Everything you need to know ahead of ESL One Berlin powered by Intel®

ESL’s Dota tournaments will soon return to Germany with the ESL One Berlin Dota 2 Major powered by Intel®. 18 of the top Dota 2 teams from around the world compete for a prize pool of $500,000 and aim to secure prized Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) points for The International 12 qualification. Fans will witness intense competition with the final matches to be held at the iconic Velodrom in the German capital.

Here is all you need to know about the ESL One Berlin Dota 2 Major:

Following an incredibly successful Major in Stockholm, Sweden, last year, ESL One is returning to the 2023 DPC calendar with the top 18 organisations worldwide competing for a $500,000 prize pool as well as valuable DPC points in the German capital this May. The 18 teams will be whittled down to eight for the live finals weekend of May 5 – 7. Because the ESL One Berlin Major is sold out, around 15,000 fans are expected to come over the weekend, with around 5,000 fans per day, to watch the top teams battle it out for the top spot at the Velodrom in Berlin.

Dota 2 teams from Eastern Europe, Western Europe, North America, South America, Southeast Asia, and China can look forward to a spectacular conclusion of the DPC Spring Tour 2022-2023.

Schedule and Format
Group Stage: April 26 – 30

• Two groups of nine teams will see six teams qualify from each group. The games will be played in a single round-robin format and all matches in this stage will be best-of-two.

Playoffs: May 2 – 7

• The top 12 teams from the Group Stage will face off in a double-elimination bracket, with all matches being played in a best-of-three format. Eight teams will progress to the finals at the Velodrom.

Finals: May 5 – 7

• The Finals, in front of a live crowd at the sold-out Velodrom, will see the remaining eight teams battle in a best-of-three format to find the top two teams for the Grand Final, which will be played in a best-of-five format.

Teams involved:

Commentators and Analysts

• Hosts:
  • Neal “Tsunami” Khandheria
  • Jorien “Sheever” van der Heijden
  • Ted “PyrionFlax” Forsyth

• Sideline Reporter
  • Jake “SirActionSlacks” Kanner

• Commentators / Analysts
  • Mira “Ephey” Riad
  • Alexandra “Sheepsticked” Roberts
  • Andrew “Jenkins” Jenkins
  • Owen “ODPixel” Davies
  • Ioannis “Fogged” Loucas
  • Austin “Cap” Walsh
  • Avery “SVG” Silverman
  • Peter “ppd” Dager
  • Brian “BSJ” Canavan
  • Troels Lyngholt “syndereN” Nielsen
  • Shannon “SUNSfan” Scotten
• Remote commentators / Analysts
  • Gareth “Gareth” Bateson
  • Dominik “Lacoste” Stipić
  • Lachlan “Ares” Williams
  • David “GoDz” Parker
  • Ricky “rkryptic” Peterson
  • John “johnxfire” Nathan Fernandez
  • Gabriel “Lyrical” Cruz
  • Clinton “Fear” Loomis
  • Trent “Trent” MacKenzie
  • Kevin “Purge” Godec
  • Tim “Dktruman” de Lange
  • Filipe “Astini” Astini

Prize Money:

In-Arena experience
ESL One Berlin will host numerous other on-site activities. There will be signing sessions for fans to get players’ autographs, a balloon artist to sculpt your Dota heroes and an airbrush tattooist, so you can show your colors and support your team! Fans also have the opportunity to visit partner booths inside the arena – including DHL, Intel and Monster Energy – participate in several exciting activations and win amazing prizes.