Title: Dota 2 Set for Global Showcase at GOTF 2025 in Abu Dhabi
The Games of the Future Abu Dhabi 2025 powered by ADNOC brings Dota 2 to the UAE as athletes from 18 countries across four continents go head-to-head in the ultimate international faceoff.
Bringing together iconic players, celebrated legends and rising regional stars in the UAE capital, the Moba PC.Dota 2 discipline features a stacked international line-up, including host team E7, Paper Tigers, Legends Rebooted, Vikings, Team Phoenix, Nigma Galaxy, Win and TpaBoTeaM. Rosters feature elite professional players, including Xu “BurNIng” Zhilei (Paper Tigers), regarded during his competitive years as one of the world’s top carry players, winning multiple carry awards and international championships, as well as other standout competitors such as Aliwi “w33” Omar of Nigma Galaxy, a two-time Vice Champion of The International (2016, 2019), and Chen Hao “Hao” Zhihao of Legends Rebooted, winner of The International 2014.
However, he didn’t under-estimate the challenge saying: “Our toughest competition will probably be ourselves, as we have to overcome a lot of obstacles to play well together.”
Meanwhile, Nikolay “Nikobaby” Nikolov from Team Vikings commented that the mix of players and new teams was something he was looking forward to: “It's new teams but you are playing against other people that you've played before. So, it's an interesting event because you get to play against the former TI winners and players from China as well. So, we get to see how well their skills are after all the years that they've been away from the scene.”
When asked who he thought the toughest competitors to beat would be, he said he expected Team Win to do well: “They have good support, and good core players as well, so I think they will be the one of the strongest. Maybe Team Nigma also. But most teams are good, so we'll see.”
With such a packed global lineup, competition is sure to be fierce as different styles clash, and new rivalries are formed to create one of the most anticipated international showpieces of GOTF 2025.
The tournament kicks off at Pixoul in Abu Dhabi – the UAE’s premier gaming hub, and dedicated esports venue - on 14 December with high-energy Group Stage leading into a full double-elimination playoff bracket. Matches continue on 18 and 19 December at ADNEC, where fans can watch teams battle through best-of-three series playoffs for a place in the final and a shot at international glory, with tickets available now.
Fans can catch all the action live online, with every match available to watch online via the GOTF OTT streaming platform , with additional coverage provided through leading media partners across multiple Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas.
Anticipation among the global Dota 2 and esports community now turns to the start of the competition on 14 December at 10:00 GST. Catch all the action live on tv.gofuture.games and visit the Games of the Future Abu Dhabi website to see the full match up schedule.
