Dota-starved NA region to receive first ESL LAN in almost a decade
As a seasoned Dota 2 fan who has been following the North American scene for over a decade, I can confidently say that the announcement of ESL One Raleigh in 2025 is like a breath of fresh air! It’s been an arduous journey for us patient fans, starved of LAN events in our region. The last time we had such an exciting event was back in 2016 with ESL One New York. Fast forward to 2025, and it seems like the drought is finally over!
NA Dota is back in a big way in 2025 with ESL heading northeast.
2025 promises a delight for North American Dota 2 enthusiasts who have long missed LAN tournaments in the MOBA genre, as ESL is set to make a comeback in the region. The inaugural event, ESL One Raleigh, will take place in mid-April.
For nearly ten years, it’s been since ESL brought a Dota 2 tournament to North America, with Vega Squadron beating Team Secret at ESL One New York to claim victory. Now, after 3,342 days, the organizer has announced that Raleigh, North Carolina will be hosting one of ESL’s top Dota 2 events next year.
The drought is over for live NA Dota
As a gaming enthusiast, let me tell you, it’s been a long dry spell for North American esports fans since The International graced Seattle back in 2023. Since the pandemic hit in 2020 and 2021, only one major tournament has rolled through this side of the pond. But next April in Raleigh, that drought is finally going to be broken!
As a gamer, I’ve got to say it’s been quite a while since we had an offline Tier One tournament in the region, and that changes with the PGL Arlington Major victory by Team Spirit. It’s one of only two LAN events held here in the past five years, the other being Beyond The Summit’s DOTA Summit 12 (classified as a Tier Two event) that took place in Los Angeles.
Initially, ESL had planned to come back to North America by hosting ESL One Los Angeles in 2020. However, due to the pandemic, the event was unfortunately called off.
Over the last few years, the absence of offline competition in North America has significantly diminished enthusiasm for Dota 2 in the U.S. and Canada. This month, Team Nouns’ departure left only Shopify Rebellion as the lone North American team competing at a high level in Dota.
In North America, the demise of Dota was widely anticipated due to the absence of prominent teams and minimal competition following the dissolution of the Dota Pro Circuit. However, there are signs of a resurgence on the horizon, sparked by ESL One Raleigh.
North Carolina to host first big Dota 2 tournament in NA as part of ESL circuit
The top 12 teams as determined by ESL in its Pro Tour standings will be given a direct pass to an event in Raleigh scheduled for next April. The winner of this tournament stands to claim the largest portion of a $1,000,000 prize fund and significant EPT points.
The Raleigh Convention Center has a long history of playing host to esports competitions. It served as the primary venue for a Call of Duty League Major in 2022, and it’s also hosted multiple Halo Championship Series events throughout the years.
It’s worth noting that the 2025 ESL schedule, in its initial release around May, marks Raleigh as a venue for “ESL One Europe” in the realm of ESL’s Dota 2 events.
In the latter part of the year, an additional ESL One tournament is expected in Asia. However, it seems that the organizer is not planning any events in Europe, except for their DreamLeague seasons which are held centrally but played online.
2025’s ESL One Raleigh tickets will be available for purchase on November 28, starting at $99 USD. For more information about ticket packages and what they include, please visit the ESL event website. The tournament is scheduled to take place from April 11 to 13, 2025.
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2024-11-27 20:41