From May 19 to June 1, 2025, some of the best Dota 2 teams in the world are battling it out in DreamLeague Season 26 – one of the biggest online tournaments of the year. Organized by ESL Gaming, the event brings together 16 top teams and offers a prize pool of $1,000,000. Even more important, it gives 29,200 ESL Pro Tour points, which help teams qualify for huge events like the Riyadh Masters and The International 2025. This exciting preview of the global showdown was prepared by the experts at 1xBet.
The tournament is split into three stages. In the first stage (May 19 to 22), the 16 teams are placed into two groups of eight. They play best-of-two matches against every other team in their group. Only the top four teams from each group move forward, while the bottom four are out of the tournament. In the second stage (May 23 to 29), the remaining eight teams enter a new group and play best-of-three matches. The top two teams from this group go into the upper bracket of the playoffs. The teams that finish third and fourth move to the lower bracket. The other four are eliminated. Finally, in the playoffs (May 31 to June 1), we’ll see a double-elimination bracket, where every match is best-of-three except for the grand final – that will be a best-of-five fight for the trophy.
This year’s DreamLeague is full of strong teams. Some were invited based on their ESL Pro Tour rankings, like PARIVISION, BetBoom Team, Team Falcons, and Team Liquid. Others earned their place through regional qualifiers, such as Gaimin Gladiators, Nigma Galaxy, BOOM Esports, NAVI Junior, OG.LATAM, Talon Esports, and Shopify Rebellion. Teams like Xtreme Gaming and Yakult Brothers also add to the mix, making this one of the most international lineups in DreamLeague history.
The prize money is huge, and so are the stakes. The winning team will take home $250,000 and 6,000 EPT points. Second place gets $100,000 and 5,000 points. Even teams that finish in the lower half of the table will receive prize money and important ranking points. Every match matters, and every round can change a team’s entire season.
So far, the tournament has already given fans some big moments. PARIVISION is leading their group with a big 2-0 win over Team Falcons. Nigma Galaxy also had a strong start by beating OG.LATAM 2-0. Gaimin Gladiators and Talon Esports are showing consistent results as well, each picking up multiple victories.
If you want to watch the matches live, they’re being streamed on ESL’s official Twitch channel. You can follow every match, every surprise, and every amazing play right from home.
DreamLeague Season 26 is not just a tournament – it’s a preview of what we can expect from the top teams as the road to The International 2025 continues. Whether you’re cheering for your favorite team or just enjoying the action, this is one event you don’t want to miss.
