1win Team, playing with stand-in Bottega, crushed MOUZ 2–0 in the ESSENCE I group stage. Nemiga Gaming lost to Yellow Submarine 1–2 and were eliminated without a single win, while Team Nemesis lost to both REKONIX and L1ga Team in one day and were also knocked out of the tournament.
Aurora Gaming pulled out of ESSENCE I after Team Falcons and Team Liquid had also skipped the event. The club said it needed to redirect its visa preparation efforts toward other major tournaments, with its next appearance planned for DreamLeague Season 29.
Valve opened team registration for The International 2026. Managers must submit their teams and players have to confirm participation, with the deadline set for May 19. The tournament itself will run from August 13 to 23 in Shanghai.
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.
Chinese coach Zhang «Xiao8» Ning has officially left Xtreme Gaming. LaNm and Maps are now in charge of the team, while XG’s current roster consists of Ame, NothingToSay, Xxs, fy, and xNova.
Another strange detail has been discovered in Dota 2 that may be connected to the current event. According to content creator Dmitry «Finargot» Plyusnin, Valve touched the files of the Colosseum custom game in the latest update — a mode that first appeared back in 2015.
