ESL announced Wednesday that ESL One Hamburg will be the first Dota 2 Major in the new season.
“We are extremely proud to see ESL One (Hamburg) be named an official Valve Major,” Ulrich Schulze, ESL’s senior V of product, said in a news release. “Having ESL One Frankfurt for three years in a row was great learning experience that showed us how passionate the Dota 2 community is. With this year’s world class Dota 2 event being held in a completely new location, we are expecting to mint many new legendary esports moments in Hamburg.”
ESL One Hamburg will be the first of 11 $1 million Majors in the new Dota 2 system, and the first Major to take place after The International 7. That means an increase in prize pool for ESL’s Hamburg event, which will also award Qualifier Points to players of highly placed teams in the tournament, part of the new system to determine what teams will be invited to The International 8.
The eight-team field for ESL One Hamburg will include two invites, while the remaining six teams will earn their spots through online qualifiers. The qualifiers will take place in North America, South America, Southeast Asia, China, Europe, and the CIS regions.
The event takes place Oct. 26-29 at the Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg.
Cover photo courtesy of ESL