Peruvian eSports production company ESB and the Qatar Esports Federation (QESF) have signed a three-year contract to launch a Dota 2 league. Starting in 2024, the league will consist of three events with a total prize pool of $2.6 million.

Since Valve abandoned the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC), quite a few third-party organizers, such as ESL One FACEIT Group or FISSURE, have decided to take matters into their own hands and maintain a top-level professional Dota 2 scene. Now a fairly young tournament operator is entering the game, following a major partnership with QESF.

Dota 2 is getting a new tier-1 tier league

ESB started organizing its own Dota 2 tournaments in 2023, and before that it organized DPC Tours in the South American region. In the official press release, the organizers revealed the dates of the planned tournaments for 2024.

The first of the three tournaments will be held on April 3 in Doha, Qatar, with the other two in July (Lima, Peru) and November (Doha, Qatar). 10 teams will participate in each tournament.

Scheduled Dota 2 events for 2024 from ESB:

• April 3 - 14: Doha, Qatar (LAN event)

• July 22 - August 4: Lima, Peru (Arena LAN Event)

• November 26 - December 6: Doha, Qatar (Arena LAN Event)

All seven major regions will be represented at the tournaments, and organizers have assured that strict open and closed qualifiers will be held to ensure that only the best make it to the main stage of the tournament.

Thanks to these events in the capital of Qatar, ESB plans to "develop its new international operations" in this city. The company also intends to expand its presence in future eSports tournaments in the coming years. Details about the new game disciplines remain confidential.

"The Dota 2 and eSports scene has a lot of room for innovation and great things for the community, not only at the highest level of competitive eSports, but also at the regional and amateur levels. Qatar's experience in hosting the world's biggest sporting events, such as the FIFA World Cup in 2022, the Asian Football Championship in 2023 and many others, as well as its ideal location as a transit hub and excellent infrastructure make this country an ideal candidate for our global hub," said ESB CEO Gonzalo Velasco.