🛡️ Dota 2 at EWC 2025: A Clash of Legends for $3 Million
📅 July 8 - 19, 2025
📍 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
💰 Prize Pool: $3,000,000
🧠 New to Dota? 👉 Read our Dota 2 Explainer Blog
Dota 2 is one of the most iconic esports titles of all time - a 5v5 MOBA where strategy, mechanics, and mental endurance collide. With 126 heroes, infinite draft possibilities, and teamfights that can flip a game in seconds, it’s a game that rewards both brains and bravery. At the Esports World Cup 2025, 16 of the planet’s deadliest Dota 2 teams will go head-to-head in a three-stage gauntlet to determine who lifts the EWC trophy - and who walks away with a chunk of the $3M prize pool.
⚔️ Tournament Format: A 3-Stage Battle for Supremacy
EWC 2025 features a new twist on classic Dota tournament formats:
🌀 Stage 1: Group Stage
- 16 teams split into four groups of four
- Round-robin, best-of-2 format
- Top team in each group skips to Stage 3
- Remaining 12 move to Stage 2
🪓 Stage 2: Elimination Bracket
- 12 teams face off in a single-elimination format
- Only the top 4 survive and advance to the Playoffs
🏆 Stage 3: Playoffs
- 8 teams total (4 group winners + 4 from Stage 2)
- Single-elimination bracket
- Bo3 matches leading into a Best-of-5 Grand Final
No lower bracket. No resets. Every decision counts. Fall behind, and you’re gone.
🌍 The Clubs: 16 Teams, 1 Dream
The field is stacked with heavyweights from every corner of the globe. Here's how they got here:
EWC 2024 Champion Invite:
- 🥇 Gaimin Gladiators (Defending champs)
Regional Champs & League Leaders:
- 🇨🇳 Xtreme Gaming (ACL Winner)
- 🇷🇺 Team Spirit (EPT)
- 🇸🇦 Team Falcons (EPT)
- 🇪🇺 Team Liquid (EPT)
- 🇪🇺 Tundra Esports (EPT)
- 🇵🇭 Talon (EPT)
- 🇪🇺 PVision, BB Team, Aurora (EPT)
- 🇺🇸 Shopify Rebellion (NA representative)
- 🇺🇦 Natus Vincere (Western Europe)
- 🇷🇺 Cyber Goose (Eastern Europe)
- 🇧🇷 Heroic (South America)
- 🇵🇭 Execration (SEA)
- 🇷🇺 Virtus.pro (MENA)
With a mix of established giants and rising challengers, the stage is set for chaos.
🥇 Top 5 Teams to Watch
🐉 Gaimin Gladiators (Western Europe)
- How they qualified: Invited as 2024 EWC champions
- Why they matter: Still one of the most cohesive teams in Dota. With Quinn leading mid and Ace creating chaos offlane, GG’s tempo-based style can dismantle anyone in under 30 minutes.
🐺 Team Spirit (Eastern Europe)
- How they qualified: EPT points
- Why they matter: TI10 and TI12 champs with the dream duo Yatoro and Collapse. Known for clutch late-game teamfights, Spirit thrives in Bo3 and Bo5 pressure cookers.
🐴 Team Liquid (Western Europe)
- How they qualified: EPT points
- Why they matter: Always the bridesmaid, never the bride - but maybe this is the year. With miCKe and Nisha anchoring the lanes, Liquid brings brutal precision and teamfight mastery.
❄️ Tundra Esports (Western Europe)
- How they qualified: EPT points
- Why they matter: TI11 winners with an unpredictable playbook. Known for weird picks (offlane Naga?) and high IQ map control. If the meta gets stale, Tundra breaks it.
🐼 Xtreme Gaming (China)
- How they qualified: ACL Champion
- Why they matter: Ame is back. That’s reason enough. The Chinese juggernaut returns with one goal: to prove the East can still dominate the West. If he finds form, Xtreme is a title threat.
🔥 Storylines to Watch
1. 🧙♂️ Can Collapse Collapse Everyone Again?
Team Spirit’s legendary offlaner has turned games with single-skewer plays. He’s the most feared player in late-game 5v5s - and he's out to prove Spirit’s dynasty isn’t done yet.
2. 👑 Ame’s Redemption Arc
Ame has been to The International Grand Finals more than once - and lost each time. After stepping back, he’s returned to the fold with Xtreme. Can this be the tournament that finally puts a crown on his legacy?
3. 🧊 Tundra’s Curveball Meta
Expect them to pull out pocket picks that leave analysts scrambling. No one breaks the meta like Tundra - if teams aren’t prepared, they’ll be eliminated before they know what hit them.
4. 🏹 NA’s Last Stand
Shopify Rebellion is North America’s hope - but they’re up against stacked brackets. Can Arteezy, SabeRLight-, and crew finally break the curse and make a deep run?
5. 🏠 Falcons with the Home Crowd
Saudi-backed Team Falcons aren’t just playing for pride - they’re playing in front of a home crowd. They’ve got the region behind them and the talent to turn heads.
🧠 Viewing Tips
- Watch the draft phase - picks and bans set the tone.
- Key objectives: Roshan, BKB timings, and late-game vision.
- Don’t blink - a single fight can flip a 15k gold lead.
- Keep an eye on player cams: Collapse smirking = someone's getting skewered.
🎮 Want to bet on the action live?
👉 Join us at SBX.com to back your favorite squad and follow every game from Group Stage to Grand Final.
🧠 New to Dota? Start here for a full breakdown of the game, roles, and how to follow the action.
Let the ancient battles begin!