Updated on: December 18

Out with the old, in with the new! Gone are the days of the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC Tour), replaced by the all-new ESL Pro Tour (EPT). On the horizon, another top-tier professional Dota 2 event approaches as the beloved esport returns to Southeast Asia on December 11 with ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023, hosted in Malaysia.

Twelve of the best Dota 2 teams compete for the massive prize pool of $1 million and the title of the last champions of 2023, with big names like Gaimin Gladiators and Blacklist Rivalry showcasing their new star-studded lineups.

Read on for the complete schedule, tournament format, all twelve teams competing, and the current standings.

ESL One Kuala Lumpur: Format

ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 consists of two main phases: the Group Stage and the Playoffs.

Group Stage: December 11 - 13

Hosted online

• The twelve teams are split into two single round-robin groups of six teams each.
• All series consist of two games.
• The top two teams from each group advance to the Upper Bracket of the Playoffs.
• 3rd and 4th placed teams from each group advance to the Lower Bracket of the Playoffs.
• The remaining four teams are eliminated

Playoffs: December 15 - 17

Hosted at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre

• Full double-elimination bracket.
• All matches are Bo3, except the Grand Final, which is Bo5.

ESL One Kuala Lumpur: Teams

Twelve of the strongest Dota 2 teams will participate in ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023. Three teams were pre-invited. There are two teams each from Western Europe and Eastern Europe Open Qualifier. There is also one team each from MENA, China, Southeast Asia, North American, and South American Open Qualifiers.

Without further ado, let's dive into each team and their player rosters by their in-game IDs.

Invited Teams

• Gaimin Gladiators: dyrachyo, Quinn, Ace, tOfu, Seleri
• LGD Gaming: shiro, Emo, niu, Pyw, y'
• Azure Ray: Lou, Xm, Xxs, XinQ, 天命

Eastern Europe

• 9Pandas: V-Tune, kiyotaka, RAMZES666, Solo, Afoninje
• BetBoom Team: Nightfall, gpk, Pure~, Save-, TORONTOTOKYO

Western Europe

• Team Liquid: Micke, Nisha, SabeRLight-, Boxi, Insania
• Team Secret: Crystallis, MidOne, BOOM, yamich, Puppey

Southeast Asia

• Blacklist Rivalry: Raven, Abed, Gabbi, TIMS, Carlo

China

• G2.iG: Monet, NothingToSay, JT-, BoBoka, xNova

North America

• Tundra Esports: Timado, Bryle, kasane, Immersion, Whitemon

South America

• Wawitas Sagazes: Lumière, DarkMago, Oscar, n1ght, Panda

MENA

• Team Falcons: skiter, Malr1ne, ATF, Cr1t, Sneyking

ESL One Kuala Lumpur: Schedule

Tensions are high as ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 draws closer. Which team will rise above fate to emerge the final champions of 2023? Only time will tell. All times listed below are in PHT and match winners will be in bold.

ESL One Kuala Lumpur: Playoffs Schedule

December 13 - Upper Bracket Semifinals

• 5:30 PM: Azure Ray vs. Team Falcons
• 5:30 PM: G2.ig vs. Gaimin Gladiators

December 15 - Lower Round 1

• 12:00 PM: Team Secret vs. Team Liquid
• 3:35 PM: Tundra Esports vs. BetBoom Team

December 15 - Lower Quarterfinals

• 7:00 PM: Team Falcons vs. Team Liquid

December 16 - Lower Quarterfinals

• 12:00 PM: G2.iG vs. BetBoom Team

December 16 - Upper Final

• 3:35 PM: Azure Ray vs. Gaimin Gladiators

December 16 - Lower Semifinal

• 7:05 PM: Team Liquid vs. BetBoom Team

December 17 - Lower Final

• 12:00 PM: Azure Ray vs. Team Liquid

December 17 - Grand Final

• 4:00 PM: Azure Ray vs. Gaimin Gladiators

ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023: Tickets and Streams

Like all S-Tier professional Dota 2 tournaments, several matches are happening simultaneously. As such, primary, secondary, and tertiary streams accommodate this, so you can keep an eye on all the action at all times.

We have embedded the official ESL Dota 2 YouTube channel below as the number one destination to watch all highlights and VODs.

Tickets are still available to attend and watch the ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 action in person, hosted at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre! Follow this link to take a look at the prices on Ticketmelon.

Prices for a one-day ticket start at 1,293 Philippines Peso, while a regular 3-day ticket is 2,834. Tickets for the Grand Final on December 17 have already sold out. Please note, any children under twelve must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. 

Final Thoughts

That's our rundown of ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023. If any additional information comes to light, including schedule changes, we'll update this page accordingly with more details!

Want more gaming content? Feel free to browse our blog page, where we have all Dota 2 heroes by release dates, upcoming Dota 2 hero Ringmaster, the latest OW2 patch notes, GTA 6 leaks, and more!

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