EWC Dota 2 2025: Format, Talent, Schedule, Fixtures and More

The Esports World Cup 2025 (EWC 2025) is almost upon us, and it’s time to gather all the essential information about this monumental tournament. Sixteen teams from across the globe will meet in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for one of the biggest Dota 2 events of the year.

With that in mind, join us as we walk through the most important details surrounding the Dota 2 EWC 2025. We’ll cover the list of teams, the full schedule, invited talent, best matchups to watch, and more!

Time to fight for coin and glory at EWC 2025. – Credit: Twitter (@EWC_EN)

EWC 2025: Participating Teams

Here is the final list of invited and qualified teams competing at EWC 2025. The regional qualifiers delivered some surprises, and now the best teams in the world are added into the mix. Take a look at the contenders and how they secured their spots:

• Gaimin Gladiators – Defending Champions
• PARIVISION – ESL Pro Tour Leaderboard #1
• BetBoom Team – ESL Pro Tour Leaderboard #2
• Team Spirit – ESL Pro Tour Leaderboard #3
• Team Falcons – ESL Pro Tour Leaderboard #4
• Team Liquid – ESL Pro Tour Leaderboard #5
• Tundra Esports – ESL Pro Tour Leaderboard #6
• Flipster Talon Esports – ESL Pro Tour Leaderboard #7
• Aurora Gaming – ESL Pro Tour Leaderboard #8
• Xtreme Gaming – Asian Champions League Champions
• Natus Vincere (formerly NaVi Junior) – Western Europe Qualifiers
• Virtus.pro – Middle East & Southwest Asian Qualifiers
• Shopify Rebellion – North American Qualifiers
• Execration – Southeast Asian Qualifiers
• Team Yandex (formerly Cyber Goose) – Eastern Europe Qualifiers
• Heroic – South American Qualifiers

Sixteen candidates with the same goal: bagging a million dollars. – Credit: Twitter (@EWC_EN)

EWC 2025: Tournament Format

This year’s format comes with a few changes to spice things up. The Group Stage will run from July 8th to July 11th, featuring four round-robin groups. All matches will be best-of-2 series, with points determining standings.

• 1st place in each group advances directly to the Playoffs.
• 2nd place is seeded into the second round of the Elimination Phase.
• 3rd and 4th place move to the first round of the Elimination Phase.

It’s hard to find a weak group among such top-tier teams. – Credit: Twitter (@EWC_EN)

Elimination Phase

This phase will feature four gauntlet-style brackets, where third and fourth place teams battle for a chance to face the second-placed team in their bracket. All matches here are best-of-3. Twelve teams enter — only four will survive and press forward to the Playoffs.

Playoffs

The Playoffs are single-elimination, differing from the usual double-elimination format that dominated most if not all tournaments so far in 2025. This time, the EWC will have a third-place match before the Grand Finals since single-elimination does not address that. All series will be best-of-3, with the exception of the Grand Finals being a best-of-5.

EWC 2025: Invited Talent

A colossal event like EWC 2025 requires a massive team to keep things running smoothly, especially in front of the camera. And this year’s talent lineup leaves no room for doubt.

Veteran casters, analysts, and hosts will rotate shifts to keep the action flowing and give each other time to breathe. While we struggle to keep up with the non-stop games, they’re working around the clock to keep it exciting and professional. We’re grateful for their dedication and can’t wait to see them in action.

EWC 2025: Group Stage Schedule

Now we get to the best part of the preview, the schedule for the the Group Stage. Since the seedings were already demonstrated above, let's not waste any time and go straight into the list of matches separated by date, time and group:

July 8th

Group A

• 09:00 GMT – Team Spirit vs. Xtreme Gaming
• 09:00 GMT – Talon Esports vs. Natus Vincere

Group B

• 11:30 GMT – BetBoom Team vs. Gaimin Gladiators
• 11:30 GMT – Team Falcons vs. Execration

Group C

• 14:00 GMT – Tundra Esports vs. Virtus.pro
• 14:00 GMT – Aurora Gaming vs. Team Yandex

Group D

• 16:30 GMT – PARIVISION vs. Heroic
• 16:30 GMT – Team Liquid vs. Shopify Rebellion

July 9th

Group A

• 09:00 GMT – Team Spirit vs. Talon Esports
• 09:00 GMT – Xtreme Gaming vs. Natus Vincere

Group B

• 11:30 GMT – BetBoom Team vs. Team Falcons
• 11:30 GMT – Gaimin Gladiators vs. Execration

Group C

• 14:00 GMT – Tundra Esports vs. Aurora Gaming
• 14:00 GMT – Virtus.pro vs. Team Yandex

Group D

• 16:30 GMT – PARIVISION vs. Team Liquid
• 16:30 GMT – Heroic vs. Shopify Rebellion

July 10th

Group A

• 09:00 GMT – Talon Esports vs. Xtreme Gaming
• 09:00 GMT – Team Spirit vs. Natus Vincere

Group B

• 11:30 GMT – Team Falcons vs. Gaimin Gladiators
• 11:30 GMT – BetBoom Team vs. Execration

July 11th

Group C

• 09:00 GMT – Aurora Gaming vs. Virtus.pro
• 09:00 GMT – Tundra Esports vs. Team Yandex

Group D

• 11:30 GMT – Team Liquid vs. Heroic
• 11:30 GMT – PARIVISION vs. Shopify Rebellion

EWC 2025: Best Group Stage Matchups

Here are some of the most anticipated matches of the Group Stage — perfect for fans who want to tune in for just the highlights:

Group A

• Team Spirit vs. Natus Vincere (July 10): Both teams have strong Eastern European rosters and the ascension of NaVi added to Spirit's recent slip puts them in relative equality.

I wonder if it's better to be the underdog going up or the champions going down. – Credit: Strafe

Group B

• BetBoom Team vs. Gaimin Gladiators (July 8): Group B brings us a revival of the PGL Wallachia Season 5 Grand Finals. BetBoom Team has the upper hand and the Gaimin Gladiators will try to overcome their recent defeat on the way to the top as the defending champions.

Will the Gladiators get back at BetBoom or Eastern Europe superiority will prevail? – Credit: Strafe

Group C

• Tundra Esports vs. Aurora Gaming (July 9): Tundra went into a mid-season break as one of the favorites but did not perform well after coming back. On the other hand Aurora has a strong roster with space to grow and a recent trend of evolution towards tier 1 status.

Our voters favor Tundra Esports but they don't seem to stable right now. – Credit: Strafe

Group D

• PARIVISION vs. Team Liquid (July 9): PARIVISION is still the team to be beaten but also got affected by a mid-season break. On the other hand, Team Liquid just won the FISSURE Universe Episode 5 and will go all in on the EWC 2025 with Insania back from this break.

Grand Finals material right on the second day of the event. – Credit: Strafe

Final Thoughts

EWC 2025 hasn't even started, but just looking at the matchups has fans buzzing. Top-tier teams from all corners of the globe will go head-to-head in what’s shaping up to be one of the most competitive events of the year. The tournament will also give us a glimpse into the metagame that may define The International 2025.

With one of the strongest lineups ever assembled, this EWC will pave the way for the toughest TI in history. If you're a fan of Dota 2, don’t miss a minute of the action — and keep an eye on the Strafe news section for match results, meta updates, and more coverage throughout the tournament!

Featured Image Source: Twitter (@EWC_EN)