
The International 2025

Contents
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The International, in general, is the flagship, culminating event of the Dota 2 eSports calendar—the world championship of the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC). It doesn’t belong to any competitive series. It’s probably the most prestigious eSports event, or at least one of them, boasting the largest prize pools and attracting a massive global audience.
The principal organizer is Valve, the developer of Dota 2. It partners with PGL, a Romanian eSports production company, which handles the event hosting and production duties.
Where and When Will The International 2025 Be Held?
September 4–14, 2025, is the full span of the event, covering both the Group Stage and the Playoffs. Specifically, the Group Stage runs approximately September 4–7, followed by Playoffs from September 11–14. A total of 16 premier Dota 2 teams will compete in TI 2025.
The main event—including the Group Stage and Playoffs—will be held offline (LAN) in Barclays Arena in Hamburg, Germany. Qualifiers (open and regional) were held online in the lead-up. The Barclays Arena in Hamburg, Germany, is hosting the main event.
The total prize pool is US$1.6 million. The exact distribution breakdown (e.g., per placement) hasn’t yet been publicly detailed.
Which Teams Will Take Part in The International 2025?
A total of 16 teams will compete, comprised of 8 direct invites and 8 teams who qualified through regional closed qualifiers.








































































































Direct invites were granted by Valve based on teams’ performances in the 2025 competitive season—either through strong tournament results or consistent high-level play. These teams bypassed qualifiers and earned spots directly:
- Team Liquid
- PARIVISION
- BetBoom Team
- Team Tidebound
- Gaimin Gladiators
- Team Spirit
- Team Falcons
- Tundra Esports
Regional qualifiers—Teams earned their places by winning their respective closed qualifier tournaments across 6 regions:
- NAVI Junior (Western Europe)
- Nigma Galaxy (Western Europe)
- Aurora Gaming (Eastern Europe)
- Xtreme Gaming (China)
- Team Nemesis (Southeast Asia)
- BOOM Esports (Southeast Asia)
- Wildcard (North America)
- HEROIC (South America)
Features of The International 2025
The International 2025 has 2 tournament stages:
The Group Stage, also known as The Road to The International, includes the Elimination Round.
- Format: 16 teams compete in a 5-round Swiss system, all matches best-of-3 (Bo3). Teams that reach 4 wins automatically advance to the playoffs—the first 3 teams that do so; those with 4 losses are eliminated. The remaining 10 teams face off in a special Elimination Round (higher-ranked vs. lower-ranked); 5 winners move on to the Playoffs, and 5 losers are out.
Playoffs, i.e., the main event, the actual The International.
- Format: Elite 8 teams enter a Double-elimination bracket. All matches are Best-of-3 (Bo3), except the Grand Final, which is Best-of-5 (Bo5).
Who’ll Win The International 2025?
Bookmakers currently list the following teams as the top contenders to win TI 14: Team Spirit, PARIVISION, and Team Liquid
These 3 have the most favorable odds among all participating teams.
If you’re considering betting on the tournament, here are some reliable platforms offering competitive Dota 2 markets: BetOnline, BetUS, and BetNow are broadly recommended for their strong odds and variety of markets. BC.Game is notable for its integrated live-streaming experience, which is great for in-play betting. These sites, considered top eSports betting sites, offer both pre-match bets (e.g., outright winner, to reach final) and live/in-play markets covering map outcomes, prop bets (like first blood, Roshan, etc.), and even futures.
Since 2013, TI’s prize pools have been partially crowdfunded via Battle Pass sales, with a portion of revenue contributing to the total. The prize pool has historically reached record highs, sometimes topping $40 million, like in 2021. TI 2025 introduces a Swiss-system Group Stage, replacing the traditional round-robin format seen in earlier years. TI 2018 drew over 15 million online viewers and was at Rogers Arena with ~20,000 attendees.
Pros and Cons of The International 2025 Favorites
TEAM | Team Spirit | PARIVISION | Team Liquid |
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