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.
The International 2026 has officially begun in Shanghai. Six of the first eight series ended 2:0 as Spirit, Liquid, Aurora and Team Yandex opened with convincing wins.
LGD Gaming midlaner TaiLung has been removed from The International 2026 and banned from all future PGL events. LGD must now find an emergency replacement.
According to the source, the government allocated more than 10 billion tenge — approximately $20 million. Another $10 million was allegedly budgeted under the item «Services Related to the Games of the Future», but without any detailed explanation.
Valve has released the Compendium for The International 2026. This year, players will once again be able to earn free rewards by making predictions for the biggest tournament of the year.
Valve has updated the matchmaking system in Dota 2 and adjusted MMR at the highest ranks.
Valve has released Patch 7.41e for Dota 2. The update is not a major one, but it is still quite important for the current meta: the developers have adjusted several popular heroes, mana regeneration items, Divine Rapier, and a number of powerful neutral artifacts.
According to insider rumors, The International 2026 could be the final tournament for the current Team Falcons roster. There has been no official confirmation yet, but if the rumors prove true, Dota 2 will lose one of the strongest lineups of recent years.
