Dota 2 confirmed for inaugural Esports Nations Cup 2026 with $1.5M prize pool

The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) announced that Dota 2 has been confirmed as the third title for the inaugural Esports Nations Cup 2026 (ENC).

ENC 2026, operated by Saudi Arabia’s Esports World Cup Foundation, will take place in Riyadh this November, with plans to rotate host nations every two years. The event replaces the previously proposed Esports Olympic Games, a joint venture with the International Olympic Committee that dissolved in 2025 over operational differences.

The announcement marks Dota 2 as one of the 16 game titles to be featured in the nations-versus-nations tournament, joining the previously confirmed Trackmania and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. Moving beyond the club-based format of Esports World Cup, the Esports Nations Cup introduces a pure national team competition. Thirty-two countries will field their best five Dota 2 players, competing not under an organisation banner, but for national pride and a share of a $1,500,000 USD prize pool.

Tournament structure

Esports Nations Cup Dota 2 tournament will unfold from November 2-8, 2026, with 32 teams entering the first stage of the competition.

Group Stage: The 32 national teams will be divided into four groups of eight for a round-robin, best-of-one battle.
Playoffs: The top four teams from each group will advance to a 16-team, single-elimination playoff bracket. All playoff matches, except the Grand Final, will be best-of-three.

Pathway to Esports Nations Cup: rankings and qualifiers

The field of 32 teams will be determined through a combination of direct invites and regional qualifiers:

Direct invites (16 teams): The top-ranked nations will be invited based on a Dota 2 National Team Ranking. This ranking will accumulate points earned by players at Tier 1 Dota 2 competitions starting June 8, 2025. Points from club achievements will be shared among players and aggregated for the top five players on the submitted national roster. The ranking cutoff is June 7, 2026.

Regional qualifiers (14 teams): Online qualifiers will be held from June 16 to July 5 as double-elimination brackets across eight regions as follows:

• North America (1 slot)
• South America (2 slots)
• Western Europe (2 slots)
• Eastern Europe (2 slots)
• Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia (2 slots)
• Central and South Africa (1 slot)
• South and East Asia (2 slots)
• Southeast Asia and Oceania (2 slots)
• Wildcards (2 teams): Two final slots will be filled via wildcard selections.

Additional information about the Esports Nations Cup will be released in the coming weeks. Stay tuned to rdy.gg for Dota 2 coverage - breaking news, match results, deep-dive analysis, and everything in between.