The Dota 2 tournament at the Electronic World Cup 2026 (EWC26), also known as the "Riyadh Masters", is the backbone of the festival, attracting the largest number of viewers and boasting a long history of million-dollar prizes and epic competitions.
Format
Stage 1: Group Stage
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Format: Four groups of six teams each playing in a round-robin format.
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Match Rules: All series consist of exactly two games (Bo2).
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Advancement:
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1st Place: The top team from each group advances directly to the Playoffs.
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2nd, 3rd & 4th Place: These teams qualify for the Survival stage.
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Remaining Teams: Eliminated from the tournament.
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Stage 2: Survival Stage
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Format: Single-elimination bracket.
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Matchups: The 4th place team faces the 3rd place team from the groups. The winner of that match then plays against the 2nd place team.
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Match Rules: All matches are Best-of-3 (Bo3).
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Advancement: Four surviving teams advance to the Playoffs.
Stage 3: Playoff Stage
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Format: Single-elimination bracket.
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Match Rules: All matches are Best-of-3 (Bo3), except for the Grand Final.
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Grand Final: The Grand Final is a Best-of-5 (Bo5) match.