

The Dota 2 EWC will feature a round-robin Group Stage followed by a single-elimination Playoffs bracket.

During the Group Stage, the 24 teams will be divided into four groups of six. Teams play each other in their respective group in a best-of-two (BO2) series. The top team from each group will advance directly to the Playoffs, while the teams finishing second to fourth will progress to the Survival Stage. The bottom two teams in each group will be eliminated.

In the Survival Stage, the fourth-placed team will face the third-placed team, with the winner advancing to play the second-placed team. All matches will be best-of-three (BO3) series. The round will see two winners secure the remaining Playoffs spots.

The Playoffs will begin from the quarter-finals and use a single-elimination format, meaning there will be no lower bracket. All matches will be played as a BO3 series, except for the Grand Final, which will be a best-of-five (BO5).

What is the Dota 2 Esports World Cup prize pool?

The tournament features a US$2 million prize pool, with the prize distribution yet to be revealed.

While still significantly higher than the US$1 million commonly offered at most Tier 1 Dota 2 events, this year's purse marks another reduction compared to previous editions. The tournament offered US$3 million last year, US$5 million the year before, and a massive US$15 million during its first EWC iteration in 2023.

At this year's massive EWC event, Dota 2 shares the same prize pool as several major PC esports, including CS2, VALORANT, Apex Legends, and Rainbow Six Siege. However, as opposed to previous years, mobile esports titles offer higher prize pools with Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB), PUBG Mobile, and several more boasting US$3 million in prize pool

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