Announced last week as ESL One Europe 2024 – part of the second season of the ESL Pro Tour (EPT) for Dota 2 – ESL One Birmingham 2024 will feature 12 teams battling it out for the lion’s share of the $1,000,000 total prize pool.
The competition will also be awarding 22,520 EPT leaderboard ranking points. With these points, contenders increase their chances of rising on the leaderboard and thereby receiving a direct invite for EPT tournaments as well as the EPT Finals later in the year.
Teams and Qualifiers
The top four squads on the leaderboard will receive a direct invite to ESL One Birmingham 2024. Which teams will fill the remaining eight slots will be decided via a set of Open and Closed Qualifiers taking place on FACEIT, the world’s leading platform for competitive gaming:
- The Open Qualifiers will take place on January 22 – 25;
- The Closed Qualifiers will take place on January 26 – 30.
Stay tuned as more details will be revealed in due course.
Format
On April 22 – 24, these 12 squads will enter the Group Stage of ESL One Birmingham, which will see two round-robin groups featuring six teams battling it out in a two-game-series. The two best teams of each group proceed to the Playoffs Upper Bracket, while the teams placing third and fourth in their groups advance to the Playoffs Lower Bracket.
During the Playoffs on April 26 – 28, these eight teams will then face off against each other in a double elimination bracket. During this final stage of the tournament, all matches will be best-of-3, except for the Grand Final, which will be best-of-5.
Where to watch and tickets
The competition will be broadcast live on the ESL Dota 2 Twitch (Main, Ember, and Storm) and YouTube channels, and via dedicated broadcast partners. Fans looking forward to enjoying the culmination of the competition live at the Resorts World Arena on April 26 – 28 can anticipate the ticket sale commencing on December 14, 2023, at 15:00 GMT.
Wave 1 prices for 3-day tickets start at £62,20 (including service fees; excluding £2,95 administration fee per order). Ticket categories include: 3-day Premium tickets, 3-day Plus tickets, and Regular 3-day tickets. Day tickets will be released during later waves, depending on availability. More details about ticket types and information on how to secure your particular ticket can be found on esl-one.com/birmingham.
Fans visiting the event live can also look forward to multiple on-site side-activities, including Dota 2 cosplay. Those looking to take their experience a step further and anticipating to visit the Resorts World Arena in character can apply for a cosplay ticket which grants them Premium access for two people and access to a dedicated cosplay lounge and dressing rooms throughout the weekend. Furthermore, all cosplayers have the opportunity to show off their costume live onstage during the official Showcase. Regardless of experience level, all cosplayers can sign up here. Additional on-site activities will be announced in due course.
Time to Brawl
Throughout the tournament, ESL One Birmingham’s theme – Time to Brawl – encapsulates Birmingham’s pubculture, while also recollecting and expanding on the competition’s previous editions in the city – live in 2018 and 2019, and online in 2020. Fans, players, and teams alike will be invited to join the open-minded and positively spirited Brewmaster in a daring challenge and prove themselves.
“The Dota 2 community, especially in the UK, has truly proven itself for being fun-loving, engaged with the show, and not afraid to get involved,” said Shane Clarke, Director Game Ecosystems – Dota 2 at ESL FACEIT Group. “Bringing live Dota 2 to Birmingham once again, we are therefore thrilled to create more memorable and electrifying moments for fans, not just for those uniting at the Resorts World Arena next April, but also for those joining us from their homes around the globe.”
Fans looking forward to experiencing the nail biting Dota 2 action sooner can tune in to ESL One Kuala Lumpur powered by Intel® commencing on December 11, 2023, with the final three days of the competition taking place live at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tickets are still available and can be purchased here.
For more details about ESL One Birmingham 2024 and the latest news, head over to the official website, and follow ESL Dota 2 on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook. For more general information, check out eslfaceitgroup.com and follow ESL FACEIT Group on LinkedIn.