win.gg
Win.gg Dota 2 Live Dota 2 events are back with China’s Dota 2 Pro Cup

Live Dota 2 events are back with China's Dota 2 Pro Cup

Steven Rondina
Steven Rondina Published 11/09/2020

The first live Dota 2 events since the cancellation of the Dota Pro Circuit have been revealed.

The China Dota 2 Pro Cup will feature 10 top Chinese teams battling for a prize pool worth approximately $74,000. The event stands out as the first Dota 2 event to take place in a LAN setting since March.

Eight teams will be invited to the event, with the current list standing as follows:

It’s a strong list of teams that includes all the standouts of the last few months of online leagues. It also includes Team Magma, a rotating squad of veteran Chinese free agents such as Xie “DD” Bin, Chen “Zhou” Yao, and Chen “Hao” Zhihao. The list of competitors will be completed with two teams determined through a set of qualifiers.

The event begins on September 17 and runs through September 28. 

Live Dota 2 tournaments will be scarce until TI10

Dota 2 has seen fewer tournaments this year than most other esports due to the game’s professional scene largely revolving around international live events. The core of this was the Dota Pro Circuit majors and minors, as well as The International. Alongside this were various events hosted by tournament organizers such as ESL and DreamHack.

A slew of 2020’s scheduled Dota 2 events were cancelled ahead of the ESL One Los Angeles Major. This was followed by The International 10 being indefinitely postponed and the eventual cancellation of the Dota Pro Circuit through the remainder of 2020.

The last notable live Dota 2 tournament came in March with Dota Summit 12.

The current plan in Dota 2 is for the pro scene to transition into a system similar to what is currently being used in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. This will include a series of “regional majors” where teams from different regions vie for a spot in The International through a series of Valve-sponsored events hosted for teams from specific regions. These will likely be held largely online, though it is uncertain how the situation will develop over time.

With national travel in China thawed, it seems that the country may see live events become at least a temporary norm even as the rest of the world is stuck online.

Steven Rondina Steven Rondina
About Steven Rondina

Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.

View full profile
Read Also
BLAST SLAM VIII Finals predictions and preview Dota 2
BLAST SLAM VIII Finals predictions and preview Michael Hassall It’s been a long road, but after a strangely-formatted group stage, and a decidedly anticlimactic playoffs, we’re down to the final three teams in BLAST SLAM VIII. The finals are today (Oct. 11) and we’ll see the premier teams in Dota 2 clash. Perhaps disappointingly, we’re not seeing a new wave of top-teams at the pinnacle of Dota 2 competition, with the three final teams being the same trio we’ve ...
Who will prevail?: BLAST SLAM VIII Playoffs preview, predictions, and more Dota 2
Who will prevail?: BLAST SLAM VIII Playoffs preview, predictions, and more Michael Hassall After a week of intense Group Stage, Last Chance and Seeding stage matches, and a few days of rest, BLAST SLAM VIII returns tomorrow (Oct. 8) with the Playoffs. If we’re honest, there haven’t been too many surprises. We’d liked to have seen a BetBoom or Team Liquid make the cut, but ultimately these aren’t the teams of earlier in the year, and with new rosters comes new uncertainty. That's ...
Dota 2’s new Tidehunter Arcana is mind-blowing, but prepare to spend $200+ to get it Dota 2
Dota 2’s new Tidehunter Arcana is mind-blowing, but prepare to spend $200+ to get it Michael Hassall Night owls in North America and early risers in Europe woke up to a brand new Dota 2 Arcana, the first new release of Dota’s rarest and most-coveted cosmetics since 2024. The recipient? Tidehunter, whose Maw of the Megladon Arcana transforms the already selachian sea-dweller into a full-blown shark. But while Arcana’s have traditionally been part of big events in Dota 2, either the now-discontinued Battle Passes, or most recently, ...
Yandex to repeat?: BLAST SLAM VIII preview, predictions, and more Dota 2
Yandex to repeat?: BLAST SLAM VIII preview, predictions, and more Michael Hassall If you can believe it, we’re already on the eighth edition of BLAST SLAM, as BLAST SLAM VIII kicks off tomorrow (Sep. 29) pitting 16 of the world’s best Dota 2 teams against each other in what promises to be the first big challenge of this young season. Let’s face it: At PGL Wallachia, we were missing a lot of the heavy hitters. No TI15 champs, no PARIVISION, not BetBoom, ...
Unstoppable Yandex crush NAVI in one-sided PGL Wallachia finals Dota 2
Unstoppable Yandex crush NAVI in one-sided PGL Wallachia finals Michael Hassall Team Yandex has swept the grand finals of the PGL Wallachia Season 9 Dota 2 tournament, defeating Natus Vincere (NAVI) in a 3-0 drubbing this past weekend (Sep. 27). As predicted, the revitalized Yandex, hot off the signing of former Team Falcons star Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf, crushed their youthful opponents in a three-game sweep in the best-of-five finals. Here’s how it happened: After upsetting the star-studded LGD Gaming roster (albeit ...
Team Yandex to win it all? PGL Wallachia Season 9 Finals preview and predictions Dota 2
Team Yandex to win it all? PGL Wallachia Season 9 Finals preview and predictions Michael Hassall The first big event after TI15, PGL Wallachia Season 9, wraps up this Sunday, Sep. 27, and it’s set to be a hell of a show. After a solid week of action, with some surprise eliminations along the way, we’re down to just three teams from the original 16. Team Yandex, LGD Gaming, and Natus Vincere (NAVI) remain, having battled through some big upsets to get there. Yandex are hot ...
MidOne to Play for Team Liquid at BLAST Slam 8, Replacing Nisha: Permanent or Stand-in? Dota 2
MidOne to Play for Team Liquid at BLAST Slam 8, Replacing Nisha: Permanent or Stand-in? Owen Harsono Like most other Dota 2 teams, Team Liquid have also undergone roster changes after The International 2026, replacing Ace for Wisper. However, a swap in offlaners wasn’t the end, as veteran mid-laner MidOne has been registered under the team ahead of BLAST Slam 8, taking Nisha’s spot. Is MidOne only acting as a stand-in, or is this going to be a permanent move? Here’s what we know. On September 25, ...