UK and Ireland fans of Dota 2 are in for a treat later this year as the popular esport has been added to the titles that will be part of the new ESL Premiership event taking place at the Bowlers Exhibition Centre in Manchester from November 23-24.
Originally, the ESL Premiership was to feature just two tournaments, one for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and the other for Rainbow Six Siege. However, due to agreeing a sponsorship deal with car manufacturing giant Mercedes-Benz, Dota 2 will make its debut at the event, although it will not be considered what the ESL call “a full Premiership title” at this year’s event.
However, if the tournament proves to be a success with fans and sponsors alike, then there is every possibility that Dota 2 will be granted full Premiership status at forthcoming ESL Premiership events in future.
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Mercedes-Benz Involvement in Esports
This is not the first time that the German car manufacturer has sponsored a Dota 2 event. It was one of the key sponsors of the very successful Dota 2, ESL One events that took place in the UK in Birmingham in both 2018 and 2019, the first of which was an official Valve Major.
ESL managing director James Dean stated about the sponsorship deal:
The partnership between Mercedes-Benz and ESL has already proved to be hugely successful and has result in two incredible ESL One Birmingham tournaments for Dota 2 in 2018 and 2019.
Having Mercedes-Benz involved with the national tournament will see that same success replicated within the ESL Premiership. It also means a more varied offering for players and fans with even more communities involved.
The company is also actively involved in the current F1 Esports Championship, having started competing in the tournament in 2018, winning the Championship in 2018. Brendon Leigh, Daniel Shields and Patryk Krutyj are the three drivers signed to their esports team.
Who Will Participate in the ESL Premiership?
The new tournament won’t feature any of the big names in Dota 2 gaming as instead, its primary aim is to try and identify new Dota 2 talent in the UK and Ireland, and perhaps to reinvigorate the Dota 2 scene within those two countries.
The tournament will be a Skirmish tournament and players from the UK and Ireland who want to participate in the initial online qualifying tournament, have until the 8th October to register to enter.
The qualifying process will begin shortly thereafter and after it is completed, the top 20 players (four from each of the five team roles in a Dota 2 team) will enter a four-week online tournament which is slated to start on Tuesday 22nd October at 7pm.
In this tournament, the 20 players will be randomly put together into different teams each week and each player will battle for a share of a £2,500 prize pool.
From that tournament, the top two players from each role will then head to the ESL Premiership finals in Manchester on November 24th to compete in the final.
[cta-box postid=”55″]Photo Courtesy: ESL Gaming
