A better run for the Philippines this year, topping out at fifth place.
It was a quick grand final last Tuesday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as Greece took home the IESF WEC 2024 Dota 2 trophy with an indisputable display of skill. The Greek squad swept Sweden 2-0 with an indisputable display of skill that left the Swedes reeling.
The Philippines’ Team SIBOL on the other hand placed fifth. They lost to Greece 2-1 in a back-and-forth quarterfinals match. A lackluster result but still an improvement from last year where the Philippines bottomed out at the group stage.
Things looked very good for the Philippines this time around at the start of the tournament. This time they finished at the top of their group, winning with some of the fastest average game time. They won 2-0 both Saudi Arabia and Sweden, giving them a spotless record heading into the playoffs.
However, that momentum would come crashing into the wall known as team Greece. It took a while for them to wake up; they finished second in their group, dropping one match against Kyrgyzstan. But once they were online they proved to be an incredibly resilient team. All three of SIBOL’s games against Greece went past 40 minutes, showing just how closely matched the two squads were.
In the end, however, it was Greece who prevailed. They had a similarly close match against previous champions Mongolia in the semifinals, taking them down 2-1. With their two hardest matches out of the way, nothing was stopping Greece from becoming the IESF WEC 2024 Dota 2 champions.
Banner photo from IESF World Esports Championship 2024.