ESL FACIT Group (EFG) announced Thursday that its DreamHack gaming festival will be making a stop in Birmingham, England, in March 2026. The news of DreamHack making a stop in the UK was first reported by Inside Gaming earlier this month well before the official announcement.
EFG said in its announcement that DreamHack Birmingham would run from March 27–29, 2026, at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Marston Green, England, marking the very first stop of the festival to the region.
As with other DreamHack events, DreamHack Birmingham will feature cosplay contests, creator meetups, and freeplay zones for attendees. There will also be a $1 million Dota 2 tournament featuring the 16 top teams in the world—ESL One Birmingham 2026.
“Esports has exploded into one of the fastest-growing parts of our economy. Our arenas are buzzing with global fans and players for events like DreamHack and ESL One,” said Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands. “For us it’s much more than entertainment. Our colleges and universities are full of young talent learning the skills to succeed in this multi-billion-pound industry. And with world-class studios already here, and backing from gaming’s biggest names, we’re making the West Midlands the UK’s number one place to create, watch and play esports.”
There have also been some reports suggesting that a Call of Duty League Major might take place during DreamHack Birmingham, but EFG did not indicate one way or the other in its announcement that CoD would be part of the competitions taking place at the event. The possibility of Call of Duty League being part of DreamHack Birmingham certainly isn’t beyond the realm of possibility, as Call of Duty Major IV was held at DreamHack Dallas in May.
Tickets can be purchased beginning Sept. 23, at 15:00 BST on dreamhack.com/birmingham and esl-one.com/birmingham.