Qatar set to host multiple Dota 2 LAN tournament

The Qatar Esports Federation (QESF) has partnered with ESB to host three Dota 2 offline tournaments. As per the official statement, the events will feature a prize pool of $2.6 million and will be hosted in Doha and Lima.

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Two events will be hosted in the capital city in April and November, while one more will be held in Lima sometime in July/August. Currently, only the announcement has been made, details regarding this tournament will be revealed in the upcoming weeks.

However, it was revealed that the events will feature 10 teams from across the world. Fans are not happy with the decision to limit the teams playing in the event.

“There is a big space in the Dota 2 and esports scene for innovation and doing great things for the community, not only at the top level of competitive esports but also at a regional and amateur level,” said Gonzalo Velasco, chief executive for ESB.

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QESF planning for long-term

General secretary of QESF, Faisal Khalid, revealed that the announcement is just the first step of a long-term plan with ESB’. The main aim currently is to promote esports across the entire Middle East while having growth globally.

Currently, Dota 2 does not have a pro circuit and the events are being hosted by third-party organizers. The currently announced events are also among various others being hosted by third parties.

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The ESL Pro Tour (EPT) is also a similar event that started last year after Valve announced the end of the Dota Pro Circuit. The EPT is backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund and Savvy Gaming Group. Similarly, the QESF is also backed by the Qatari royal family.

There is also the Esports World Cup (ESWC) planned for this year. While it has only revealed two games, Starcraft 2 and Counter-Strike 2, there is a good chance that Dota 2 might also be featured as one of the esports events.