Top-tier Dota 2 esports returns to the United States with ESL One Raleigh 2025, part of the exhilarating ESL Pro Tour (EPT). The event boasts a significant prize pool, excellent broadcast talent to lead fans through all the action, and the thrill of LAN play.
Excited for ESL One Raleigh 2025? Of course you are! Our in-depth guide will help you enjoy every second of the action, featuring the format and schedule, prize pool distribution, teams competing, and our expert betting predictions.
ESL One Raleigh 2025 Schedule & Format
ESL One Raleigh 2025 runs from April 7 to 14 across two distinct stages of competition. The Group Stage kicks things off and runs from April 7 to 9. The 12 teams will be split into two groups of six, and they’ll follow a single Round-Robin format. All matches in the Group Stage consist of two games.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the upper bracket of the Playoffs Stage, the 3rd and 4th-placed teams to the lower bracket of the Playoffs, and the bottom two teams of each group are eliminated.
From April 10 to 13, the top eight teams will compete in the Playoffs Stage in front of a live crowd at the Raleigh Convention Center. This stage features a standard double-elimination bracket, with the Grand Final being best-of-five and all other matches being best-of-three.
Check out our dedicated ESL One Raleigh 2025 betting section for a complete match list with start dates and times in your region.
Prize Pool Distribution
The table below outlines how much money each team stands to make in the ESL One Raleigh 2025 event.
| Place | Prize Money | Club Reward | EPT Points |
| 1st | $250,000 | $40,000 | 6,400 |
| 2nd | $130,000 | $35,000 | 4,800 |
| 3rd | $100,000 | $27,500 | 4,000 |
| 4th | $70,000 | $22,500 | 3,200 |
| 5th/6th | $40,000 | $20,000 | 2,240 |
| 7th/8th | $25,000 | $17,500 | 1,040 |
| 9th/10th | $20,000 | $15,000 | 560 |
| 11th/12th | $15,000 | $10,000 | 280 |
| Totals | $750,000 | $250,000 | 27,920* |
* The 1st-place team in groups A and B will receive 640 EPT points.
How To Watch ESL One Raleigh 2025
Can’t make it to the Raleigh Convention Center to watch the action live? No worries! You can watch every match from the comfort of your home on our Dota 2 page, all while placing in-play wagers.
Navigate to the “Live” tab and select a game you want to watch. You’ll then see an embedded live stream and a bet slip. Alternatively, you can tune in directly to the official ESL live streams on YouTube or Twitch.
Teams Competing In ESL One Raleigh 2025
Below is a complete list of all 12 teams competing at ESL One Raleigh 2025. We’ve indicated whether a team was a direct invite based on its standing on the EPT leaderboard or fought through one of the regional qualifiers.
- PARAVISION (Direct Invite)
- BetBoom Team (Direct Invite)
- Team Falcons (Direct Invite)
- Team Liquid (Direct Invite)
- Tundra Esports (Western Europe)
- AVULUS (Western Europe)
- Team Spirit (Eastern Europe)
- Nigma Galaxy (MESWA)
- Team Tidebound (China)
- Talon (Southeast Asia)
- Shopify Rebellion (North America)
- HEROIC (South America)
Team Tidebound replaced Xtreme Gaming, which couldn’t field a complete roster. AVULUS replaced NAVI Junior due to repeated use of a “smoke bug.”
Our Predictions For ESL One Raleigh 2025
Anything can happen when the best-of-the-best are fighting on LAN for a significant prize pool. Not only that, but the top of the Dota 2 esports scene is wide open in 2025. However, we considered results from S-Tier 2025 events, matchup histories, roster changes, current team form, and stats to make our ESL One Raleigh 2025 predictions.
Important note: Our analysis should not be seen as betting advice to act upon. Past performances do not guarantee future results. Always gamble responsibly.
1. Tundra Esports
Tundra Esports has had an incredible year thus far, making it to four S-Tier event Grand Finals. They won it all at FISSURE PLAYGROUND #1 and BLAST Slam II, and then earned second-place at DreamLeague Season 25 and PGL Wallachia Season 3. To claim a spot in Raleigh, Tundra smacked down Team Secret, Gaimin Gladiators, and NAVI Junior in the Western Europe qualifier.
An early exit at FISSURE Universe Episode 4 may signal a drop in form for Tundra Esports, but they were playing with a stand-in for most of the event. Their Indonesian PO5 support player, Whitemon, was too busy finishing VISA preparation so he could make it to Raleigh. With a full-strength lineup locked and loaded, Tundra Esports is our top pick to lift the trophy.
Tundra Esports roster:
- Remco “Crystallis” Arets
- Bozhidar “bzm” Bogdanov
- Neta “33” Shapira (Captain)
- Martin “Saksa” Sazdov
- Matthew “Whitemon” Filemon
- David “MoonMeander” Tan (Coach)
2. BetBoom Team
BetBoom Team is undoubtedly a powerhouse in the CIS region, and internationally, the squad is coming off a high. Save- recently led his team to a convincing victory at FISSURE Universe Episode 4 with a 3-0 Grand Final win over Gaimin Gladiators.
What impresses us the most about BetBoom Team is how they bounced back from a relatively poor group stage performance to dominate the Playoffs Stage. Can this squad repeat their success at ESL One Raleigh? We think so!
BetBoom Team roster:
- Ivan “Pure” Moskalenko
- Danil “gpk” Skutin
- Matvey “MieRo” Vasyunin
- Vitalie “Save-” Melnic (Captain)
- Vladislav “Kataomi`” Semenov
- Anatoly “boolk” Ivanov (Coach)
3. Team Falcons
Looking at the pedigree of this squad’s players, some fans may argue that Team Falcons has been underperforming in 2025. But we have faith in the team. With the legendary Sneyking as their captain, we think Team Falcons can soar to new heights in Raleigh. We also think it’s time for coach Aui_2000—the first (and so far only) Canadian player to win The International back in 2022—to shine after joining the crew this past January.
Team Falcons roster:
- Oliver “skiter” Lepko
- Stanislav “Malr1ne” Potorak
- Ammar “ATF” Al-Assaf
- Andreas “Cr1t-” Nielsen
- Jingjun “Sneyking” Wu (Captain)
- Kurtis “Aui_2000” Ling (Coach)
4. Team Tidebound
Consider our fourth-place pick a bold prediction, but we think Team Tidebound has what it takes to make it to the top four or win the entire event! The Chinese squad is stacked with some of the best players in the scene. They also showed solid form at the previous S-Tier event, FISSURE Universe Episode 4.
After initially failing to qualify for ESL One Raleigh 2025, Team Tidebound was drafted to replace Xtreme Gaming at the event. Can they capitalize on the situation? We can’t wait to find out!
Team Tidebound roster:
- Guo “shiro” Xuanang
- Cheng “NothingToSay” Jin Xiang
- Zhang “Faith_bian” Ruida
- Lin “planet” Hao
- Zhang “y`” Yiping (Captain)
- Zhou “bLink” Yang (Coach)
We’re Ready For Raleigh
More than just another tournament, ESL One Raleigh 2025 is an opportunity for the world’s best Dota 2 teams to make a statement. Given the talent on hand for the event, we’re expecting plenty of unforgettable moments and incredible plays.
While some of the teams look to have a clear path to the podium, it’s important to remember that anything (and, really, everything) can happen in esports. That goes double when the competition is this fierce.
Make sure you stay locked to our Dota 2 betting page for real-time updates, betting odds, and live streams as the tournament unfolds.
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