The 19th Asian Games was a major tournament in the Asian region, featuring over 40 nations competing in various events. The 2018 edition had esports as an exhibition event, but in 2022-2023, gaming became the main focus.
Only countries from the Asia-Pacific region were eligible to compete, and players had to represent their country rather than their teams. The Asian Games is one of the biggest competitions in the region and is often compared to the Olympics.
The 2022 Asian Games were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic but were completed in Hangzhou, China in October 2023. A total of 14 Dota 2 teams participated in the tournament, with the winning team earning a gold medal for their country.
The tournament featured some of the best Dota players from each country. Fans were excited to see who would take home the gold medal.
A Complete Guide to Dota 2 Asian Games 2023: Schedule, Scores, Results, and More
Asian Games 2023 Tournament Format
The 14 countries competing in the tournament were divided into subregions: East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, and West Asia. The top team from each subregion received a pass to the playoffs, while the other teams competed in a group stage.
– Group Stage (Sept. 29): Three groups, each with three teams. All teams played a round-robin best-of-one. The top team from each group advanced to the playoffs, while the others were eliminated.
– Playoffs (Sept. 30 to Oct. 2): Eight teams (five from seeding, three from the group stage) competed in a single-elimination bracket. All matches were best-of-three, including the grand final and third-placed playoff.
Asian Games 2023 Teams and Standings
The following countries competed in the Asian Games 2023:
– Top five seeding (direct to playoffs): China (East Asia), Malaysia (Southeast Asia), Kazakhstan (Central Asia), Saudi Arabia (West Asia), Nepal (South Asia).
– Road to Asian Games qualifiers: India, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Hong Kong, Philippines, Mongolia, Myanmar, Thailand, Uzbekistan.
There was no reported prize pool for the Dota 2 tournament at the Asian Games 2023. However, the event contributed medals to each country’s total tally.
Place | Team(s)
——— | ———-
Gold Medal | China
Silver Medal | Mongolia
Bronze Medal | Malaysia
Fourth | Kyrgyzstan
Fifth | Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, Nepal
Ninth | Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar
12th | India, Hong Kong, Uzbekistan
Asian Games 2023 Dota 2 Schedule and Results
Group Stage
Group A: India, Kyrgyzstan, Philippines
Group B: Thailand, Indonesia, Hong Kong
Group C: Myanmar, Uzbekistan, Mongolia
Friday, Sept. 29:
– Group A: India 0-1 Kyrgyzstan, India 0-1 Philippines, Kyrgyzstan 1-0 Philippines
– Group B: Thailand 1-0 Indonesia, Thailand 1-0 Hong Kong, Indonesia 1-0 Hong Kong
– Group C: Mongolia 1-0 Uzbekistan, Mongolia 0-1 Myanmar, Uzbekistan 1-0 Myanmar
Playoffs
Saturday, Sept. 30:
– 1am CT: China 2-0 Thailand (China advances to semi-finals, Thailand eliminated)
– 1am CT: Saudi Arabia 0-2 Malaysia (Malaysia advances to semi-finals, Saudi Arabia eliminated)
– 6am CT: Kazakhstan 1-2 Mongolia (Mongolia advances to semi-finals, Kazakhstan eliminated)
– 6am CT: Nepal 0-2 Kyrgyzstan (Kyrgyzstan advances to semi-finals, Nepal eliminated)
– 8pm CT: China 2-1 Malaysia (China advances to grand final, Malaysia moves to third-place playoff)
Sunday, Oct. 1:
– 1am CT: Mongolia 2-0 Kyrgyzstan (Mongolia advances to grand final, Kyrgyzstan moves to third-place playoff)
Monday, Oct. 2:
– 1am CT: Malaysia 2-0 Kyrgyzstan (Third-place playoff)
– 6am CT: China 2-1 Mongolia (Grand final)
How to Watch Asian Games 2023 Dota 2
Unfortunately, there was no live stream available for the group stage or first round of the playoffs. Streams for the semi-finals were available on Twitch (CyberGamesArena) and YouTube (CGA) but required VPNs to access.
Community caster Bkop provided English broadcasts of the games where possible.
Fans expressed frustration on social media regarding the limited availability of streams. They were eager to watch their favorite players, especially Team China, compete in such a prestigious event. It remains to be seen if streams will be widely available for the grand finals.
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