Dota tournament 1win Essence III Play-In stage begins online

The Play-In stage for the online Dota 2 tournament 1win Essence III runs from November 7 to 11, 2026, Hawk Live reported. Ten teams are divided into two single round-robin groups of five teams, where every team plays all others in its group once. Matches use a best-of-three format, meaning the first team to win two games takes the series. The top two teams from each group will advance to the main event. [1]

Organized by BASED Esports, 1win Essence III is the third season of the online tournament series and takes place from November 12 to 18, 2026, according to Hawk Live. A total of 12 teams will compete for a $200,000 prize pool. Eight teams have earned direct invitations to the main tournament, while the final four places will be filled by the qualifying teams from the Play-In stage. [1]

Hawk Live reported that the main tournament opens with a group stage featuring four round-robin groups of three teams each. All matches are best-of-three series, and the top two teams from each group will advance to the playoffs while the remaining teams are eliminated. The playoff phase follows a double elimination format, where teams must lose two series before being knocked out of the competition. [1]