Dota 2: ESL One returns to Kuala Lumpur with US$1 million tournament in December

ESL One announced on Tuesday (19 September) that their ESL One Dota 2 tournament series will return to Malaysia with ESL One Kuala Lumpur, featuring 12 of the best teams in the world fighting for their cut of a US$1 million prize pool from 11 to 17 December.

This marks the third ESL One tournament to be hosted in Malaysia, with the first two events being hosted in the Genting Highlands just outside of Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia's first ESL One event, ESL One Genting 2018, was won by Chinese team Newbee while ESL One Malaysia 2022 was won by Western European powerhouse OG in August 2022.

ESL One Kuala Lumpur will also be the last big Dota 2 tournament of the year, closing out 2023 after a new world champion is crowned at The International (TI) 2023 in Seattle this October.

ESL One Kuala Lumpur will begin with a three-day Group Stage, taking place from 11 to 13 December, and will split the 12 participating teams into two groups of six teams each to compete in a single round-robin format.

The top six teams from the Group Stage will then proceed to the Playoffs, which will be hosted in the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre from 15 to 17 December. The Playoffs will follow a double-elimination format.

ESL is set to announce the list of participating teams in ESL One Kuala Lumpur soon.

Tickets to the event will go on sale on 21 September at 15:00 MYT, with prices ranging from RM149 (around US$31) to RM549 (around US$116). Here are the ticket types being offered for the event:

• Premium 3-day: RM549 (around US$116)

• Plus 3-day: RM349 (around US$74)

• 3-day General Admission: RM149 (around US$31)

All ticket types will have access to all Playoff matches and signing sessions with teams, players, and talent.

The Premium 3-day tickets will also include a premium bounty bag and seating closest to the action. Meanwhile, Plus 3-day tickets will include a bounty bag.

You can purchase tickets to ESL One Kuala Lumpur here.

“We know Dota fans across South-East Asia have been eagerly waiting for the return of ESL One for over a year now. This December, we’re bringing back ESL One, bigger & more accessible than ever before, as we move the tournament from Genting to Kuala Lumpur for the first time,” Shane Clarke, Director of Game Ecosystems - Dota 2 at ESL FACEIT Group, said in a press release.

“We’re ready to put on a world-class tournament at MITEC, and look forward to return to the region soon with more incredible live Dota 2 action and experiences.”

But while we wait for TI 2023 and ESL One Kuala Lumpur, there's plenty of Dota 2 action to be had in the ongoing DreamLeague Season 21, also hosted by ESL.

DreamLeague Season 21 features 12 of the best teams in the world fighting for their cut of a US$1 million prize pool from 18 to 24 September. With almost all of the participating teams in DreamLeague Season 21 also set to play in TI 2023, it also serves as the undercard event to this year's Dota 2 world championship tournament.

For more esports news updates, visit https://yhoo.it/YahooEsportsSEA and check out Yahoo Esports Southeast Asia’s Facebook page and Twitter, as well as our Gaming channel on YouTube.