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Riyadh Masters 2023 is almost here. This year's edition is bigger in multiple ways. This article will tell you everything you need to know about the upcoming Dota 2 tournament. We'll keep this article updated as new information comes out.  

Riyadh Masters 2023 Schedule

  The Riyadh Masters schedule hasn't been announced beyond the time window that the tournament will be included in. We know that it will take place in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, between the 19th and 30th of July, 2023. The Play-in Stage will happen during the first two days; Group Stage unfolds between the 21st and 24th of July; Playoffs will cap off the tournament between the 25th and 30th. We will add the official schedule as soon as it is announced.  

Teams

  Riyadh Masters 2023 has twice the amount of participants as compared to last year's edition. The 20 teams attending the tournament have already been confirmed. They are divided into two pools, Group Stage and Play-ins. Here are the Play-In teams:

• 9Pandas
• beascoast
• Entity
• Execration
• OG
• Quest Esports
• Team Aster
• Team Liquid
• Team Secret
• TSM
• Virtus.Pro
• Xtreme Gaming

 

(Image via Gamers8 Twitter)

  And the Group Stage Teams:

• BetBoom Team
• Evil Geniuses
• Gaimin Gladiators
• PSG.LGD
• Shopify Rebellion
• Talon Esports
• Team Spirit
• Tundra Esports

The invite process to Riyadh Masters 2023 has been explained by ESL here.  

Riyadh Masters 2023 Prize Pool

  Last year's edition of Riyadh Master had an impressive prize pool, but 2023 just knocks it completely out of the park. This year's 15 million USD dwarfs the 2022 pool of 4 million USD. The first place alone will receive 5 million USD.  

(Image via Liquipedia)

This is what made Riyadh Masters stand out last year, and it remains an even bigger draw this time. For reference, the three Majors that took place in 2023: Lima, Berlin and Bali had 500 thousand USD available as a prize pool for each of them. The team who finishes third place at Riyadh will get more money than Gaimin Gladiators did from winning all three Majors.  

Format

  Due to the doubling of the participants, the format had to be changed for Riyadh Masters 2023. The tournament has been split into three separate stages: Play-ins, Groups and Playoffs.  

(Image via Gamers8 Twitter)

  Riyadh Masters Play-ins:

• 12 teams are divided into two groups of 6.
• They'll play single round-robin BO2s.
• The first two seeds from each group automatically qualify for the next stage.
• 3rd seed from either group will play the opposite group's 6th seed.
• 4th seed from either group will play the opposite group's 5th seed.
• Winners of the previously mentioned matches also qualify for Group Stage.
• In total, 8 teams will make it to Groups, and 4 will be eliminated in Play-ins.

Riyadh Masters Group Stage:

• 16 teams are split into two groups of 8.
• Single round-robin BO2s.
• As with the Majors, the top 4 teams from each group get to the Upper Bracket of the Playoffs.
• 5th/6th Teams from each group get to the Lower Bracket. 7th/8th are eliminated from the tournament.

Riyadh Masters Playoffs:

• Double elimination bracket between the 12 top teams of the tournament.
• All matches are BO3 except for the Grand Finals, which will be a BO5.

Although it doesn't have any DPC points attached to it, having the format used in other Majors with the addition of a Play-in stage and a massive prize pool should make this an extremely exciting tournament to watch.

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Featured image courtesy of PSG.LGD. Keep tabs on Esports Heaven to be up-to-date with the latest coverage on the Dota 2 Pro Circuit.