PGL will be the new host for the WEU and NA DPC this season

It’s one day before the deadline for DPC roster shuffles, with the new season just around the corner. Valve has officially announced that PGL will be in charge of the North American and Western Europe DPC for the upcoming season. 

Previously, ESL was in charge of North American DPC, while DreamHack was in charge of Western European DPC.

As the new hosts of the upcoming DPC season, PGL will host all three tours for both Division I and Division II teams in both regions. They will also be in charge of hosting open qualifiers which will allow new teams to get into the professional play.

Schedule & Where to watch

DPC Winter Tour

• Open Qualifier: December 11 – 18
• Closed Qualifiers: December 19 – 22
• Division I League: January 8 – 29
• Division II League:  January 31 – February 21

The Major for the Winter Tour will be on February 24 – March 5.

DPC Spring Tour

• Open qualifiers: March 13- March 18
• Close qualifiers:  March 19- March 22
• Division I League March 12- April 2
• Division II League April 4 – April 25

The Major for the Spring Tour will be on April 28- May 7.

 DPC Summer Tour

• Open Qualifiers: May 15 – May 20
• Closed Qualifiers: May 21 – May 24
• Division I League: May 14 – June 4
• Division II League:  June 6  June 27
• The Major: June 30  – July 9

The Summer Tour Major will be the final Major before going into The International 2023.

The DPC 2023 season will feature a new format.  The duration of the each Divison has been shortened and for the upcoming DPC season, all the Division I matches will be played before the start of Division II matches. Players from the team that qualify for the Major will have more time to secure VISA as there were some major issues for players getting VISA during the last season, making some teams to forfeit from the Major and others to use substitute players during the Major. All of the matches will be live broadcasted on PGL social channels such as Twitch, YouTube and Facebook. It is also surprising to note that for the first time ever, the matches will also be live broadcasted live on TikTok.

Mixed feelings from community

It seems that ESL might be leaving the professional Dota 2 scene after many years, which has made some fans disappointed, since ESL has always brought quality production and coverage when it comes to tournaments hosted by them. ESL Faceit Group has also confirmed that it will not be hosting any DPC Tours in 2023, however they have hinted that they may have some plans for the Dota 2 space.

PGL are no strangers to the professional Dota 2 scene, with past experience in hosting 2020-2021 DPC season for the SEA region and The International 2021, along with many Majors prior. Last year they also hosted the Arlington Major and The International 2022, however, due to their production quality covering The International 2022, the organisation received backlash from the community.

It seems that Valve have given PGL a chance to redeem themselves and showcase their experience in the professional Dota 2 scene.

Header: VALVE