Summary
- The International 2025 will be a legendary Dota 2 battle with the best teams going head-to-head.
- Gaimin Gladiators withdrew from the competition, opening a somewhat rare full direct invite spot for TI 2025.
- The prize pool starts from a base of $1.6 million and increases through sales of in-game Supporter Bundles.
The International 2025, or TI 2025, will be filled with some of the most exciting and thrilling Dota 2 action imaginable! Your favorite teams from around the world are set to fight for glory and prestige. And let’s not forget a huge prize pool that seems to get larger and larger every year! Let’s take a closer look at everything you need to know and catch all the crazy moments that will happen.
Tournament Format and Schedule
The International 2025 (TI14), the fourteenth Dota 2 International tournament, will happen from September 4th to September 14th 2025, at the Barclays Arena in Hamburg, Germany. Notably, there is a major change to the tournament format this year, switching from the previous round-robin format to a Swiss-system format.
Group Stage
The tournament’s first phase is “The Road to The International.” This group stage, taking place from September 4 to 7, will feature a five-round Swiss bracket of sixteen teams. Moreover, all matches are Bo3 in this phase.
Notably, the first three teams to make it through from the group stage will directly move on to the playoffs. Meanwhile, the teams that finish in 4th to 13th place will make a special elimination round, where five more teams will move on to the playoffs. The rest of the teams will face elimination from the tournament at this stage.
Playoffs Stage
The playoffs will be from September 11 to 14, which consists of the best eight teams in a double-elimination bracket. The playoff matches are Bo3 matches, with the exception of the Grand Final, which will be the best of five (Bo5) for Aegis of Champions.
Participating Teams and Qualification
The International 2025 (TI14) is the premier event for Dota 2 esports with 16 elite teams from six regions of the globe. For 2025, the eight teams directly invited are based on outstanding placement and performance throughout the competitive esports season. However, there is now an open direct invite spot following Gaimin Gladiators’ dropping out of the tournament.
- Team Liquid
- PARIVISION
- BetBoom Team
- All Gamers Global
- Team Spirit
- Team Falcons
- Tundra Esports
Meanwhile, the last eight spots had pretty hot competition through regional qualifiers in June of 2025.
- NAVI Jr.
- Nigma Galaxy
- Team Nemesis
- BOOM Esports
- Aurora Gaming
- Xtreme Gaming
- Wildcard
- HEROIC
Qualification Process
The qualifying event for TI 2025 kicked off with open qualifiers around the world in late May. And then the regional playoffs quickly came along in the following weeks in mid-June.
The slot allocations were evenly distributed, as Western Europe and Southeast Asia had two slots available in their regional qualifiers. Meanwhile, Eastern Europe, China, North America, and South America only had one regional qualifier option.
Prize Pool and Rewards
The Dota 2 The International 2025 prize pool is designed with the intention of being both large and community-funded. The fund will start with a base prize fund of $1.6 million USD provided by Valve, Dota 2’s developer.
The interesting thing about the prize funding structure for TI 2025, as compared to the other esports tournaments, is that the prize pool relies on the sales of Supporter Bundles. These are digital cosmetic item packages that fans can purchase to support their favourite team or player.
Every sale from these Supporter Bundles will see 30% of the revenue directly added to the prize pool. Notably, it has increased from the previous percentage of 25% historically since 2013.
Final Thoughts
Will you be there to fully geek out about The International 2025, the beating heart of Dota 2’s biggest event? You should, because you can guarantee that it’ll be fun! The quest for the Aegis of Champions is going to highlight unbelievable talent and some of the most monstrous plays that Dota 2 has to offer. So tune in, be it live or stream, and prepare to be amazed as history is written before your eyes.
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