HEROIC exits EWC Club Partner Program after Dota 2 departure, leaves CS2 as sole title

Wasif Ahmed Published 15/05/2026

HEROIC has left the Esports Foundation’s Club Partner Program for the Esports World Cup 2026 after the organization announced earlier this month that it was exiting Dota 2 due to the game being ‘unsustainable in the long term’. This left CS2 as its sole operational title.

Both HEROIC and the Esports Foundation (EF) announced the exit in separate statements. The EF said that the recent internal changes meant the organization no longer met the minimum requirements for the Club Partner Program. As a result, HEROIC had ‘agreed to exit’ the 2026 EF Club Partner Program.

HEROIC echoed the same sentiments in its statement and said that the decision was taken due to its departure from Dota 2 and ‘internal organizational changes’. It’s unclear what the latter are.

“Being part of the program since 2025 has given us the platform and resources to create content and experiences that truly resonated with our fans, and we are grateful for that opportunity,” the organization added in its statement.

Image credit: HEROIC

The Esports Foundation’s Club Partner Program selects 40 clubs from different regions of the world. As a part of this, clubs can receive up to $1 million in funding based on how they activate their brand, players, and fans for the Esports World Cup.

There are no additional benefits to clubs, as they still need to qualify through existing pathways to compete in the EWC.

HEROIC was a part of the program in 2025 too, where it competed in Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2, its two main titles.

Following the club’s departure from Dota 2, which it announced on May 4, 2026, HEROIC was operating in only one esports title: Counter-Strike 2.

With the roster lock deadline for the EWC having passed on April 30, the organization doesn’t have a chance to participate in one of the other 22 games at the EWC.

The EF has not said if it was exploring a replacement for HEROIC in the Club Partner Program. It could be highly unlikely, though, given that the roster lock deadline has already passed. WIN.gg has reached out to the Esports Foundation for clarification.

HEROIC’s exit highlights sustainability concerns in Dota 2

HEROIC is prioritizing long-term financial sustainability with its Dota 2 exit.

Robin Nymann, the chief gaming officer for HEROIC, spoke more about the team’s departure from Dota 2 when it was announced.

“The unfortunate reality is that Dota is a tough game to commercialize, and at HEROIC we have not been able to make it bear fruit for a long time now,” Nymann said. “I have nothing but faith in this group of people, and the only reason we’ve made this decision is financial.”

HEROIC had entered Dota 2 in January 2024 and had been performing well since then. This included winning the PGL Wallachia Season 2, which made it the first LATAM team to win a top-tier Dota 2 LAN. It also placed in the top six at TI 2025. The club’s total winnings from Dota 2 were approximately $1.4 million, per Liquipedia.

The EWC 2026 is scheduled to take place from July 6 to August 23, 2026. While the tournament was set to happen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, recent reports say it could be moved to Paris, France due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Featured image credit: HEROIC

Wasif Ahmed

About Wasif Ahmed

Wasif Ahmed is the Lead Esports Editor for WIN.gg. He has been covering esports for nearly eight years, although his gaming journey started much earlier, when he was just four years old and was introduced to Road Rash on a dusty PC. Hit him up on X to talk about esports, why partnership models are the best fit for esports games, or if Halo 7 has finally been announced.

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