Dota 2 Added to Esports Nations Cup Roster

The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) has officially revealed that Dota 2 will be one of the 16 titles featured in the upcoming Esports Nations Cup 2026 (ENC 2026), set to take place in November in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This popular MOBA joins previously announced games Trackmania and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang in this nations-versus-nations showdown.

For those who might not be in the loop, ENC 2026 is a multi-title international event that will occur every two years, organized by Saudi Arabia’s EWCF. The inaugural tournament will be hosted in Riyadh, with plans for future editions to be held in different countries. This competition serves as a replacement for the Esports Olympic Games, a collaboration between the International Olympic Committee and EWCF that ended in 2025 due to disagreements over its management.

The Dota 2 tournament will feature 32 teams, each consisting of the top five players from their respective nations. The competition will kick off with a group stage, followed by playoffs, culminating in a best-of-five grand final between the last two teams standing. The Dota 2 action begins on November 2, with the playoffs wrapping up on November 8.

The initial stage will see the top 32 teams compete in a round-robin format across four groups of eight. This will be followed by a single-elimination playoff bracket featuring 16 teams. Group matches will be best-of-one, while all playoff matches, except for the grand final, will be best-of-three. The grand final will showcase the top two teams in a best-of-five format.

EWCF has stated that the top 16 teams will receive direct invitations based on the Dota 2 National Team Ranking, with 14 teams qualifying through regional online qualifiers and two from Wildcard slots. The direct invites will be determined by the Dota 2 National Team Ranking, which will consider Tier 1 Dota 2 competitions starting June 8, 2025.

Clubs will earn points based on their placements in these official competitions, which will be distributed equally among all teammates who participated. The national ranking will accumulate points from the top five players on the submitted national roster, with a cut-off date of June 7, 2026.

An official Dota 2 online qualifier will take place from June 16 to July 5, featuring double-elimination brackets in various regions. Any victories or placements in Dota 2 competitions will factor into the invitations for the ENC in November.

More details about the Esports Nations Cup will be shared in the future.

It’s worth noting that projects supported by the Saudi government often face criticism for being used as a means of “sports washing,” allowing the government to divert attention from its human rights record, including issues related to women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and the treatment of journalists, as well as military actions in Yemen. These concerns have been raised by international watchdog organizations.