Pakistan’s national Dota 2 team defeated India 2-1 to qualify for the Esports Nations Cup 2026 main event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The teams met in the lower-bracket final of the South and East Asia regional qualifier on July 1. Pakistan’s victory secured the second and final qualification place available from the region.
Pakistan began its campaign with a 2-0 victory over Bangladesh before losing 2-0 to Mongolia.
India also lost 2-0 to Mongolia but remained in contention by defeating Bangladesh 2-0. That result set up a best-of-three match between Pakistan and India for the remaining qualification place.
Pakistan won the deciding series 2-1, leaving Mongolia in first place, Pakistan in second, India in third, and Bangladesh in fourth.
Pakistan’s match lineup featured YawaR, ritiredota, Mr.DeviL, Ahsan, and Sanity.
Tultras serves as the team’s coach, while the wider national roster also includes additional players registered for the tournament.
The Dota 2 competition at the Esports Nations Cup will take place in Riyadh from November 2 to 8.
It will feature 32 national teams, including 16 direct invitees, 14 teams advancing through regional qualifiers, and two wildcard entries.
The teams will be divided into four groups of eight, with the leading four teams from each group advancing to the single-elimination playoffs.
Pakistan’s victory eliminated India from the Dota 2 qualification process, rather than the entire multi-game Esports Nations Cup. India has separately qualified for the tournament’s Valorant competition.
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