Dota 2 returns to Esports World Cup 2027 as PARIVISION chase a first repeat title

Dota 2 will return to the Riyadh-hosted Esports World Cup in 2027, though dates, format and prize money are still to come. The title has never been won twice, and its prize pool has fallen at every edition so far.

Dota 2’s place at Esports World Cup 2027 was announced without dates, a prize pool, a format or any invited teams. The whole event is listed for July to August 2027.

The 2026 tournament had originally been planned for Riyadh before it was moved to Paris on 20 May 2026.

Dota 2 prize money has fallen at every edition

The first edition, Riyadh Masters 2024, carried a US$5,000,000 prize pool. In 2025 Team Spirit took US$1,000,000 from a US$3,000,000 pool in a 16-team event. The 2026 tournament ran from 7 to 19 July with 24 teams. That field was eight teams larger than a year earlier.

The winner still takes a large share. PARIVISION collected US$750,000, or 37.5% of the pool, plus 1,000 Club Championship points. Runners-up BetBoom Team received US$340,000 and 750 points, Liquipedia reported.

Those points feed into a larger prize. In 2026 the Club Championship paid US$30 million across the top 24 clubs. The champion club received US$7 million from an overall event prize pool of US$75 million. AG.AL won it with 5,300 points, stopping Team Falcons from winning a third title in a row. For organisations weighing the cost of a Dota 2 roster, that club prize is part of the calculation.

Not every club is staying. Falcons released all five players from the roster that won The International 2025, according to Timesaver.gg.

PARIVISION can become the first club to win twice

No club or player has won the event’s Dota 2 title more than once. Each of the three editions went to a different club with a different roster. Gaimin Gladiators beat Team Liquid in the 2024 final. A year later, Team Spirit swept Team Falcons 3-0. As the 2026 champions, PARIVISION now get the first chance to defend the title.

Their rivals arrive in form. Team Spirit went out of the 2026 event before the final. A month later, they won The International 2026 in Shanghai. Yatoro and Collapse became the first players to win three Internationals. Team Yandex finished third at both the 2026 Esports World Cup and The International. After signing ATF, they won PGL Wallachia Season 9 and BLAST SLAM VIII.

The route into the event is taking shape. The organiser’s Road to EWC qualifier programme for 2027 aims to involve 1.8 million players across more than 400 events. Qualifier slots for each game will be announced later. Counter-Strike 2, already confirmed for both 2027 and 2028, will hold a 32-team event in Riyadh from 20 July to 1 August 2027.