
Asia Pacific Predator League 2026
Contents
- Asia Pacific Predator League 2026
- Venue, Format, and Prize Pool Overview for the Asia Pacific Predator League 2026
- Participating Teams in the Asia Pacific Predator League 2026 and Qualification Overview
- Tournament Structure and Match Format of the Asia Pacific Predator League 2026
- The Asia Pacific Predator League 2026 Favorites, Betting Options, and Where to Watch
- Pros and Cons of the Asia Pacific Predator League Series for the APAC Region
- FAQs
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For the 2026 cycle, the tournament is scheduled to take place from January 8 (or January 9, depending on the regional program rollout) through January 11, 2026, hosted in India, marking a significant moment for the region. This will be the first time the Asia Pacific Predator League finals are held in India, highlighting the country’s rapid rise as a major esports market and Acer’s strategic expansion into South Asia’s competitive gaming scene
The importance of the tournament lies in its unique positioning: while it isn’t part of Valve’s Dota 2 Pro Circuit or tied to The International, it remains one of the most valuable regional showcase events. It gives rising APAC teams a platform to test themselves against stronger regional rivals, provides significant visibility due to Predator’s global branding, and often serves as a stepping stone for squads aiming to break into tier-one competitions.
The event is both sponsored and organized by renowned Taiwanese computer hardware and electronics producer Acer, under its “Predator” gaming brand (Acer’s premium gaming hardware line), which handles everything from regional qualifiers to the grand finals production.
Venue, Format, and Prize Pool Overview for the Asia Pacific Predator League 2026
For its first-ever India-hosted edition, the Asia Pacific Predator League 2026 will use a hybrid online/offline format: opening stage is online on a Singapore server, while the finals are held as a grand offline LAN event – in front of a live audience, with full stage production, broadcast crews, and high-end Predator hardware powering the competitionat – at Hall 14 GF of the Bharat Mandapam convention complex in New Delhi, one of India’s largest and most modern event hubs. Its scale and infrastructure make it a natural fit for a multi-day eSports festival, allowing Acer to blend live competition with fan zones, product showcases, and immersive brand installations.
The Dota 2 tournament will feature a field of 12 teams, bringing together the top representatives from across the Asia-Pacific region.
For 2026, the Asia Pacific Predator League features a USD 100,000 prize pool specifically for Dota 2 (separate from the prize pool of the tournament’s other title). In addition, an extra USD 10,000 is reserved for the tournament’s MVP award. The distribution works roughly as follows:
- 1st place — USD 65,000
- 2nd place — USD 20,000
- 3rd–4th places — USD 7,500 each
- Teams finishing 5th–12th (i.e., the rest of the participants) receive no prize money according to the publicly available distribution.
Participating Teams in the Asia Pacific Predator League 2026 and Qualification Overview
The majority of the participating teams are publicly known, but the full 12-team list for the Asia Pacific Predator League 2026 is incomplete because a few regional qualifier events are yet to be held.











Teams from national/regional qualifiers that secured berths at APPL 2026:
- From the Predator League 2026 Philippines Qualifier, the teams from the nation that secured spots at the finals are KUKUYS, Execration, and Team Nemesis.
- From the Predator League 2026 Indonesia Qualifier, two teams — Veroja and REKONIX — will compete in New Delhi.
- From the qualifier in Mongolia, the team ZEZE is listed among the participants at the APPL 2026.
- Two teams successfully passed Malaysian qualifications: Atlantis 2.0 and Sentry Symphony Esports.
- For now, two teams will represent the host nation, India: Last Hope and Euphoria Esports.
The remaining two slots will be filled by winners (or top finishers) of Chinese and Thai national qualifiers, though those qualifiers aren’t (yet) all officially confirmed. There’s a high probability that teams from nations that already gave representatives at the Asia Pacific Predator League 2026, such as Malaysia or India, will fill the empty slots.
Tournament Structure and Match Format of the Asia Pacific Predator League 2026
The tournament has two main stages for the finals:
- Group stage (January 9, 2026) — four groups, each containing three teams.
- Format: Single round-robin within each group (i.e., each team plays the other two teams in its group once).
- All matches are best-of-1 (bo1).
- Only the top team from each group advances to the playoffs; other teams are eliminated after the group stage.
- Playoffs (January 11, 2026) — after group stage.
- Format: Double-elimination bracket.
- All matches are best-of-3 (bo3).
The Asia Pacific Predator League 2026 Favorites, Betting Options, and Where to Watch
Because the official 12-team finals line-up isn’t fully public at the moment, any favorites list is somewhat speculative — but based on recent qualifier results and regional strength, a few teams (or national contingents) look strong.
Teams coming from regions with historically deep Dota 2 talent (the Philippines, Indonesia) tend to be among the favorites. For example, from the Philippine qualifier, these are KUKUYS, Execration, and Team Nemesis. Given that those teams already proved themselves in competitive national qualifiers (with bo5 finals at their qualifier stage), they likely have momentum and experience that will make them dangerous contenders
General-purpose e-sports bookmakers or sportsbooks that list Dota 2 — many of the global betting platforms referenced in eSports betting guides support tournaments like this. Types of bets you could expect: match winner, map winner, tournament winner, possibly first blood / kills / over–under props — similar to traditional eSports betting offerings.
According to the official listing, APPL 2026 will likely be broadcast via the primary English stream on standard eSports streaming channels such as Twitch or YouTube (common for Dota 2 events). Many prior editions of similar events have used those platforms. Once the talent/caster lineup and full schedule are announced (as the organizers often do closer to the event), the official broadcast link will likely be posted on the event’s website and social-media channels.
Pros and Cons of the Asia Pacific Predator League Series for the APAC Region
| PROS | CONS |
| Boosts regional eSports visibility – The tournament brings international attention to emerging APAC markets and helps establish them as credible eSports hubs. | Not part of the official DPC ecosystem – Results don’t impact Valve’s pro circuit, limiting its competitive significance in the global Dota 2 hierarchy. |
| Opportunities for rising semi-pro teams – Provides a platform for lesser-known squads from smaller regions (e.g., Mongolia, India, Oceania) to face stronger SEA opponents. | Uneven competitive depth – Talent disparity between regions (e.g., strong SEA vs. weaker Oceania/South Asia) sometimes results in one-sided matches. |
| Strengthens national eSports structures – Forced national qualifiers encourage countries to run structured, locally organized tournaments. | Short tournament duration – With only 2–3 days of finals play, teams have limited time on stage to prove consistency. |
| Brand investment drives infrastructure growth – Acer’s involvement supports local event production, PC hardware investment, and venue upgrades. | Heavily sponsor-driven – Tournament continuity depends on Acer’s commercial commitments rather than an independent esports federation. |
| Accessible event for new fans – Fun festival-style production makes it appealing to casual viewers who may not follow Dota 2 deeply. | Limited prize pool – Compared to major SEA events, the money available may not be enough to attract top-tier rosters or imported stars. |
| Regional multicultural exchange – Teams from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds meet, practice, and compete together, improving APAC integration. | No long-term league – The tournament is standalone and doesn’t create seasonal continuity or long-term narratives between teams. |
| Visibility for emerging eSports markets like India – Hosting the finals accelerates local ecosystem development and legitimizes competitive gaming. | Travel & logistics cost barriers – Smaller teams from developing regions may struggle with visas, travel funding, and preparation. |
| Platform for brand storytelling and sponsorships – Gives non-endemic and endemic sponsors a unique entry point into APAC eSports. | Inconsistent data transparency – Not all qualifiers publish results and brackets, making it hard for international audiences to follow. |




