Dota 2 is one of the most popular eSports titles in the world, with millions of fans tuning in to watch high-level competitive matches. While the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) features tournaments across North America, South America, Europe, China, Southeast Asia, and the CIS region, fans are often left wondering where they can view matches from other parts of the international Dota 2 scene.
Dota TV
The most direct way to spectate international Dota 2 matches is through the Dota TV feature built into the Dota 2 client. Dota TV allows you to watch live and replay almost any official Dota 2 match from within the game client. This gives you full control over the spectator perspective and camera work as you watch. The downside is that you need access to the Dota 2 client and a tournament ticket to view most events. These are usually available for purchase in-game.
Third Party Tournaments
Many third party tournaments are available for free in Dota TV without needing to purchase an in-game ticket. These include amateur leagues like AD2L and smaller regional events. High profile international tournaments like ESL One and DreamLeague may still require an in-game ticket purchase to watch through Dota TV though.
In-Game Spectating
If someone on your friends list is playing in an amateur league match, you can often spectate live directly from the Dota 2 client. This allows you to watch without needing access to Dota TV or third party streams.
Twitch
The most popular way to watch Dota 2 tournaments is through live streaming platforms like Twitch. Many international leagues and events are broadcasted live on Twitch in multiple languages. This includes tournaments like:
- DreamLeague
- ESL One
- The International (TI)
- EPICENTER
- MDL Disneyland Paris Major
Twitch gives you easy free access to matches from around the world. However, some regional exclusive broadcast rights may limit which streams you can access based on your location.
Other Streaming Platforms
In addition to Twitch, other platforms also provide live streams for international Dota 2 matches:
- YouTube – Official streams for some major tournaments
- Steam.tv – Home for tournament streams within the Steam client
- Douyu – Leading Chinese streaming site with coverage of Chinese leagues and LANs
- Afreeca TV – Popular South Korean streaming service
Tournament Websites
Most major Dota 2 tournaments have dedicated websites where you can find schedules, brackets, results, and direct streams for their matches. This includes sites like:
- https://www.dota2.com/esports/ – Official Dota Pro Circuit site
- https://liquipedia.net/dota2/Main_Page – Liquipedia Dota 2 Wiki
- https://www.joindota.com/en/start – JoinDota esports coverage
- https://www.gosugamers.net/dota2 – GosuGamers Dota 2 homepage
These websites let you easily lookup when matches are happening and find direct links to live streams or Dota TV coverage. Liquipedia in particular is a great resource to track down schedules and stream details for obscure regional tournaments.
Notable International Leagues & Tournaments
Some of the biggest annual Dota 2 events that attract elite teams from around the world include:
The International
Held each August in Seattle, The International (TI) is Dota 2’s world championship with multimillion dollar prize pools. This event brings together 18 top teams from DPC leagues and regional qualifiers.
EPICENTER
EPICENTER is a major tournament circuit featuring qualifiers for teams across Europe, North America, South America, China and CIS. The playoffs occur on LAN with top finishing teams from each region.
ESL One
ESL One hosts major international LAN events in arenas across Europe, Birmingham, and Los Angeles. These tournaments have featured top teams from many regions.
DreamLeague
DreamLeague is a long running European league and LAN finals with participants from Western regions. It is one of the premier tournaments within the DPC circuit.
MDL Disneyland Paris Major
This upcoming DPC Major competition will be held at Disneyland Paris in April 2023. It will bring together quality teams across multiple regions outside of China to compete on LAN.
The Summit
The Summit has been an annual global LAN event since 2014 featuring top Dota 2 teams. Recent iterations have been held in Los Angeles.
Mars Dota 2 League
Mars Dota 2 League (MDL) is a major Chinese Dota 2 circuit featuring top teams within China and select invitees from other regions.
Dota Pit League
Dota Pit League hosts online regional leagues for teams in Europe, CIS, North America, and China leading up to cross-regional LAN playoff brackets.
China Dota2 Professional League
The CDP League is the most prestigious professional Dota 2 league within China, with over a dozen top teams participating across multiple seasons.
World Cyber Arena
World Cyber Arena is an esports tournament organizer that has hosted international Dota 2 competitions in China including the WCA 2015 Main Event won by Team Secret.
World Electronic Sports Games
WESG is an Olympic-style eSports championship backed by the Chinese government. Their Dota 2 tournaments feature national qualifiers leading to regional LANs and global finals.
Upcoming Scheduled Matches Across Regions
Here is a look at some of the upcoming matches scheduled for the next week from top Dota 2 leagues and tournaments worldwide:
Date | Time | Tournament | Matchup |
---|---|---|---|
October 15 | 10:00 UTC | ESL One Fall 2022 | Tundra Esports vs Team Liquid |
October 16 | 10:00 UTC | Dota Pro Circuit: EEU 2022/2023 Tour 1 | Mind Games vs HellRaisers |
October 17 | 10:00 UTC | Dota Pro Circuit: NA 2022/2023 Tour 1 | Evil Geniuses vs Gunners |
October 18 | 5:00 UTC | Dota Pro Circuit: SEA 2022/2023 Tour 1 | Fnatic vs Polaris Esports |
October 18 | 10:00 UTC | Dota Pro Circuit: WEU 2022/2023 Tour 1 | Alliance vs Into the Breach |
October 19 | 10:00 UTC | Dota Pro Circuit: China 2022/2023 Tour 1 | Royal Never Give Up vs PSG.LGD |
October 20 | 10:00 UTC | Dota Pro Circuit: SEA 2022/2023 Tour 1 | Talon Esports vs Polaris Esports |
This table highlights just a small sample of important matches across different Dota 2 leagues, tournaments, and regions worldwide. From ESL One in Europe, to DPC events in North America, SEA, and China, there is quality Dota 2 from top teams to enjoy almost every day of the week.
How to Watch Region-Locked Tournaments
Certain live streams and Dota TV access for international tournaments may be region locked or geo-blocked for legal broadcast reasons. Here are some methods you can try to bypass these restrictions:
VPNs
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) masks your IP address and location, allowing you to circumvent geo-blocks and access region restricted streaming content. Connect to a server in an eligible viewing country to unlock streams you otherwise couldn’t watch. There are many free and paid VPN services available.
Twitch Viewer Proxies
Specialized third-party services offer Twitch viewer proxies to access blocked streams by funneling your traffic through another country. These can bypass regional restrictions without installing a full VPN.
Non-Official Streams
Unofficial or pirated re-streams of tournaments are sometimes available on streaming sites and social media when the official broadcast is blocked in your region. The video quality and reliability of these tends to be poor though.
Waiting for Content
Tournament organizers will sometimes upload VODs from region-locked events to YouTube or other platforms a few days after they occur. Patience can allow you to watch international matches after the fact.
Conclusion
Dota 2 has developed into an international esport with elite talent and teams spanning across Europe, North and South America, China, Southeast Asia, and more. For fans, this provides almost non-stop competitive action to tune into day in and day out from major tournaments all over the globe. While certain broadcasts and streams remain geographically restricted, with services like Dota TV, Twitch, Steam.tv, and VPNs it’s easier than ever to spectate the highest level Dota 2 no matter where in the world it’s being played.