DreamLeague Season 21 Announced for Sept 2023 With $1 Million Prize Pool

The ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) has unveiled the return of DreamLeague for its 21st season. Taking place as part of the ESL Pro Tour (EPT) which was announced earlier this year, this tournament is scheduled to run online from 18th to 24th Sept 2023, featuring 12 of the globe's premier Dota 2 teams. In the same way as its previous two editions, DreamLeague Season 21 will offer a $1 million USD prize pool. However, the format will be shorter due to time constraints as a result of The International 12 (TI12) being scheduled in October 2023.

DreamLeague returns for Season 21 with $1,000,000 prize pool

DreamLeague Season 21 will be held online, but all 12 teams will be flown to their particular bootcamps in Europe. There will be no online qualifiers and so far, 10 of these 12 teams have been announced.

1. Gaimin Gladiators

2. Team Spirit

3. Talon Esports

4. Shopify Rebellion

5. Evil Geniuses

6. 9Pandas

7. BetBoom Team

8. Quest Esports

9. Team Liquid

10. Tundra Esports

Format

During the previous two DreamLeague seasons, which were a part of Season 1 of the EPT Dota 2, there were two group stages followed by playoffs. There will be one group stage round followed by playoffs for DreamLeague Season 21.

Group stage (18th to 21st Sept)

• Single round robin

• Two groups of six teams each

• All series are Bo2s

• The top two teams move to the upper bracket of the playoffs

• The third and fourth place teams move to the lower bracket of the playoffs

• The bottom two teams are eliminated

Playoffs (21st to 24th Sept)

• Double elimination bracket

• All series are Bo3s, except for the grand final

• Bo5 grand final

From the $1 Million prize pool, the winner gets $300,000, while all other teams get a part depending on their final rankings.

“The Saturday night live of esports is back for another season,” said Shane Clarke, Director, Game Ecosystems – Dota 2 at EFG. “We’re incredibly excited to continue the ESL Pro Tour for Dota 2 journey and bring DreamLeague’s unprecedented online atmosphere to live again this September. With Season 21 being played on patch 7.34 and the last top-tier competition before TI12, it promises to be an even more electrifying battle as teams have the opportunity to gain additional tournament experience and finetune their skills,” he added.

DreamLeague Season 21 is a part of EPT which was announced in March 2023, with a total prize pool of $17 million for the inaugural season, which included DreamLeague S19 and 20, as well as the Riyadh Masters 2023. According to ESL, the EPT was created to complement Valve's DPC environment while also promoting and strengthening the Dota 2 competitive scene.

DreamLeague Season 21 will be broadcasted live on the ESL Dota 2 Twitch and YouTube platforms for viewers. In the next few days, talent information, the remaining two invited teams, and match schedules should also be made available.