Dota 2 fans will be happy with the Esports World Cup Foundation’s decision to add the game to the inaugural Esports Nations Cup. This tournament will debut in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and it will take place this November. Here is everything you need to know about it.
Contents
Dota 2 Will Be at the Esports Nations Cup 2026
The information that Valve’s game will join the ENC 2026 made a lot of Dota 2 fans happy. There will be 32 national teams that will compete at this tournament, making the event unique in many ways. In fact, we believe it will be a breath of fresh air from all of the standard tournaments that we used to.
Each Dota 2 team playing at the Esports Nations Cup 2026 will consist of 5 of the best teams from the respective country. The squads will play in the Group Stage and Playoffs. Keep reading to learn more about the format.
Dota 2 Esports Nations Cup 2026 Format
People wishing to watch Dota 2 ENC 2026 can do that between November 2-8 in Riyadh. The tournament will feature a round-robin group stage and we will see a total of four groups that will have 8 teams. Once the matches are over, the best 16 squads will advance to the playoffs, which will be in a single-elimination bracket. Fortunately, we will have a classic Bo5 Grand Final.
Even though the tournament is 11 months from now, we have some interesting information about the qualifications. As mentioned, there will be 32 teams in total, but only 16 of them will receive a direct invitation. This will happen via the Dota 2 National Team Ranking. Two participants will get the chance to play via a Wildcard, whereas the remaining 14 will come from regional online qualifiers.
In terms of the National Team Ranking, it will be calculated using results from the T1 Dota 2 competitions. Players will earn points based on their results while playing in other official events. Each ranking will be a combination of all points from the top five players on the roster that it will submit. They will have time until June 7, 2026 because the direct invites will be locked after that.
The Regional Qualifiers
As mentioned, some of the teams at the ENC 2026 will play in the following online qualifiers. They will take place between June 16 and July 5, but we will have to wait for the exact dates. From what we know, the slots will look as follows:
- Western Europe, Eastern Europe – 2 slots
- SA, MENCA, South & East Asia and Ocenia – 2 slots
- Central & South Africa – 1 slot
- South America – 2slots
- North America – 1 slot
Conclusion
The Esports Nations Cup 2026 will definitely be among the most interesting esports events in a while. Keep in mind that Dota 2 is just one of the games we will see there. Aside from that, the organizers have already confirmed Trackmania and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. Who knows, we may see even more games in the future, so follow us for more details.
