Esports Nations Cup unveils Dota 2 as part of game lineup

The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) announced Dota 2 as the third game title to be featured at the first-ever Esports Nations Cup (ENC). The tournament will feature a total of 32 national teams, competing across the group stage and playoffs.

Esports Nations Cup Dota 2 Tournament – Schedule and Format

The tournament has been confirmed to take place on November 2, with playoffs taking place on November 8. The 32 teams will first compete in a round-robin group stage, with four groups of eight teams each. The top four teams from each group will advance to the single-elimination playoff bracket. Group stage matches will be best-of-one, while playoff matches will be best-of-three. Only the final will be a best-of-five series.

Just like the Trackmania ENC tournament, selected national teams will receive direct invites based on the Dota 2 National Team Ranking, which will take into account Tier 1 Dota 2 competitions. Clubs will be awarded points based on placements at official competitions, with those points equally shared across all Club teammates who competed. The national ranking will then accumulate the points of the top five players on the submitted national roster. The cut-off date for the national ranking is June 7.

Aside from the 16 invited teams, 14 of them will qualify through regional online qualifiers, and two will receive Wildcard slots. The regional qualifiers will take place between June 16 and July 5, using a double-elimination format. Slots will be distributed as follows:

• North America (1 slot)
• South America (2)
• Western Europe (2)
• Eastern Europe (2)
• Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia (2)
• Central and South Africa (1)
• South and East Asia (2)
• Southeast Asia and Oceania (2)

The Esports Nations Cup is one of the major nation-based competitions in the competitive gaming scene. Taking place for the first time this year in Riyadh, the competition will move to a rotating host model in the upcoming editions. The ENC was introduced after the International Olympic Committee cancelled the Olympic Esports Games, which were supposed to take place in Saudi Arabia in 2027.