The Upcoming Riyadh Masters 2023 Event: A Must-Watch Before TI12
Dota 2’s highly anticipated tournament, The International, is just a few months away. But before the main event, there’s another competition that should not be missed—the Riyadh Masters 2023. This non-Valve event boasts an incredible $15 million USD prize pool, making it the largest of its kind. While some teams will be using this tournament as preparation for the regional qualifiers of TI12, the top teams will be going all out to secure the record-breaking prize money.
This is the last chance to catch a glimpse of the Dota pro scene before the crucial TI12 regional qualifiers. With so much at stake, Riyadh Masters 2023 promises to be an exciting week filled with intense matches in Riyadh.
The Complete Guide to the Dota 2 Riyadh Masters 2023
If you’re eager to stay updated on the scores, schedule, results, and more, here’s a breakdown of the tournament:
Dota 2 Riyadh Masters Tournament Format Overview
The Riyadh Masters 2023 will consist of three phases:
- Stage One: Play-In (July 19 to 21)
- 12 teams, seeded based on ESL’s Pro Tour rankings, will be divided into two groups of six and compete in a round-robin stage with best-of-two matches.
- The top two from each group will advance to the group stage.
- The teams ranked third to sixth in each group will face off in best-of-three matches. The winners will progress to the group stage, while the losers will be eliminated.
- Stage Two: Group Stage (July 21 to 23)
- Eight teams from the Play-In stage will join the eight invited teams in the group stage.
- There will be two groups of eight teams competing in a round-robin stage with best-of-two matches.
- The top four teams from each group will advance to the upper bracket of the playoffs. The fifth and sixth-placed teams will start the playoffs in the lower bracket, while the seventh and eighth-placed teams will be eliminated.
- Stage Three: Playoffs (July 25 to 31)
- The playoffs will feature 12 teams competing in a double-elimination bracket.
- All matches in the playoffs will be best-of-three, except for the grand final which will be a best-of-five.
Dota 2 Riyadh Masters 2023 Event Standings
The Riyadh Masters 2023 has a total prize pool of $15 million USD, and all participating teams will receive a cash prize. However, no Dota Pro Circuit points will be awarded for this event.
Dota 2 Riyadh Masters Standings and Prize Pool Payout
| Placement | Team | Prize |
| First | Team Spirit | $5 million |
| Second | Team Liquid | $2.5 million |
| Third | Talon Esports | $1.7 million |
| Fourth | Gaimin Gladiators | $1.2 million |
| Fifth | BetBoom Team, 9Pandas | $800,000 |
| Seventh | Quest Esports, Team Aster | $500,000 |
| Ninth | PSG.LGD, Tundra Esports, Evil Geniuses, Team Secret | $300,000 |
| 13th | OG, TSM | $200,000 |
| 15th | Xtreme Gaming, Shopify Rebellion | $100,000 |
| 17th | beastcoast, Entity, Virtus Pro, Execration | $50,000 |
Dota 2 Riyadh Masters 2023 Schedule and Results
Playoffs
Sunday, July 30
- 6am CT: Team Liquid 2-0 Talon Esports
- Liquid advances to the lower bracket final, while Talon is eliminated in third place.
- 10am CT: Team Spirit 3-1 Team Liquid
- Riyadh Masters 2023 grand final.
Saturday, July 29
- 4am CT: Talon Esports 2-0 9Pandas
- Talon Esports advances to the lower bracket semifinal, while 9Pandas is eliminated.
- 7:35am CT: Team Spirit 2-1 Team Liquid
- Team Spirit advances to the grand final, while Team Liquid drops to the lower bracket.
- 10:05am CT: Talon Esports 2-1 Gaimin Gladiators
- Talon Esports advances to the lower bracket final, while Gaimin Gladiators is eliminated.
Thursday, July 27
- 4am CT: 9Pandas 2-0 Team Secret
- 9Pandas advances to the lower bracket round two, while Team Secret is eliminated.
- 7:35am CT: Team Liquid 2-1 Talon Esports
- Team Liquid advances to the upper bracket final, while Talon Esports drops to the lower bracket.
- 10:05am CT: Team Spirit 2-1 BetBoom Team
- Team Spirit advances to the upper bracket final, while BetBoom Team drops to the lower bracket.
Friday, July 28
- 4am CT: Quest Esports 0-2 Gaimin Gladiators
- Gaimin Gladiators advances to the lower bracket quarterfinals, while Quest Esports is eliminated.
- 7:35am CT: Team Aster 1-2 9Pandas
- 9Pandas advances to the lower bracket quarterfinals, while Team Aster is eliminated.
- 10:05am CT: BetBoom Team 1-2 Gaimin Gladiators
- Gaimin Gladiators advances to the lower bracket semifinal, while BetBoom Team is eliminated.
Tuesday, July 25
- 2am CT: Talon Esports 2-1 Quest Esports
- Talon Esports advances to the upper bracket semifinals, while Quest Esports drops to the lower bracket.
- 6:35am CT: Team Liquid 2-1 Gaimin Gladiators
- Team Liquid advances to the upper bracket semifinals, while Gaimin Gladiators drops to the lower bracket.
- 10:50am CT: Team Spirit 2-0 Team Aster
- Team Spirit advances to the upper bracket semifinals, while Team Aster drops to the lower bracket.
- 1:45pm CT: BetBoom Team 2-1 9Pandas
- BetBoom Team advances to the upper bracket semifinals, while 9Pandas drops to the lower bracket.
Wednesday, July 26
- 4am CT: Quest Esports 2-0 PSG.LGD
- Quest Esports advances to the lower bracket round two, while PSG.LGD is eliminated.
- 7:35am CT: Gaimin Gladiators 2-1 Tundra Esports
- Gaimin Gladiators advances to the lower bracket round two, while Tundra Esports is eliminated.
- 10:05am CT: Team Aster 2-0 Evil Geniuses
- Team Aster advances to the lower bracket round two, while Evil Geniuses is eliminated.
Play-In Stage One
Group A
| Placement | Team Name | Match Record (W/D/L) | Seed |
| 1st | Team Aster | 4-1-0 | Group Stage |
| 2nd | Team Liquid | 3-1-1 | Group Stage |
| 3rd | Entity | 1-3-1 | Play-In Stage Two |
| 4th | TSM | 1-3-1 | Play-In Stage Two |
| 5th | Execration | 0-2-3 | Play-In Stage Two |
| 6th | Virtus Pro | 0-2-3 | Play-In Stage Two |
Group B
| Placement | Team Name | Match Record (W/D/L) | Seed |
| 1st | Quest Esports | 4-0-1 | Group Stage |
| 2nd | Xtreme Gaming | 3-1-1 | Group Stage |
| 3rd | 9Pandas | 2-2-1 | Play-In Stage Two |
| 4th | Team Secret | 1-2-2 | Play-In Stage Two |
| 5th | OG | 1-1-3 | Play-In Stage Two |
| 6th | beastcoast | 1-0-4 | Play-In Stage Two |
Play-In Stage Two
Thursday, July 20
- 9:30am CT: TSM 2-0 beastcoast
- TSM progresses to the group stage, while beastcoast is eliminated.
- 9:30am CT: Entity 0-2 OG
- OG progresses to the group stage, while Entity is eliminated.
- 12:30pm CT: 9Pandas 2-1 Virtus Pro
- 9Pandas progresses to the group stage, while Virtus Pro is eliminated.
- 12:30pm CT: Team Secret 2-1 Execration
- Team Secret progresses to the group stage, while Execration is eliminated.
Group Stage
Group A
| Placement | Team Name | Match Record (W/D/L) | Seed |
| 1st | Quest Esports | 2-5-0 | Upper Bracket |
| 2nd | Team Spirit | 2-4-1 | Upper Bracket |
| 3rd | Gaimin Gladiators | 2-4-1 | Upper Bracket |
| 4th | 9Pandas | 1-5-1 | Upper Bracket |
| 5th | PSG.LGD | 2-3-2 | Lower Bracket |
| 6th | Evil Geniuses | 2-3-2 | Lower Bracket |
| 7th | OG | 0-5-2 | Eliminated |
| 8th | Xtreme Gaming | 1-3-3 | Eliminated |
Group B
| Placement | Team Name | Match Record (W/D/L) | Seed |
| 1st | BetBoom Team | 6-0-1 | Upper Bracket |
| 2nd | Team Liquid | 3-3-1 | Upper Bracket |
| 3rd | Team Aster | 3-3-1 | Upper Bracket |
| 4th | Talon Esports | 3-2-2 | Upper Bracket |
| 5th | Team Secret | 2-2-3 | Lower Bracket |
| 6th | Tundra Esports | 0-4-3 | Lower Bracket |
| 7th | TSM | 0-4-3 | Eliminated |
| 8th | Shopify Rebellion | 0-4-3 | Eliminated |
Dota 2 Riyadh Masters 2023: Where to Watch
The official stream of the Riyadh Masters 2023 tournament will be provided by Gamers8. However, the event will also be broadcasted in 11 other languages, including Russian, Chinese, Portuguese, and Spanish. Additional streamers may cover the matches on platforms like YouTube or Twitch. For a complete list of official streams, refer to the stream list on Liquipedia.
| Language | Main Stream | B Stream | C Stream | D Stream | E Stream | F Stream |
| English | Gamers8GG | Gamers8GG B | Gamers8GG C | Gamers8GG D | Gamers8GG E | Gamers8GG F |
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