Team Spirit manager Dmitry Korb3n Belov shared his opinion on the format change for the Dota 2 tournament within the Esports World Cup festival. Korb3n mentioned that he disliked the organizers’ idea for Riyadh Masters 2025. Belov shared this in a post on his personal Telegram channel.
He commented on the announced Riyadh Masters 2025, noting that its format in 2025 has changed, becoming not only longer but also worse.
There are rumors that the gauntlet format for the second stage is similar to the current BLAST format. He asked for confirmation in the comments if this is not the case, as he couldn’t find information anywhere. He also criticized the single-elimination playoffs, finding it absurd to stretch two group stages over many viewing hours only to have a knockout playoff stage.
For those wanting to argue that it was always like this, he reminded that previously the first stage was a play-in, in which invited teams did not participate.
In conclusion, he believes that The International remains the most prestigious tournament in the Dota 2 ecosystem, and everything else is insignificant.
Esports World Cup organizers revealed details about Riyadh Masters 2025 on the night of March 20. Gaimin Gladiators will participate as the champion of the previous year.
Finley Holt