DreamLeague S25 grand final delayed after DDoS attacks

The DreamLeague S25 grand finals have been delayed due to reported DDoS attacks on the competing teams.

The Dota 2 esports scene is no stranger to technical difficulties, even at the highest levels. Andreas “Cr1t” Nelson once criticized “unreal lag” at DreamLeague S24 while on the Western Europe server, notably also during the grand finals. Even so, these technical issues are typically resolved on the same day to keep games going.

TUNDRA vs TEAM SPIRIT – GRAND FINAL – DREAMLEAGUE SEASON 25 DOTA 2

This was not the case for DreamLeague S25. Four games into the grand finals series between Team Spirit and Tundra Esports, the match was suddenly paused. After several hours of waiting, event organizers officially announced a postponement, leaving tired fans scratching their heads.

DDoS attacks reported for Team Spirit at DreamLeague S25

Magomed “Collapse” Khalilov and Denis “Larl” Sigitov reportedly experienced DDoS attacks during the fourth game of the DreamLeague S25 grand finals. The fourth bout between Team Spirit and Tundra Esports was suddenly stopped after technical issues across the side for Team Spirit. After several hours of anxious waiting, viewers were informed that the event had been officially postponed.

Team Spirit revealed on social media that two members of the team experienced severe DDoS attacks. Collapse clarified more about the incident via his Telegram account. He states that a person sent hundreds of spam invites and chat requests, which significantly impacted Collapse’s gaming machine. Dota 2 esports fans criticized Valve for the issue, especially since it has been a known problem.

Users shared instances of a similar exploit in 2024. Valve reportedly fixed the issue back at that time, but the exploit has seemingly returned in full force. In 2015, The International (TI5) was delayed by a lone DDoS attack, showcasing the consistency of the issue for pro Dota 2 players at the highest levels.

Due to the lengthy delay, the organizers decided to postpone Game 4 of the DreamLeague S25 Grand Finals to March 4, 2025. Players from Team Spirit and Tundra Esports made their disappointment known on social media.

Team Spirit and Tundra Esports react to delayed DreamLeague S25 grand finals

Players on both teams shared their takes on the DDoS situation and the resulting delayed grand finals match at DreamLeague. 

“That was a very unlucky ending for this neverending tournament, but nothing scary,” Collapse said, translated from Russian.

[RU] Team Spirit vs Tundra Esports | DreamLeague S25: Гранд Финал | Bo5

On the in-game chat, Martin “Saksa” Sazdov of Tundra Esports jokingly criticized Team Spirit for not having DDoS protections for its players. Collapse bantered with Saksa that someone must “really want Tundra to win,” implying the DDoS attacker would lose a lot of money if Team Spirit won the game.

So far, the match was in Team Spirit’s favor, going 2-1 against Tundra Esports. As with any competitive game, both teams won’t be relaxing until it’s actually over. Many games that seemingly had a clear winner would suddenly have upsets for one reason or another.

Some viewers claim Team Spirit was on its way to victory by Game 4. Broadcasters for DreamLeague agreed. The DDoS attack may have given Tundra Esports an opportunity to get itself back into a series that may otherwise have been lost.

The setback made viewers eager to see the Grand Finals winner for DreamLeague S25, and many hope these issues stop for the good of the game’s competitive health.