Dota 2’s competitive scene is largely split into regions. The best teams often face off at international events, but a large part of the competition is confined within regions, especially the decisions of which teams are invited to large events. So, let’s take a look at which teams are the best in their region.
Best North American Dota 2 Teams
The home of Valve has sometimes been referred to as a “dead” region. The number of esports teams and level of competition has fluctuated over the years, however, in 2023 three key teams rose up and took the helm of competitive Dota 2 in North America.
TSM, Shopify Rebellion, and Nouns are currently the three best teams in NA, rising far above the rest. All three consistently performed above the rest over the year and all three managed to claim a coveted spot at The International.
Normally Shopify Rebellion would be considered top dogs, however, TSM have consistently battled with them, and recently Nouns rose to the occasion, topping off their impressive year with a 7th-8th finish at TI 12.
It’s difficult to split these teams as any of them could take down the others on a good day, which makes NA an interesting region to watch in 2024.
Best South American Dota 2 Teams
South America is in an interesting spot. Like NA, they had three core teams that recently represented the region – Beastcoast, Evil Geniuses, and Thunder Awaken.
However, the post-TI shuffle has hit the region hard. A number of players from all three of the teams went their own way. Superstar pos 3 Adrián “Wisper” Dobles joined OG in Europe, meanwhile, a supposed SA superteam formed under the BOOM Esports banner, combining players from all three aforementioned teams.
So, until things settle, we can safely say that BOOM Esports will be the best team in the region, and even when other rosters do finalize, the superteam may just be heads and shoulders above the rest of the competition.
Best Western European Dota 2 Teams
Known as the most competitive region in Dota 2, Western Europe is filled to the brim with talent. There are multiple elite teams, however, two have stood above the rest in 2023 – Gamin Gladiators and Team Liquid.
The former dominated the world for most of the year, winning all three Majors, two DreamLeague seasons, BetBoom Dacha, and placing 2nd at The International. It was one of the most dominant years in Dota 2 history.
However, right behind Gaimin were Team Liquid. They also had an amazing year, and if it wasn’t for GG, we’d be talking about Liquid being one of the best Dota 2 teams of all time (even though they very well may be).
Liquid placed second place at five events this year, including three Majors and DreamLeague Season 19, and Riyadh Masters. Four of those grand final losses were to Gaimin, who showed incredible form in the first half of the year and stopped Liquid at the final hurdle every single time.
As such, it’s undeniable that Gaimin and Liquid are the best Dota 2 teams in Western Europe and maybe even the whole world.
Best Eastern European Dota 2 Teams
There sits a king upon his throne in Eastern Europe, and his name is Team Spirit. The two-time International champions are no doubt the best team in this region, having recently taken home the TI 12 trophy and proven yet again they are the best of the best.
However, they do have two fierce rivals in their region. The first is the Eastern European superteam, BetBoom, which formed at the end of 2022 and is composed of some of the region’s best players (other than the Spirit roster of course).
Going head to head with them are 9Pandas, a roster made of Dota 2 veterans and rising stars. Both teams have shown good results throughout the year and have the potential to upset the odds, but neither are on Spirit’s level just yet. It’ll be interesting to see how much they can power up going into 2024.
Best Chinese Dota 2 Teams
China is in an interesting spot. They’re a historical powerhouse in Dota 2, but 2023 was a rough year, with none of the Chinese teams really finding their footing internationally.
However, things seemed to really click at The International. Both LGD Gaming and Azure Ray surprisingly performed way above expectations, placing 3rd and 4th respectively. They seem to have figured something out but are already making adjustments going into 2024, so the region is a bit of an unknown at the moment.
To top it all off, veteran Cheng “NothingToSay” Jin Xiang left LGD after The International to join Invictus Gaming and form a star-studded roster. It looks like the title for best Chinese team in 2024 may be a three-horse race.
Best South-East Asian Dota 2 Teams
South-East Asian Dota is always a bit of a mixed bag. One week a favorite like Talon Esports places top 3 at an international event, then the next they’re losing to one of the worst teams in their regional league.
Predicting a favorite is tough, although there are some key frontrunners. Bleed Esports had a solid 2023 and recently bolstered their roster with Tommy “Taiga” Le and Natthaphon “Masaros” Ouanphakdee. Meanwhile, Aurora entered the scene with the old Talon roster and Blacklist International brought in some real firepower with Abed “Abed” Yusop and Kim “Gabbi” Villafuerte.
Honestly, any of the mentioned teams could rise up to be the best in the region and they’re all worth watching.
Best Middle Eastern and North African Teams
MENA is a bit of a strange region. It wasn’t a competitive region in the Dota Pro Circuit, but it still features two very strong teams. The recently built superteam, Team Falcons, are based in Saudi Arabia and look like they could take the Dota 2 world by storm.
Meanwhile, fan-favorite Nigma have been operating in MENA for a little while and, while not showing the best results lately, do feature some legendary names in Dota 2. Other than that, the region is a bit barren of top-level teams, so we’ll likely see Falcons be the dominant force here.
