Cover-Credits:
In the absence of DPC (Dota Pro Circuit), third-party organizers like ESL One FACEIT Group, FISSURE, and many others have taken it upon themselves to keep the Dota 2 professional scene alive. Now, a relatively new tournament organizer has stepped into the game in partnership with the Qatar Esports Federation.
At the start of February 2024, ESB (Electronic Sports Broadcasting), a Peruvian tournament organizer, along with the Qatar Esports Federation (QESF) announced the signing of a three-year agreement to host three Dota 2 tournaments per year, according to a press release. Through this partnership, a total of $2.6 Million USD per year is set to be distributed.
Dota 2 Finds Itself a New League
ESB started organizing Dota 2 tournaments in 2023 and it used to organize DPC Tours in the South American region. Now in the absence of DPC, it has announced a new Dota 2 League along with Qatar Esports Federation. According to Pancho Justo on Twitter, in a press release, the organizers revealed the dates of the planned tournaments for 2024. They are as follows:
2024 scheduled Dota 2 events: Dates and locations
3rd - 14th April: Doha, Qatar (LAN Event)
22nd July - 4th August: Lima, Peru (Arena LAN Event)
26th November - 6th December: Doha, Qatar (Arena LAN Event)
It was also announced that a total of $2.6 Million would be distributed equally amongst the three tournaments as prize money and a total of 10 teams would be vying for the lion’s share of this prize pool in every event.
The tournament organizers also made sure to include the seven major regions of the world and confirmed that there will be rigorous open and closed qualifiers held to ensure only the best of the best teams make it to the main tournament.
In the press release, ESB CEO Gonzalo Velasco said, “There is a big space in the Dota 2 and esports scene for innovation and doing great things for the community, not only at the top level of competitive esports, but also at a regional and amateur level. The Qatar experience of hosting worldwide top sports events like the FIFA World Cup in 2022, the Asian Football Cup in 2023, and many others, added to its ideal location as a transit hub and amazing infrastructure, places the country as an ideal candidate for setting up our global hub.”
Faisal Khalid, general secretary of Qatar Esports Federation, added, “The QESF is committed to supporting the international esports community, and this agreement is the first step of a long-term plan with ESB to innovate and push the esports ecosystem forward, not only in Qatar and the MENA region but around the world.”
Khalid reiterated that esports are not just about the players but also about the community and the passion it holds for the game. As a result, this partnership between ESB and QESF will serve to make fans a central part of their project and not treat them as mere spectators.
