Dota 2’s biggest esports moments of 2025

The MOBA game developed by Valve continues to captivate players worldwide, in both casual and professional settings. 2025, in particular, was a monumental year that saw drastic format changes across various tournaments, the emergence of new circuits, and history being made on the international stage. 

Esports Insider reflects on Dota 2’s competitive highlights in 2025, from the top teams that defined the season to tournaments that shook up the esports scene. 

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DreamLeague – The Beginning 

One of the first Tier 1 tournaments that took place in 2025 was DreamLeague, a key competitive circuit in the Dota 2 scene organised by ESL. The 25th season served as the third tournament of ESL Pro Tour Season 3, where the top 16 teams competed for a $1m (~£749,300) prize pool. 

DreamLeague Season 25 came at a significant point in the Dota 2 calendar, as it offered one of the earliest insights into the state of the competitive scene. Furthermore, the event took place on the heels of the Patch 7.38 update, and many fans were curious to see how its balance changes would affect the meta. 

The event was ultimately won by Team Spirit, with Tundra Esports placing second. These two teams would go on to dominate in their own right across various tournaments, establishing themselves as fan-favourites competitively in the early parts of the season. 

Team Falcons also competed in DreamLeague Season 25, but saw disappointing results after placing fifth. However, the organisation would embark on an interesting 2025 journey that ended in a historic moment several months later at Dota 2’s flagship event, The International. 

BLAST Slam – Shaping Dota 2 Esports 

2025 saw the full inception of a new Dota 2 esports circuit running alongside the ESL Pro Tour, as tournament organiser BLAST unveiled the BLAST Slam series. Whilst the inaugural event took place in December 2024, four BLAST Slams were held in 2025, each gathering the best teams in the scene to play for $1m. 

Out of the four held in 2025, all of them were won by the back-to-back reigning champions, Tundra Esports. The London-based organisation defeated countless organisations from across the world time and time again, cementing itself as one of the most consistent teams in the scene. 

Tundra Esports won the most recent BLAST Slam V after defeating Team Yandex 3-0 in the Grand Finals, securing $300,000 (~£224,370) in winnings and a place in BLAST Slam VI to kickstart the 2026 season. 

BLAST Slam provides yet another Tier 1 competition and serves as a valuable platform for defining the competitive landscape beyond major international events.

ESL One Raleigh – Dota 2 Returns to the US 

Following the results of DreamLeague Season 25, the ESL Pro Tour held ESL One Raleigh 2025, one of its biggest events of the year.

This tournament was a significant moment in ESL’s Dota 2 history, as it was the first ESL One event to take place in the US since 2015 in New York. According to Esports Charts, this resulted in the tournament becoming the most popular non-Valve organised Dota 2 event in the USA. 

The top 12 teams from the ESL Pro Tour leaderboards and regional closed qualifiers competed in Raleigh, US, for the lion’s share of $1m.

Many noteworthy organisations qualified for the event, including Team Spirit and Tundra Esports. However, the tournament was ultimately won by PARAVISION, the reigning champions from ESL One Bangkok 2024. 

ESL and the Esports World Cup 

ESL One Raleigh was also a pivotal moment in the ESL Pro Tour. As one of the five events determining the final Season 3 global standings, the event played a major part in qualifying for the Esports World Cup 2025.

Eight teams were invited, and eight more advanced through the regional qualifiers to compete for a $3m (~£2.24m) prize pool, the highest offering in 2025 for Dota 2. The prize pool and integration of the ESL Pro Tour meant that the Esports World Cup became a vital part of the MOBA game’s esports calendar, resulting in the tournament becoming the second most popular Dota 2 event in 2025 for peak viewership.

The Dota 2 tournament in the Esports World Cup saw Team Spirit claim the $1m grand prize after defeating Team Falcons 3-0 in the Grand Finals. The competition in Riyadh established Team Spirit as one of the top teams in the Dota 2 scene, but also made it clear that Team Falcons was not to be underestimated, an important narrative that would be tested just a few months later at The International. 

The International 2025 – One for the History Books 

The International is considered the most prestigious tournament in the Dota 2 esports ecosystem, and has historically served as its annual crowning event.

2025, in particular, was a vital year for The International for several reasons. It was the second year PGL played an expanded operational role following Valve’s transfer of responsibilities in 2024, though the developer still remains as the official administrator. 

Furthermore, the fourteenth annual edition of The International underwent a format shift to a Swiss-system instead of the traditional round-robin for the Group Stage. These changes would prove effective in improving the viewer experience, allowing the event to become the third most popular Dota 2 event in the tournament’s history. 

The top teams that stood out throughout the year were invited and competed alongside the best-performing qualified rosters for the lion’s share of $2.8m (~£2.09m). After a year of intense competition, predictions were placed, but nobody could anticipate the winning team in the end. 

It was in the Barclays Arena in Hamburg, Germany, that Team Falcons defeated Xtreme Gaming 3-2 in the Grand Final, winning The Internationals in a historic first for the Saudi Arabian organisation. 

Team Falcons has been a top contender in the scene since 2023, but this year left many fans worried that it had fallen from grace after failing to place first in several majors. Given its 2025 track record, Team Falcons’ victory in The International was both unprecedented and a much-needed morale boost for its fans, leading to the organisation becoming the most searched team on Liquipedia’s Dota 2 database during the tournament.

Dota 2 Esports in 2026 – What’s Next?

Dota 2 is one of the few scenes to boast multiple circuits, from the BLAST Slam series to the ESL Pro Tour. The MOBA esport continues to expand, with various format changes anticipated for the 2026 season. 

The ESL Pro Tour is already underway, with DreamLeague Season 27 crowning Team Yandex as champions. This competition was important as it laid the groundwork for what to expect in the coming year, from the state of competitive after The International to how Patch 7.40 will shift the meta. 

The 2026 calendar for ESL Pro Tour has also been revamped, centred around an ESL One event in Birmingham, while introducing a Tier 2 league through DreamLeague Division 2. As a result, the next season is set to be more dynamic than previous years as new challengers enter the scene. 

2026 is also significant as it will see tournament organiser PGL continue its $13m long-term commitment to the Dota 2 scene, which extends as far as 2028. PGL has grown its presence in the Dota 2 scene over the past year, from hosting the PGL Wallachia tournament series to expanding its presence at The International. Based on the changes introduced to the crowning event, the next world championship in Shanghai could see further adjustments to make it more competitive. 

As 2026 ushers in revamped tournaments, multiple circuits, and new teams from various leagues, it is poised to redefine Dota 2 esports. 

Source: https://esportsinsider.com/