Dota 2 Lima Major: Everything you need to know

The first Dota 2 Major of 2023, the Lima Major by 4D Esports, is approaching fast. This Major marks the first time in Dota 2 history that a South American nation hosts the huge event. Peru will welcome the best teams in the world with open arms this late February and witness the first global showdown of the year. We will update everything about Dota 2's Lima Major here so keep track of news and updates on this page.

For the live results and score updates, click here.

A total of eighteen teams from all six Dota 2 competitive regions will clash from February 22 until March 5 for coveted prize money and DPC points. The tournament kicks off with the Group Stage from February 22 until February 26. Teams and talents will have a day's rest before the Main Event kickstart on February 28. The final six days of the Major (Tuesday to Sunday) will host a live audience in Arena 1, Lima.

The teams are going to be divided into two groups of nine teams each. Teams will clash in a BO2 single round-robin matchup in respective groups. The top four teams in each group advance to the Upper Bracket of the Playoffs. The 5th to 6th place teams head to the Lower Bracket. On the other hand, the bottom three teams will be eliminated from the tournament. The Playoffs will see the standard double-elimination format with all matches being BO3 except for the Grand Final which is a BO5.

The eighteen teams that will compete in the Lima Major are Team Aster, PSG.LGD, Knights, EHOME, Execration, Geek Slate, Talon Esports, Team Liquid, Gaimin Gladiators, Tundra Esports, Entity, BetBoom Team, Team Spirit, HellRaisers, TSM, Shopify Rebellion, beastcoast, and Evil Geniuses.

Here is the prize pool and DPC points distribution for the teams.

4D Esports announced the official theme for Lima Major - Chicha. Chicha music is also known as the Peruvian Cumbia which is Andean tropical music that became widely popular in the coastal cities of Peru and mainly in Lima in the 1960s.

According to 4D Esports, the story of Chicha reminds them of the story of Dota 2 pros in the nation: "A movement born amidst criticism and a lot of adversity, but one that overcame the hate to become the thing everybody is talking about and wants to be part of," the organization described.

The Lima Major attracted massive attention, expectedly so from the region that is known for its passionate crowd. During the sales of the Lima Major's first batch of tickets, more than 20,000 people queued to make a purchase. This doesn't take into account those who wanted to make more than a single purchase. The Arena 1 venue in Lima holds a 15,000 attendees capacity.

In January 2023, Peru went into a state of emergency due to protests against the country's president. The situation has sparked concern within the Dota 2 community and many questioned if the Lima Major is in jeopardy. We reached out to 4D Esports to get clarifications regarding the situation. 4D Esports believes that the political situation will not affect the Lima Major and though it did affect freedom of movement, there is nothing to be worried about. You can read the full response by 4D Esports here.

China's top seed, PSG.LGD, faces the unfortunate VISA issue and won't be able to compete in full force. PSG.LGD's offlaner, Li "项羽 (xiang yu)" Longwu is not able to travel to Lima, Peru and veteran player, Ren "old eLeVeN" Yangwei, will serve as a substitute.

4D Esports will bring the Group Stage draw excitement to fans across the world as it will be streamed live. The broadcast will be on Friday 17th at 2:00 PM (PET) where all eighteen teams of Lima Major get sorted into Group A and Group B. Spanish caster, Marco 'Blue' Espinoza, will be the host in Spanish. Meanwhile, Alvaro "AvoPlus" Sanchez Velasco will host the stream live in English. There will be more updates regarding this on EPULZE's socials. It is likely that the broadcast take place on EPULZE's official channels.

The Lima Major Groups have been revealed! It seems like the groups are balanced with adequate powerhouses and hungry underdogs on both sides.

Group A hosts Execration, Gaimin Gladiators, TSM, Evil Geniuses, PSG.LGD, Team Spirit, Talon Esports, Tundra Esports, and EHOME.

Group B hosts Geek Slate, Team Liquid, Shopify Rebellion, beastcoast, Team Aster, BetBoom Team, HellRaisers, Entity, and Knights.

Despite qualifying for the Lima Major, HellRaisers had a conflict with carry player Daxak. The CIS player departed the team and HR is left with a spot to fill. Only five days before the Major begins, HR announces Yuragi, carry player of OG, as a stand-in.

The broadcast talents have been unveiled! We'll be seeing names like Sheever, Fogged, and Lacoste in the main broadcasts. We'll also be seeing new names like Snare hopping on the Lima Major train. On the other hand, Spanish talents were also announced, presenting names like Blue and a couple of pro players from the region - Leostyle and 4nalog. Check out the full breakdown of talents for the Lima Major here.

We have an official anthem with an emotional music video to accompany the first Dota 2 Major of the year. This anthem serves to show a brief picture of the love Peruvians have for Dota 2. Have a listen!

Stick around Esports.gg for more updates on the Dota 2 Lima Major.