Read our ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 overview to familiarize yourself with all the crucial details about this year’s final Dota 2 extravaganza
The first major Dota 2 tournament following The International 2023 is just around the corner. Malaysia’s capital city will welcome some of the world’s top teams for a week-long event. Explore our ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 overview for details on dates, prizes, participating teams, and more about this million-dollar competition.
ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 Overview
🔮 PREPARE FOR YOUR FATE 🔮
Destiny brings us back to Malaysia for #ESLOne Kuala Lumpur 2023! 12 teams will face each other from December 11th to 17th for a $1,000,000 prize pool ⚔️
Let’s get the future off to a good start, hmm? ⌛ #RiseAboveFate
🇲🇾 https://t.co/BsUeHDgsVL pic.twitter.com/BlXSIJubCW
— ESL Dota2 (@ESLDota2) September 19, 2023
ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 is set to light up the pro Dota 2 scene from December 11 to December 17. Twelve teams will be gunning for a significant share of the million-dollar prize pool and hope to add a prestigious piece of silverware to their cabinet. Here is everything you need to know about the tournament:
Credit: ESL
ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 Format & Prize Pool
The tournament will kick off with a three-day group stage. A total of twelve teams will be split into two groups of six. The first two teams from each group will head straight to the playoff upper brackets. Third and fourth teams, meanwhile, will have to try their luck in the lower brackets. The playoffs will be played in front of a raucous Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre crowd. All playoff matches will be decided in best-of-three battles, culminating in a final showdown that will be a best-of-five encounter.
As mentioned earlier, the tournament boasts a total prize pool of $1 million USD. The organizers, are yet to disclose how the money will be distributed, however. We will update this section as soon as we receive confirmed information.
ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 Teams
Out of the 12 teams participating in the tournament, only three received direct invites. Team Spirit were one of the originally invited teams, but they withdrew from the competition. Azure Ray, Gaimin Gladiators, and LGD Gaming are now the only invited teams in the competition. Team Spirit and other teams have called for Azure Ray’s disqualification from the competition, but they will keep their place as things stand. The spot vacated by Spirit went to a Western European Closed Qualifier place.
Interestingly, the full list of teams participating in ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 does not include the present ESL One Malaysia champions, OG. Here are all the teams set to feature in the tournament:
- Gaimin Gladiators [invited]
- LGD Gaming [invited]
- Azure Ray [invited]
- Team Liquid [Western Europe]
- Team Secret [Western Europe]
- BetBoom Team [Eastern Europe]
- 9Pandas [Eastern Europe]
- Team Falcons [MENA]
- Invictus Gaming [China]
- Blacklist International [SEA]
- TSM [North America]
- Wawitas Sagazes [South America]
The lineup for ESL One Malaysia 2023 sets the stage for an intensely competitive tournament. We believe these three teams have the most potential to go all the way:
Gaimin Gladiators
The Gaimin Gladiators stand out as the clear favorites to claim the trophy in Kuala Lumpur. With an unchanged and highly successful roster that dominated the 2023 DPC season, securing five Dota 2 tier-1 trophies in a row, the Western European giants now aim for a defining win in Asia, especially after their defeat in the TI12 Grand Finals against Spirit.
Credit: Hawk.live
Team Liquid
Credit: Team Liquid
After making it to four major grand finals in 2023 without clinching a victory, Team Liquid faced further disappointment at the International 2023 when they exited the competition before the semifinals. They remain one of the leading contenders at Kuala Lumpur, however, even without their regular offlaner Neta “33” Shapira.
LGD Gaming
LGD Gaming had their ups and downs in 2023, but the team’s remarkable third-place finish at the International 2023 solidified their status as one of the biggest teams in the world. The Chinese Dota 2 giants will fly to Malaysia with two new faces, Zhou “Emo” Yi and Xiong “Pyw” Jiahan, yet they are still anticipated to be considered among the favorites for the tournament.
Final Words
With some of the biggest names involved, we expect ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 to be the perfect start of Dota 2’s post-DPC journey. Other than the ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 overview, we will bring you regular updates, analysis, previews, and more to aid your ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 viewing and betting experience.