ESL One Birmingham is set to return in 2019 after a successful debut earlier in 2018. The first version of the event was a DPC Major, however the second iteration will just be a normal ESL One event.

Taking place from May 31st to June 2nd, the event will welcome twelve Dota 2 teams to the Arena Birmingham to play for $300,000 (£228,934.50).

Regional qualifiers will involve Europe, North America, China, and Southeast Asia – being hosted in March and April on the lead up to the main event.

Margot James, Minister for Digital and the Creative Industries said the following in a statement: “I’m delighted Birmingham will once again play host to an ESL tournament. It is a testament to the brilliant fans who made this such a success last year, and we look forward to welcoming fans from across the world. ESL’s presence here is a great boost for the Midlands region and further proof that esports in the UK is going from strength to strength.”

The first iteration of ESL One Birmingham was the first ever Dota 2 Major to be hosted in the United Kingdom. It sold over 1,000 tickets in the first five minutes of them being made available, proving there’s a definite audience in the UK for tournaments. The finals of the event were broadcast on BBC Three, the online-only arm of the BBC.

James Dean, Managing Director at ESL UK also commented: “We witnessed unimaginable levels of support from the UK community which genuinely surprised us all earlier this year. We can’t thank everyone enough for making ESL One Birmingham an event to truly remember and ecstatic to be returning with more next year. We’re working on implementing improvements and some additional surprise features based on superb feedback from the community this year”

Esports Insider says: ESL One Birmingham was a huge deal for esports in the UK, especially with it being a Major event that was incredibly well-received. It’s a shame that the second iteration of the event isn’t a Major, but it’s yet another promising sign for the country’s ever-growing footprint in esports. We expect to see another huge turnout and more classic memes from some of the best esports fans out there.