ESL marks its return to Genting Highlands with ESL One Malaysia 2022. Find out all about the tournament, from format, schedule, participating teams and more here! [More updates coming!]

As 2022 witnesses the return of LAN events, ESL joins in on the live hype and announced the upcoming ESL One Malaysia 2022. The vast Dota 2 scene will witness a Tier 1 Dota 2 championship take place in Genting Highlands, featuring the ever-so-passionate live crowd. This marks ESL's third event in Malaysia, after two successful events in 2017 and 2018.

The championship offers an attractive $400K USD where 12 teams will battle it out for a slice of the prize. The tournament begins on August 23rd with the Group Stage bloodbath. The Main Event starts on August 26th - 28th, in the nostalgic Arena of Stars at the Resorts World, Genting.

The Arena of Stars at Genting Highlands. Source: ESL
The Arena of Stars at Genting Highlands. Source: ESL

ESL One Malaysia 2022 Format

A total of 12 teams will attend the championship, with 7 receiving direct invites and 5 coming from each region's qualifiers. Similar to the previous TI and Major format, ESL One Malaysia uses the Round Robin Group Stage format and then the Double Elimination Playoffs.

ESL One Malaysia's Group Stage separates the 12 teams into Group A and B. From each group, teams meet each other in a BO2 match and the 2 bottom teams are eliminated. The Playoffs, as per usual, consist of BO3 matches except for the Grand Final which is a BO5.

Which teams are participating in the ESL One Malaysia 2022?

The participating teams are OG, Fnatic, Alliance, Team Liquid, Team Secret, Nigma Galaxy, Entity, Team Aster, BOOM Esports, Talon Esports, TSM FTX, and Thunder Awaken.

Here are Group A and Group B of the event:

Schedule and Broadcast for ESL One Malaysia 2022

The Group Stage of the tournament will have three separate broadcasts showing different games simultaneously. The broadcasts will be on Stream A, Stream B, and Stream C.

Markers: Stream A (Red), Stream B (Green), Stream C (Yellow).

Date [August]
Phase
Time (MYT)
23rd (Tuesday)
Group Stage
12PM - 10PM
24th (Wednesday)
Group Stage
12PM - 10PM
25th (Thursday)
Group Stage
12PM - 10PM
26th (Friday)
Playoffs (Main Stage)
12PM - 10PM
27th (Saturday)
Playoffs (Main Stage)
12PM - 10PM
28th (Sunday)
Playoffs (Main Stage)
12PM - 10PM

Group Stage Schedule

Two groups: Group A and Group B will clash in the usual Round Robin format. Teams play each other in a BO2 and the bottom two teams of each group will be eliminated. Here are the groupings for ESL One Malaysia.

  • Group A: Thunder Awaken, Talon Esports, Alliance, Team Secret, Team Aster, Entity
  • Group B: TSM FTX, Fnatic, Team Liquid, Nigma Galaxy, BOOM Esports, OG

August 23 Group Stage

Time (SGT)
Match
Score
12:00
Aster vs Talon
Entity vs Alliance
Secret vs TA
[2-0]
[2-0]
[2-0]
14:30
Secret vs Alliance
Aster vs TA
Entity vs Talon
[2-0]
[2-0]
[2-0]
17:15
OG vs Liquid
BOOM vs Fnatic
NGX vs TSM
[2-0]
[0-2]
[1-1]
19:40
OG vs Fnatic
BOOM vs TSM
NGX vs Liquid
[2-0]
[1-1]
[1-1]

August 24 Group Stage

Time
Match
Score
12:00
Aster vs Secret
Talon vs Alliance
Entity vs TA
[1-1]
[1-1]
[0-2]
14:30
Entity vs Secret
Aster vs Alliance
Talon vs TA
[1-1]
[2-0]
[1-1]
17:15
Fnatic vs Liquid
BOOM vs NGX
OG vs TSM
[1-1]
[0-2]
[1-1]
19:40
OG vs NGX
BOOM vs Liquid
Fnatic vs TSM
[2-0]
[1-1]
[1-1]

August 25 Group Stage

Time
Match
Score
12:00
Entity vs Aster
Secret vs Talon
TA vs Alliance
[1-1]
[1-1]
[1-1]
14:45
OG vs BOOM
NGX vs Fnatic
TSM vs Liquid
[0-2]
[1-1]
[1-1]
17:30
(Tiebreaker) Armel vs SumaiL 1v1
[2-0]

Playoffs Schedule

Here is the Playoffs bracket:

Date
Time
Match
Score
Aug 25
17:55
Aster vs Fnatic
[2-1]
Aug 25
17:55
OG vs Secret
[1-2]
Aug 26
12:00
Entity vs TSM
[2-0]
Aug 26
15:35
NGX vs TA
[0-2]
Aug 26
19:05
Entity vs Fnatic
[1-2]
Aug 27
12:00
TA vs OG
[1-2]
Aug 27
15:35
Aster vs Secret
[2-0]
Aug 27
19:05
Fnatic vs OG
[1-2]
Aug 28
12:00
Secret vs OG
[0-2]
Aug 28
16:00
Aster vs OG
[0-3]

List of participants

OG

ESL announced the first invitee and it is none other than OG themselves. The Stockholm Major champions are arguably the most popular Dota 2 team at the moment and their presence will bring some exciting explosions at Genting Highlands. Can OG make this their 2nd championship in a row?

Fnatic

SEA's strongest force is ready to rile up the home crowd! Fnatic has been a very consistent team despite a little roster shuffle here and there. Nevertheless, the local squad is only growing stronger over time, pulling off one of the craziest games at the Stockholm Major vs OG. Will the kings of SEA defend their territory and claim the championship?

Alliance

Alliance is bringing its legacy to the land of Malaysia! We will get to see the storied org and its colorful lineup play like a shark on the stage of Genting. Despite a tough season throughout, Alliance is far from giving up. Will we see the squad recuperate and make a magical run at the championship?

Team Liquid

Liquid will be bringing a splash to Malaysia! The team is one the most consistent in the world, now fielding a lineup of powerful veterans. Even though sometimes they show signs of imbalance, underestimating the team is foolish. Will we see Team Liquid making waves at the stage of Genting?

Team Secret

Another powerhouse joins the lineup! Team Secret will march to Malaysia and bring their high-class Dota 2 on stage this August. The team brings not only a load of experience but also raw Dota 2 talent. Unfortunately, we'll be missing long-time position 4 for Secret, Yapzor, as he takes an extended break. With Zayac filling in his shoes, will we see the storied captain, Puppey, lead his team to glory?

Nigma Galaxy

We'll not only be seeing the constellations in the sky of Genting but also stars in the arena itself. Nigma Galaxy is the 6th team unveiled to join the next big event. This would also be the first time we see SumaiL play alongside NGX at a LAN event! We can already foresee fans going wild at the sight of the two historic prodigies, SumaiL and Miracle- playing together. But will they deliver and live up to the hype?

Which teams are invited to the ESL One Malaysia Close Qualifiers?

  • Europe: Gaimin Gladiators, NAVI, Entity, and BetBoom Team
  • Southeast Asia: BOOM Esports, Polaris Esports, Team SMG, RSG, and T1
  • North America: TSM, Wildcard Gaming, Evil Geniuses, Quincy Crew, and Nouns Esports
  • South America: Thunder Awaken, Hokori, Tempest, Infamous, and beastcoast

Teams that qualified through the qualifiers: Entity, BOOM Esports, TSM, and Thunder Awaken.

ESL One Malaysia 2022 Ticket Prices and Packages

For those who are planning to attend the LAN event, there are multiple ticket packages that you can choose from. However, they are QUICKLY selling out! At the time of writing, 80% of tickets have been sold out.

Ticket options:

  • Outer Ranks Seat (1 Day): $16 (RM69)
  • Outer Ranks Seat (3 Days): $29 (RM129)
  • Inner Ranks Seat (3 Days + exclusive T-Shirt): $57 (RM249)
  • Premium Infield Seat (3 Days + exclusive T-Shirt, Goodie Bag and more): $91 (RM399) [SOLD OUT]

You can purchase your tickets here.

Cosplay Competition

A Cosplay competition to happen at the ESL One Malaysia 2022. Source: ESL
A Cosplay competition to happen at the ESL One Malaysia 2022. Source: ESL

Fans and players attending the tournament will also witness the creative side of Dota 2 with the cosplay competition. If you are interested to join in on the fun and flex your best character impersonation, you can sign up for the cosplay here. Those that sign up for the competition will receive 2 'Plus' Tickets including all the freebies for the ESL One Malaysia. Moreover, there will be a $2,200 USD (RM9,500) overall reward for the best cosplayers of the event.

Prize distribution for the ESL One Malaysia 2022 cosplay competition:

  • 1st place: $681 (RM3,000)
  • 2nd place: $567 (RM2,500)
  • 3rd place: $454 (RM 2,000)
  • Best Armour Costume: $170 (RM750)
  • Best Fabric Costume: $170 (RM750)
  • Judges Favorite: $113 (RM 500)

More awaits in August of 2022, so meanwhile, stick around Esports.gg for anything Dota 2.