ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) announced Thursday that its Dota 2 competition series, DreamLeague, will make a return for its 21st season. Celebrating its tenth year, DreamLeague Season 21 will feature 12 of the world’s top Dota 2 teams competing for a piece of a $1M USD prize pool from Sept. 18-24. DreamLeague Season 21 is part of the ESL Pro Tour (EPT) for Dota 2 and combines all of EFG’s Dota 2 tournaments. Intel remains the title sponsor this year.
The season will begin with a Group Stage featuring two groups of six teams competing in a two-game series format. The top eight teams that make it through that competition will battle in a best-of-3, double-elimination playoffs, with the final two teams facing off in a best-of-5 Grand Final. First place will receive $300K.
Teams that have been invited to DreamLeague this year include Gaimin Gladiators (the 2022 champions), Team Spirit, TALON Esports, Shopify Rebellion, Evil Geniuses, 9Pandas, BetBoom Team, Quest Esports, Team Liquid, and Tundra Esports. Two additional teams will be added to the line-up and be announced at a later date, according to EFG.
Season 21 will be broadcast live on the ESL Dota 2 Twitch and YouTube channels, through as-of-yet unnamed “dedicated broadcast partners.”