ESL One Hamburg will host a Dota 2 Major for the upcoming competitive season, according to an announcement made today.
This is the first Major to be announced under Valve’s new format for the season. It is also the second Major to be held in Germany, following the Frankfurt Major in 2015. The total prize pool for the tournament has been increased to $1 million, up from $250,000, with both Valve and ESL contributing $500,000 each.
With this prize increase, ESL One Hamburg becomes the most lucrative ESL One event yet for Dota 2, as stated in the press release.
Eight teams will participate in ESL One Hamburg, with two teams receiving direct invitations from ESL and six teams qualifying through regional qualifiers in North America, South America, Southeast Asia, China, Europe, and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
Qualifying points will be awarded to players based on their standings in the tournament, which will contribute to their qualification for The International 8. The top three ranked players on each team will determine the qualifying points for that team. Players can transfer to new teams during roster lock periods while retaining the points earned in tournaments.
In addition to the ESL One Hamburg Major, ESL is expected to host three more Majors and one Minor event during the Dota 2 competitive season. More details about these events will be announced in the near future. Valve’s official competitive season for Dota 2 will consist of a total of twenty-two live events.