Updated on: September 4 (Added final results).
The DOTA 2 International Esports Federation (IESF) World Championship is a testament to the fierce competitive spirit that has made DOTA 2 one of the most revered titles in the world of competitive gaming. The countdown to the IESF World Championship is on, as the sixteen competing nations will clash together on August 26 for nine days of high-stakes DOTA 2 gameplay.
This international competition brings the best of the best DOTA 2 teams to Romania as this year's host country for the IESF World Championship 2023. Speaking in the universal language of competition and team rivalry, the sixteen teams will battle on stage. The convergence of diverse cultures, unique strategies, and a hunger to win, brings forth an esports spectacle guaranteed to have viewers on the edge of their seats.
Which country has the best DOTA 2 players? Only one way to find out! Keep reading to explore the ins and outs of the format, all 16 competing teams, and the full schedule.
DOTA 2 IESF 2023: Format & Groups
With a competitive format designed to push the boundaries of each team's abilities, the IESF World Championship 2023 promises to be a true test for players and a source of excitement for viewers.
The overall prize pool for the DOTA 2 IESF 2023 is $100,000, with the lion's share of $50,000 awarded to the winner. The remaining $50,000 is split between the runners-up in second and third. Here are the ins and outs of the IESF World Championship 2023 format.
Group Stage: August 26 - August 27
- Single round-robin, where the 16 teams are divided into four groups of four teams each.
- All matches are best-of-one.
- 1st and 2nd place teams from each group move into the Playoffs Upper Bracket, while the 3rd and 4th placed teams are eliminated.
Playoffs: August 27 - September 3
- Eight teams in total compete in a double-elimination bracket.
- All series are best-of-three.
DOTA 2 IESF 2023: Teams
The sixteen IESF World Championship 2023 participants includes the host nation Romania, the previous year's winners Indonesia, and fourteen teams from regional qualifiers hosted globally.
Let's look at all the participants and their player rosters. We'll also include how they qualified for the IESF World Championship 2023. Please note in some cases, we only have the professional IDs of certain players available.
- Romania (Host Nation): Daniel "kAAN" Heisu, Mihai "canceL^^" Antonio, Ionut "BliNcc" Musat, Aliwi "w33" Omar, Niamtu "Flash" Angel
- Indonesia (IESF 2022 Winners): Randy "Dreamocel" Sapoetra, Syaid "womy" Reski, Brizio "Hyde" Adi Putra Budiana, "Pota2", "Flappyyy"
- United States (North American Qualifier): Luke "Yamsun" Wang, Nicolas "Gunnar" Lopez, Paul "Speeed" Bocchicchio, Rodrigo "Lelis" Santos, David "Moo" Hull
- South Africa (Southern Africa Qualifier): "remedy," "Soup", "CuCu," "Grove," "TKC"
- Egypt (Northern Africa Qualifier): Hady "TheVeryFamous.ar3a" Diaa el Din, "SuperRudy", "Mego'o", "MeetYourBub", "Ghost"
- Ecuador (Northern Cone Qualifier): "Grandpa," "Fmk," "zamuel," "Sannoh," "Songz"
- Argentina (Southern Cone Qualifier): Nicolás "wij" Moreno, "runawaY", "Shifu," "DLC", worlocK"
Asian Championship Teams
- Philippines: Eljohn "Akashi" Andales, Mc "Mac" Villanueva, Jun "Bok" Kanehara, Marvin "Boomy" Rushton, Bryle "cml" Alvizo
- Jordan: Mohammad "AfrOmoush" Eis, Bader "islA" Hannoun, Anas "MagE-" Hirzallah, "Nagato," "TAz'"
- Myanmar: Aung "ShowTi" Soe, "KSH," "Young PH," "SkillLay," "Zawrain"
- Mongolia: Altanginj "423" Bilguun, Sukhbat "sanctity-" Otgondavaa, Munkh-Erdene "11" Battsooj, Batbayasgalan "Ace12" Narankhand, Tugstur "Se" Dashzevge
- Kyrgyzstan: Kyial "dream`" Tayirov, Ruslan "Askold" Temiraliyev, Evgeniy "Blizzy" Ri, Baqyt "Zayac" Emiljanov, Bektur "Max" Kulov
Europe Qualifiers
- Czech Republic: Adam "Ade" Konicek, Petr "Muf" Fojtík, "Arin," "screaM^," "Filminy"
- Sweden: "Loke," "Steffert," "'LipF," "beng," "M4lem"
- Ukraine: Denis "StoneBank" Korzh, Ivan "Kidaro" Bondarev, "Panda," "Infernal," "geO'ZziZi"
- Bulgaria: Nikolay "CTOMAHEH1" Kalchev, Ivaylo "Mastermind" Petkov, Stoyan "lil pleb" Kostov, "LaJoya," "FAILETZ"
DOTA 2 IESF 2023: Schedule & Streams
The DOTA 2 IESF World Championship kicks off on August 26 for an action-packed nine days of professional DOTA 2 gameplay. You can catch the English Twitch stream for all the matches on the official IESF channel below.
Below you'll find the schedule for the Group Stage of the tournament. All times listed will be in BST, and match winners will be in bold. As the tournament unfolds day by day, rest assured that we will keep this article updated with all the latest information, including schedule changes and match results.
DOTA 2 IESF 2023: Group Stage
Day 1 (August 26)
- 8:00 AM: Czech Republic v Kyrgyzstan
- 8:00 AM: Mongolia v South Africa
- 8:00 AM: Bulgaria v Indonesia
- 9:30 AM: Ukraine v Ecuador
- 9:30 AM: USA v Sweden
- 9:30 AM: Romania v Jordan
- 11:00 AM: Egypt v Argentina
- 11:00 AM: Philippines v Myanmar
- 11:00 AM: Sweden v Kyrgyzstan
- 12:30 PM: Romania v Mongolia
- 12:30 PM: Argentina v Indonesia
- 12:30 PM: Myanmar v Ecuador
Day 2 (August 27)
- 8:00 AM: Czech Republic v USA
- 8:00 AM: Jordan v South Africa
- 8:00 AM: Bulgaria v Egypt
- 9:30 AM: Philippines v Ukraine
- 9:30 AM: USA v Kyrgyzstan
- 9:30 AM: Jordan v Mongolia
- 11:00 AM: Egypt v Indonesia
- 11:00 AM: Philippines v Ecuador
- 11:00 AM: Czech Republic v Sweden
- 12:30 PM: South Africa v Romania
- 12:30 PM: Argentina v Bulgaria
- 12:30 PM: Ukraine v Myanmar
DOTA 2 IESF 2023: Playoffs
Upper Bracket Quarterfinals (August 27 - 28)
- 5:55 PM (27/08): Ukraine v Kyrgyzstan
- 7:10 PM: Jordan v Bulgaria
- 11:15 AM (28/08): USA v Myanmar
- 1:45 PM: Mongolia v Indonesia
Lower Bracket Round 1 (August 28 - 29)
- 8:30 PM: USA v Bulgaria
- 10:00 AM: Indonesia v Ukraine
Upper Bracket Semifinals (August 29)
- 1:00 PM: Jordan v Myanmar
- 5:00 PM: Mongolia v Kyrgyzstan
Lower Bracket Quarterfinals (August 29 - 30)
- 7:00 PM: Indonesia v Jordan
- 8:00 AM: USA v Mongolia
Lower Bracket Semifinal (August 30)
- 1:00 PM: Indonesia v Mongolia
Upper Bracket Final (August 30)
- 3:00 PM: Myanmar v Kyrgyzstan
Lower Bracket Final (August 30)
- 6:30 PM: Mongolia v Kyrgyzstan
Grand Final (September 3)
- 12:30 PM: Myanmar v Mongolia
Final Thoughts