Esports World Cup 2026 closed qualifiers have started

The closed qualifiers for Esports World Cup 2026 in Dota 2 started on May 31. Teams from different regions have begun fighting for spots at the main event, where some participants have already qualified through rankings and previous qualification stages.

Before that, the open regional qualifiers started on May 29. Most regions had one open qualifier, while North America and the Middle East, South and West Asia region received two separate stages.

The closed qualifiers will decide additional spots at the main event. Separate qualifiers are being held for Europe, North America, Southeast Asia, South America, and the Middle East, South and West Asia region.

Esports World Cup 2026 in Dota 2 will take place from July 7 to 19. The tournament will feature 24 teams competing for a $2,000,000 prize pool. Predictions for the tournament’s matches are available on Winio, and so far our predictions for 13 out of 16 tier-one tournaments have been correct.

image credit: EWC Foundation