The ESL One Los Angeles Online schedule will see 34 leading Dota 2 teams compete after the tournament organisers adapted what was intended to be the third major of the DPC season.
ESL One LA was originally scheduled to take place at the Shrine Auditorium before the COVID-19 outbreak meant that became impossible.
ESL One Los Angeles 2020 will no longer be a major, of course, but the fact it's going ahead in some form has been warmly welcomed by the Dota 2 community.
Picture: Copyright ESL / Helena Kristiansson
How to watch and bet
All ESL One LA live streams are available at Luckbox and fans wanting to make predictions can try esports betting with €5 free to play with.
Betting odds on all matches are available at Luckbox and Dota 2 fans can boost their odds with a Combo - with Combo Bet Cash Back available if one selection lets you down.
Learn more about Combos and Combo Bet Cash Back.
What's the schedule?
ESL One Los Angeles 2020 starts on March 28 and ends on April 19. Match times and dates will be available on the Dota 2 matches page, along with live streams and team stats, as soon as individual matches are scheduled.
What's the format?
The format for ESL One Los Angeles is radically different from its previous iteration as LAN event.
ESL One Los Angeles 2020 will now be played in five regional leagues - Europe/CIS, North America, Southeast Asia, South America and China.
Group stage
Groups stages will be round-robin, best of three, but the format for each region differs.
- EU/CIS will comprise two groups of eight teams
- North America, South America and SEA: One group of four teams
- China One group of six teams
March 28 matches
Newbee vs EHOME
Geek Fam vs Team Adroit
PSG.LGD vs Vici Gaming
Invictus vs Royal Never Give Up
Thunder Predator vs beastcoast
Evil Geniuses vs Quincy Crew
Playoffs
There is no overall winner for ESL One Los Angeles because it is no practical for teams from different to face each other online. Instead, each region will have its own playoffs. All play off matches are best of three, except for the grand finals, which are best of five.
In China, the first and second-placed teams play each other, with the winner advancing to the Grand Final. The third and fourth-placed teams will also play each other, with the winner playing against the loser of the 1st/2nd series for a slot in the grand final.
In NA, SA and SEA, first place from the group goes to the Grand Final. The second and third place play each other, with the winner heading to the Grand Final.
The playoff format for the EU/CIS region is yet to be announced.
Picture: Copyright ESL / Helena Kristiansson
How big is the prize pool?
The overall prize pool for ESL One LA is $375,000, split between the regions as follows:
North America: $40,000
Europe/CIS: $200,000
SEA: $40,000
South America: $40,000
China: $55,000
Who's playing?
There will be 34 teams at ESL One LA 2020, including those who had qualified for the Major, the best teams from the StarLadder ImbaTV Minor and the ESL World Ranking.
Europe and CIS
Confirmed teams:
- Team Secret
- OG
- NIP
- Team Liquid
- Nigma
- Alliance
- Na'Vi
- Virtus.pro
- Gambit
- Team Spirit
- HellRaisers
- B8
- Cyber Legacy
- Gentlemen
North America
- Evil Geniuses
- Quincy Crew
- CR4ZY
- Business Associates
South America
- beastcoast
- Thunder Predator
- FURIA Esports
- NoPing e-sports
Southeast Asia
- Fnatic
- Geek Fam
- Team Adroit
- BOOM Esports
China
- Invictus Gaming
- Vici Gaming
- PSG.LGD
- Newbee
- Royal Never Give Up
- EHOME
Picture: Copyright ESL / Helena Kristiansson
The show must go on
Organisers said the decision to cancel the ESL One Los Angeles Major had been "difficult" but the safety of everyone involved was paramount.
A satement from the ESL One team read: "While we were all very excited to bring the first-ever Dota 2 Major to Los Angeles, this did not work out now or will in the near future. Instead, we decided that we will still continue to bring you, the fans, the best possible Dota 2 action in this difficult time and keep the competition going for the players - but it won’t be in event locations this year.
"It’s the best, and more importantly, the safest decision for players, coaches, team staff, fans, and our event crews while still keeping the core of esports alive. We are happy that our sport can go on even in the most difficult of times and hope to bring you some entertainment and joy during the quarantine.
"Stay safe, stay inside and enjoy some Dota."
