The International 2025

The International 2025 is the 14th edition of The International, the season’s final tournament for Dota 2. It’s commonly referred to as TI 14 or TI 2025. The tournament runs from early to mid-September through 2 stages.
Subject Dota 2
Start Date September 4, 2025
End Date September 14, 2025
Status Coming Soon
Location Barclays Arena (Hamburg, Germany)
Prize Pool $1,600,000
Participants 16 men’s teams
Type Offline (LAN)
Tournament Champion
Format Group Stage (Swiss system), and Playoffs (Double-elimination)
Organizer Valve and PGL

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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.
Team Liquid
1
miCKe
2
Nisha
3
SaberLight
4
Boxi
5
Insania
Team Liquid
PARIVISION
1
Crystallis
2
No[o]ne-
3
DM
4
9Class
5
Dukalis
PARIVISION
BetBoom Team
1
Pure~
2
kiyotaka
3
MieRo`
4
Save-
5
Kataomi`
BetBoom Team
Team Tidebound
1
shiro
2
NothingToSay
3
Bach
4
planet
5
y`
Team Tidebound
Gaimin Gladiators
1
watson
2
Quinn
3
Ace
4
tOfu
5
Malady
Gaimin Gladiators
Team Spirit
1
Yatoro
2
Larl
3
Collapse
4
rue
5
Miposhka
Team Spirit
Team Falcons
1
skiter
2
Malr1ne
3
ATF
4
Cr1t-
5
Sneyking
Team Falcons
Tundra Esports
1
Crystallis
2
bzm
3
33
4
Saksa
5
Whitemon
Tundra Esports
Natus Vincere
1
gotthejuice
2
Niku
3
pma
4
Zayac
5
Riddys
Natus Vincere
Nigma Galaxy
1
Ghost
2
SumaiL
3
No!ob
4
OmaR
5
GH
Nigma Galaxy
Aurora Gaming
1
Nightfall
2
kiyotaka
3
TORONTOTOKYO
4
Mira
5
panto
Aurora Gaming
Xtreme Gaming
1
Ame
2
Xm
3
Xxs
4
XinQ
5
poloson
Xtreme Gaming
Team Nemesis
1
Akashi
2
Mac
3
Raven
4
Jing
5
Erice
Team Nemesis
BOOM Esports
1
JaCkky
2
Armel
3
Jabz
4
TIMS
5
Jaunuel
BOOM Esports
Wildcard
1
Yamsun
2
RCY
3
Fayde
4
Bignum
5
Speeed
Wildcard
HEROIC
1
Yuma
2
4nalog
3
Wisper
4
Scofield
5
KJ
HEROIC
Load more

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

TEAMTeam SpiritPARIVISIONTeam Liquid
PROS
  • Proven TI pedigree—Champions at TI 10 (2021) and TI 12 (2023), showing they can deliver under the highest pressure.
  • World-class core duo—”Yatoro” and “Collapse” remain among the most versatile and consistent players in Dota 2.
  • Adaptability—Known for meta mastery, they quickly adjust draft mid-tournament.
  • Momentum—Strong results in recent LANs leading up to TI 14.
  • Breakout season—Their rise in 2025 was meteoric, winning multiple S-tier tournaments.
  • Innovative strategies—Often set the pace of the meta instead of reacting to it.
  • Strong team synergy—Tight coordination, especially in early-mid game map control.
  • Fearless laning—Known for aggressive lane dominance against even top-tier opponents.
  • Consistently elite—Frequently top-3 finishes at Majors and other LANs since 2022.
  • Deep hero pool—Especially in the mid and offlane, allowing them to adapt to shifting metas.
  • TI Playoffs experience—Third at TI 11 (2022) and winners of TI 13 (2024), proving they can reach the last day.
  • Stable roster—Long-standing core keeps communication and trust levels high.
CONS
  • Occasional slow starts—Sometimes drop early group-stage matches before ramping up.
  • Draft risks—Can over-experiment with unconventional hero picks that backfire.
  • High expectations—As perennial favorites, they face constant pressure and heavy anti-strat from opponents.
  • TI inexperience—First TI appearance under this banner; untested in the unique pressure cooker of The International.
  • Limited late-game sample—Most wins come from snowballing early; late-game decision-making could be tested at TI.
  • Susceptible to comeback drafts—Can struggle if opponents survive the early onslaught.
  • “Final hurdle” problem—Multiple close calls but no TI win in recent years; may carry psychological baggage.
  • Occasional draft inflexibility—When meta shifts suddenly, they take longer to adjust than ultra-flex teams.
  • Heavy scouting focus—Other teams prepare extensively for them because they’re a constant contender.
If you could hand the Aegis to one team right now — before a single match is played — who would you choose?
MILOS VASILJEVIC
He’s the mastermind behind our captivating content, leveraging his extensive journalism experience to craft compelling sports news and insightful betting predictions. His passion for the game and knack for storytelling ensure our readers are always engaged and informed, bringing a unique and expert perspective to every piece he writes.
Publication date : 11.08.2025
Last modified date: 11.08.2025

Frequently Asked Questions

How many teams are competing at TI 14, and how were they selected?
What’s new about the TI 14 format compared to past editions?
Where is TI 14 taking place, and is it a LAN event?