For weeks now, Philippine gamers have been babbling excitedly online and offline about rumors that one of the world’s largest DotA 2 tournaments will be held in the Philippines. And yes, these are not just rumors anymore. SMART and PLDT have just opened the ESL One Manila Qualifiers nationwide.

ESL One Manila is spearheaded by ESL, the world’s largest eSports company based in Germany. It will be held at the Mall of Asia Arena from April 23 to 24, 2016. Up for grabs are prestige, bragging rights, and a prize pool worth $250,000.

ESL One Manila Qualifiers

ESL One Manila Qualifiers will be held at various venues nationwide.

• Mindanao Qualifiers at Imba – Cagayan de Oro on January 24,
• Mindanao Qualifiers at Mineski Infinity – Davao on January 31,
• Visayas Qualifiers at Mineski Infinity – Cebu on February 7,
• Visayas Qualifiers at Mineski Portal – Cebu on February 14,
• Luzon Qualifiers at Mineski Infinity – Taft on February 21, and
• Luzon Qualifiers at Mineski Infinity – Dapitan on February 28.

These will be followed by an Online Qualifier set on March 6.

You and your teammates can now register to join these qualifiers at this link: http://play.eslgaming.com/dota2/southeast-asia/dota2/major/esl-one-manila-2016-qualifiers. Each team must be composed of five players.

Registered teams will participate in a single elimination tournament at their qualifier. One winning team will join the Philippine Finals from March 8 to 13, 2016. The top team will get the chance to be called Team Philippines and represent the flag at the ESL One Manila Tournament.

ESL One Manila is undoubtedly the biggest DotA 2 competition in Southeast Asia. And ESL together with SMART and PLDT is confident that it will be a world-class experience for fans at the venue and online.

“This is a milestone in the eSports industry in the Philippines, and we can’t wait for our own DOTA 2players to stand out and prove that we are at par with the best eSports players in the world,” said Mellissa Limcaoco, Head of Innovation and Product Development at Smart.

You may now buy your ESL One Manila tickets at all SM ticket outlets and at http://www.smtickets.com.

For more information about the ESL One Manila Qualifiers, please visit http://smart.com.ph/About/newsroom/press-releases/2016/01/15/pldt-smart-open-nationwide-qualifiers-for-esl-one-manila-biggest-dota-2-event-in-asia.

For more information on PLDT HOME and Smart’s Gamex, visit http://www.pldthome.com and http://www.gamex.ph/epins.