DreamLeague Season 29 kicked off on May 13, with 16 teams competing online for $1 million and ESL Pro Tour points. The first matches have already been played, with Spirit, Falcons, Liquid, ex-Heroic, BetBoom, NAVI, Xtreme and PARIVISION opening with wins.
Ilya “Lil” Ilyuk said that salaries in Virtus.pro’s “golden roster” started at $3,500, later rose to $5,000, and reached $10,000 after the team’s first The International. According to him, the highest salary eventually reached $25,000.
According to media reports, Akbar “SoNNeikO” Butaev may have assembled a new team for upcoming qualifiers. The rumored lineup also includes Munkushi~, re1bl, Antares and mrls, while its debut event remains unknown.
Marcus “Ace” Hoelgaard became the eighth player in professional Dota 2 history to reach 2,500 maps. His milestone game came during Team Liquid’s match against Aurora Gaming at DreamLeague Season 29.
PARIVISION are expected to start EWC with their full lineup after Dukalis resolved his visa issue. This removes a major early risk and makes the team easier to judge by its real form and drafts.
EWC 2026 Dota 2 may depend more on current form and adaptation than reputation. With best-of-two groups, stand-in risks, and Survival matches, early drafts and lineup stability will be crucial.
Miposhka said his first focus after returning to Team Spirit was improving the team’s drafts. If Spirit’s picks start matching opponents better, they could become more stable before major events.
Nigma Galaxy became the final team to qualify for The International 2026 after beating Yellow Submarine 2–1 in the European closed qualifier
Valve has officially launched a new event in Dota 2 called The Dark Carnival. The first part of the event is Midnight Run, a story chapter with progression, match tickets, and rewards for players to unlock as they advance.
The European closed qualifier for The International 2026 in Dota 2 is still underway. Today, the qualifier continues with another set of upper-bracket matches, while the lower-bracket battles will follow in the coming days.
Valve has blocked access to high-MMR pub replays, removing an important scouting source for Dota 2 analysts. For Winio, this makes official matches and tournament context even more important.
