From April 22, top-level competitive Dota 2 returns to the UK as ESL One Birmingham takes over the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, England. With 12 of the very best teams from around the globe vying for essential ESL Pro Tour points, Birmingham will play host to a competition that will test whether the likes of Team Falcon can continue their dominance, or a change in venue will see new times rise to the top. Here’s everything to know about ESL One Birmingham in our Group Stage preview.
ESL One Birmingham Outright Odds
To start the preview, let’s look at some numbers and the outright odds. If you’ve been following pro Dota 2 in 2024, there’ll be no surprises in the positioning, but these are also fractional odds, so we’ve put the teams in order just to simplify things. For more details on Dota 2 odds, check out our guide.
These outright odds are provided by GG.Bet, and below the table lists the top teams most likely to outright win the tournament at the time of writing. Learn more about GG.Bet, an esports betting platform, in our GG.Bet review.
| Team | Outright GG.Bet Odds |
|---|---|
| Team Falcons | 12/5 |
| Xtreme Gaming | 15/4 |
| Team Spirit | 15/4 |
| Team Liquid | 11/2 |
| BETBOOM Team | 7/1 |
| Gamin Gladiators | 15/2 |
| G2 x iG | 9/1 |
| Tundra Esports | 49/4 |
| Shopify Rebellion | 14/1 |
| OG | 18/1 |
| Heroic | 30/1 |
| Talon Esports | 30/1 |
Format and Schedule
Brining the best Dota competitors in the world back to a UK venue for the first time since 2019, ESL One Birmingham will take place in the Resorts World Arena, Birmingham, with $1,000,000 on the line. $300,000 of that will go to the winners, with the rest distributed between second to twelfth place.
There’s also a total of 26,640 EPT (ESL Pro Tour) Points up for grabs. EPT Points are earned from all ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) Dota 2 events, and at the end of the season, the eight teams with the highest EPT teams will qualify for Riyadh Masters 2024 at the Esports World Cup 2024.
The tournament itself has two stages:
- Group Stage – Two groups of six teams in a round-robin bracket. The top two teams in each group will move onto the Upper Bracket of the Playoff. Third and fourth place will move to the Lower Bracket, while the bottom two teams will be eliminated.
- Playoffs – Double elimination bracket. All matches are Bo3, except the Grand Final which will be Bo5.
Group A will consist of BetBoom Team, G2 x iG, Shopify Rebellion, Talon Esports, Team Falcons, and Team Liquid. Group B consists of Gaimin Gladiators, Heroic, OG, Team Spirit, Tundra Esports, and Xtreme Gaming.
Below we’ll take a look at who’s favoured in each group, based on their overall outright odds. These odds are provided by GG.Bet.
ESL One Birmingham Group Stage Preview
Group A
- Team Falcons (12/5)
- Team Liquid (11/2)
- G2 x iG (9/1)
- Shopify Rebellion (14/1)
Ask anyone who’s paid any attention to Dota in the past four months, and they’ll agree that Team Falcons is topping this group. The Team has looked unstoppable in almost every event they’ve attended, and even a Grand Finals loss to Xtreme Gaming in Elite League shouldn’t dissuade you – especially given Xtreme are sitting in the other group.
Behind them, Team Liquid and G2 x iG seem primed to fight over the second Upper Bracket group spot. We’ve put Team Liquid to edge out G2 x iG here, as the team has a little more LAN experience, and has generally performed better in Playoff and Group Stage in recent events.
With a packed field behind them Shopify Rebellion is likely to edge out an underperforming BetBoom Team and a regionally isolated Talon Esports, just due to their familiarity with the other teams in the bracket.
Group B
- Xtreme Gaming (15/4)
- Gaimin Gladiators (15/2)
- Team Spirit (15/4)
- OG (18/1)
Xtreme Gaming are proof that Chinese Dota is back on top, having been the only team in months that’s been able to hold a candle to the dominance of Team Falcons. Since there’s been no gameplay patch (Crownfall notwithstanding) since Xtreme’s last outing, expect a easy trip to the upper bracket for Xtreme gaming.
Gaimin Gladiators are primed to perform in a group that doesn’t have anything near their usual level of competition. The team that last year were favorites to win The International, and won every single Major, has struggled to replicate its success in 2024. However, with more time on a patch to develop strategies, GG should be able to capitalize.
Team Spirit has also struggled to regain their moment in 2024, but again, with a longer patch should easily make it out of this group, even if the team will likely struggle against both GG and Xtreme.
OG is a slightly outside chance, but with a home field advantage for Matthew “Ari” Walker, and a team that has spent a lot of time bootcamping in the UK, their familiarity with the stage could have them Playoff bound.
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