Next week will see the UK debut of DreamHack as the three-day major esports event will feature a grand total of almost $1.7 million (£1.3m) in prize money, making it one of the nation’s most lucrative, single-location esports events ever.
The event will take place in the NEC Arena from March 27 to March 29.
The total prize pool is combined across various events as the gaming festival welcomes seven major esports titles in Dota 2, Call of Duty, Call of Duty: Warzone, Halo Infinite, Fatal Fury: City of Wolves, Street Fighter 6, and Trackmania.
And massive names will be travelling to the event, including elite Dota teams, the Call of Duty League (CDL) franchise teams, and Esports World Cup hopefuls in various titles.
What’s On At DreamHack Birmingham 2026?
The main event of the long weekend is the ESL One Birmingham Dota 2 tournament, which will feature a $1m (£749k) prize pool with $290k (£217k) going to the winner, $130k (£97k) to second-place, and $105k (£78k) for third.
The event will see 16 of the world’s best Dota 2 teams competing in the bp pulse LIVE arena, including ESL One Raleigh 2025 champions Parivision and five-time Dota Major winners OG.
Meanwhile, the CDL Major II will feature a $325k (£273k) prize pool with 12 franchised Call of Duty teams, including OpTiC and FaZe, competing for the $150k (£112k) grand prize.
Additionally, the Birmingham Challengers Open will offer a big opportunity for grassroots teams as the top two will qualify for the CDL Pro-Am Major III, where they will play against pro teams.
Many other events will also act as qualifiers for the Esports World Cup, with DreamHack Birmingham offering slots for Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, Street Fighter 6, and Trackmania.
DreamHack Birmingham will also offer $100k (£75k) in prize money across multiple Halo Infinite tournaments and the LAN finals of the Call of Duty: Warzone Resurgence Series.
What part of DreamHack Birmingham are you most excited for? Let us know on the Insider Gaming Discord.
And see other UK LAN news, like the second death of Insomnia Gaming Festival.
