ESL will not be hosting a DPC region in 2023, a big hit to the Valve MOBA’s esports circuit. The Tournament organizer is not exiting Dota 2 completely but instead will host several third-party events throughout the year.
ESL had hosted the CIS region in 2021 and the NA regional Leagues in 2021-22. However, their absence from the next year’s regional leagues is a massive blow to Dota 2 esports.
Besides the regional Leagues, the DPC 2023 also features three Dota 2 Majors. This announcement does not confirm whether ESL’s absence from the DPC will be limited to the regional Leagues.
PGL to host NA and WEU
Meanwhile, PGL will host two regional leagues in the upcoming season. After hosting the biggest Dota 2 event last year (TI11), PGL will now host both the North America and the Western European Regional League.
ESL and DreamHack are part of the ESL Faceit group. While the tweet reveals ESL will not host a regional league, the status of DreamHack’s participation in DPC 2023 is still unknown.
The DPC 2023 format
The DPC 2023 circuit has a slightly different format featuring shorter leagues and three Dota 2 Majors.
Winter Tour
Open Qualifiers: December 11-13, 2022 Closed Qualifiers: December 14-15, 2022 Division 1 Regional League Tournament: January 9-29, 2023 Division 2 Regional League Tournament: January 30 – February 19, 2023Major Tournament: February 24 – March 5, 2023
Spring Tour
Open Qualifiers: March 13-15, 2023 Closed Qualifiers: March 16-22, 2023 Division 1 Regional League Tournament: March 13 – April 2, 2023 Division 2 Regional League Tournament: April 3-23, 2023 Major Tournament: April 28 – May 7, 2023
Summer Tour
Open Qualifiers: May 15-27, 2023 Closed Qualifiers: May 18-24, 2023 Division 1 Regional League Tournament: May 15 – June 4, 2023 Division 2 Regional League Tournament: June 5-25, 2023 Major Tournament: June 30 – July 9th, 2023
Esports.gg has reached out to ESL for an official response. We will update this article when more information becomes available.
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