ESL One heads to Birmingham for third consecutive year

Event organiser ESL will host an ESL One Dota 2 event in Birmingham, United Kingdom for a third consecutive year.

ESL One Birmingham is set to commence on May 26th, with the grand finals closing things out on May 31st.

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$300,000 (£230,962.50) will be up for grabs for the 12 teams in attendance, with the event also acting as the grand finale of the inaugural ESL Academy. The official draft for the academy initiative will take place at ESL One Los Angeles in March before concluding in Birmingham.

James Dean, CEO at ESL UK discussed the event’s return in a release: “We’re extremely proud of what ESL One Birmingham means to the Dota 2 community. With the support of players, partners and fans, Birmingham is a truly unique tournament and atmosphere which will no doubt deliver yet more unforgettable moments again this year. We’re hugely thankful to each and everyone involved and would like to show our gratitude not only by providing a world-class final at the highest production level, but also by bringing even more excitement, features, and catchy chants to the Birmingham Arena.”

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ESL One Birmingham debuted in 2018 as an official Dota 2 Major and returned as a normal ESL One event in 2019. The latter surpassed the highest viewership for such an event with over 7.6 million hours being consumed over the course of the tournament.

Ulrich Schulze, Senior Vice President Product at ESL also commented: “Linking ESL Academy to the biggest esports tournament in the UK provides Dota 2 action at all levels, which fans can engage with the experience onsite and online. It was therefore important for us to host the Academy’s finals at one of the most important tournaments in the ESL One series in Dota 2, ESL One Birmingham.”

Esports Insider says: UK esports is far behind some nations in many aspects but having a flagship event on a major scale in ESL One Birmingham is a great thing. With Excel Esports making moves and now this, esports in the UK is already look promising in 2020.

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