Dota 2 The International is one of the most sought-after tournaments in esports history. And like any other year, it is set to happen this year, with many more unexpected turns.
Like Valorant Champions, League of Legends Worlds, Dota 2 has its own grand championship every team looks up to. And throughout the year those teams fight tooth and nail to secure a place among the top tier teams competing. Ever since the establishment of Dota 2 esports back in 2011, The International (TI) has been a pivotal point of interest for both esports organizations as well as investors.
The competition entertained fans year after year but was halted in 2020 due to Covid. However, the chain continued the next year, marking this year’s TI to be the 12th iteration. A total of 20 teams are set to compete in this grand tournament of which 12 already qualified through the Dota Pro Circuit 2023. The remaining teams will enter through regional qualifiers.
Dota 2 The International 2023: When does it start?
Dota 2 The International 2023 kicks off on October 12 and will feature some of the best Dota 2 matches yet to be seen by the Dota 2 community. The tournament will feature two phases of Group Stage matches from the start and will head onto the main stage. There, the chosen teams will compete against each other until October 29 when one out of all the 20 teams will emerge victorious, lifting the Aegis of Immortals.
Dota 2 The International 2023: All region-wise qualified teams
After a grueling DPC season, a total of 12 teams already qualified for this year’s TI. However, there are still eight slots up for grabs. And across the six major regions, these teams will qualify through those regional qualifiers. The top 12 teams qualifying through the DPC season are:
- Team Liquid (Dota Pro Circuit #1)
- Gaimin Gladiators (Dota Pro Circuit #2)
- Tundra Esports (Dota Pro Circuit #3)
- 9Pandas (Dota Pro Circuit #4)
- Evil Geniuses (Dota Pro Circuit #5)
- PSG.LGD (Dota Pro Circuit #6)
- Shopify Rebellion (Dota Pro Circuit #7)
- Talon Esports (Dota Pro Circuit #8)
- beastcoast (Dota Pro Circuit #9)
- Team Spirit (Dota Pro Circuit #10)
- TSM (Dota Pro Circuit #11)
- BetBoom Team (Dota Pro Circuit #12)
Apart from these 12 teams, there are a total of eight slots up for grabs. And those slots are divided into the six major regions of Dota 2. One slot goes to North America, two to South America, two to Western Europe, and one goes to Eastern Europe, China, and Southeast Asia each. The regional qualifiers started yesterday for the North America and China region. While others will start off eventually. And by the end of this month, all the qualifying teams will be known.
Dota 2 The International 2023: Schedule and format
The whole tournament is divided into two major segments, Group Stage and Main Event. And even the Group Stage is divided into two Phases. The Group Stage kicks off on October 12 with Phase One. That Phase will feature four groups with five teams each. The entirety of Phase One will feature a single round-robin format with all series played in best-of-2. The bottom team from each group at the end of this Phase will be eliminated.
For Phase Two, the top two teams from each group will fight a head-to-head battle with the opposite group. That means Group A teams will compete against Group B while C teams will fight against D teams. The winners and losers of these best-of-3 series will determine which teams go to the upper bracket and lower bracket during the Main Event.
The Main Event will kick off on October 20 and just like Group Stage, it will feature two stages. Playoffs and Finals. All 16 qualified teams will play in a double-elimination bracket with all games except the Grand Final feature best-of-3 matches. And the Grand Final will be the only best-of-5 series.
Dota 2 The International 2023 prize pool
While there is no definite figure disclosed by Valve on how much the prize pool will be for this year’s TI, the value will surely be a staggering one. As soon as any official information is handed out by the organizing party, we will surely update this section.
Dota 2 The International 2023 venues
After a lot of years, Dota 2 The International 2023 is finally coming back to the heart of Dota 2 esports, Seattle. While the Group Stage will be played from the hotels the teams will be situated in, the Main Event will feature two different venues. The venues are as follows:
- Playoffs Weekend: Seattle Convention Center’s Summit
- Finals Weekend: Climate Pledge Arena
Being the concluding event of this year’s Dota Pro Circuit, Dota 2 The International 2023, or simply TI 12 will surely become legendary. Like any other year, there are definite favorites to win this tournament. Tundra Esports looks to defend their title from last year, while Gaimin Gladiators looks to sweep yet another tournament to complete their flawless run. On the other end, Team Liquid also looks to threaten with already making every single grand final of every major tournament this year.
All in all, it is surely going to be entertaining for all the Dota 2 fans around the world. Be it those present at the stadiums or simply looking at streams from back home. That is all you need to know about Dota 2 The International 2023 right now. More information will be added along the way as those will be disclosed by Valve. Until then, feel free to check out our Dota 2 archives by clicking here.
