The International 2025 - Direct Invites and The Road to TI

[Games News]

In the wake of all the changes still rippling through the Wandering Waters update, pro teams around the world have been hard at work, exploring fresh ways to outplay the competition. They've been battling in tournaments around the globe to put those theories to the test, all in pursuit of a single goal: to prove themselves worthy of facing off against the finest competitors in the world at The International.

Direct Invites

Amid all that action, some have already risen above the rest — and we’re excited to extend these eight teams direct invitations to Hamburg, Germany, to compete in The International 2025:

• Team Liquid
  [expand type=details]
  Michael “miCKe” Vu
  Michał “Nisha” Jankowski
  Jonáš “SabeRLight” Volek
  Samuel “Boxi” Svahn
  Aydin “Insania” Sarkohi[/expand]
  
  
• PARIVISION
  [expand type=details]
  Alan “Satanic” Galliamov
  Volodymyr “No[o]ne-” Minenko
  Dmitrii “DM” Dorokhin
  Edgar “9Class” Naltakian
  Andrey “Dukalis” Kuropatkin[/expand]
  
  
• BB Team
  [expand type=details]
  Ivan “Pure” Moskalenko
  Danil “gpk~” Skutin
  Matvei “MieRo`” Vasiunin
  Vitalie “Save-” Melnic
  Vladislav “Kataomi`” Semenov[/expand]
  
  
  
• Team Tidebound
  [expand type=details]
  Guo “shiro” Xuanang
  Cheng “NothingToSay” Jin Xiang
  Zhang “Bach” Ruida
  Lin “planet” Hao
  Zhang “y`” Yiping[/expand]
  
  
  
• Gaimin Gladiators
  [expand type=details]
  Alimzhan “watson” Islambekov
  Quinn “Quinn” Callahan
  Marcus “Ace” Christensen
  Erik “tOfu” Engel
  Arman “Malady” Orazbayev[/expand]
  
  
  
• Team Spirit
  [expand type=details]
  Illya “Yatoro” Muliarchuk
  Denis “Larl” Sigitov
  Magomed “Collapse” Khalilov
  Alexsander “rue” Filin
  Iaroslav “Miposhka” Naidenov[/expand]
  
  
  
• Team Falcons
  [expand type=details]
  Oliver “skiter” Lepko
  Stanislav “Malr1ne” Potorak
  Ammar “ATF” Al-Assaf
  Andreas “Cr1t-” Nielsen
  Wu “Sneyking” Jingjun[/expand]
  
  
  
• Tundra Esports
  [expand type=details]
  Remco “Crystallis” Arets
  Bozhidar “bzm” Bogdanov
  Neta “33” Shapira
  Martin “Saksa” Sazdov
  Matthew “Whitemon” Filemon[/expand]

The Road to TI

The remainder of the tournament field will be filled by the eight teams able to run the gauntlet of the Regional Qualifiers, with specific slot breakdowns as follows:

• Eastern Europe + South America - June 4th - June 8th
  [expand type=details]
  Eastern Europe (1 slot)
  Aurora Gaming
  Natus Vincere
  NAVI Junior
  One Move
  L1GA TEAM
  Virtus.pro
  (+4 teams from Open Qualifiers)
  
  South America (1 slot)
  HEROIC
  OG.LATAM
  Edge
  Team Den
  (+6 teams from Open Qualifiers)[/expand]
  
  
• China + North America - June 9th - 12th
  [expand type=details]
  
  North America (1 slot)
  Shopify Rebellion
  Wildcard
  (+6 teams from Open Qualifiers)
  
  China (1 slot)
  Xtreme Gaming
  Yakult Brothers
  (+6 teams from Open Qualifiers)[/expand]
  
  
• Southeast Asia + Western Europe - June 13th - June 17th
  [expand type=details]
  
  Western Europe (2 slots)
  Nigma Galaxy
  MOUZ
  OG
  AVULUS
  (+6 teams from Open Qualifiers)
  
  Southeast Asia (2 slots)
  TALON
  BOOM Esports
  Trailer Park Boys
  The MongolZ
  Ivory
  Execration
  (+4 teams from Open Qualifiers)[/expand]

A tidal wave of teams will battle for the final eight spots, meaning there’s a flood of Dota still to come. The Road to The International begins with Open Qualifiers running from May 31st–June 3rd worldwide (June 2nd–5th for China), with Regional Qualifiers to follow as detailed above. Only players in good standing with the Dota competitive community are eligible to participate.

From there, the Road continues when the sixteen invited and qualified teams face off in Hamburg, Germany. A three-day, five-round Swiss bracket followed by an elimination round will kick off on Thursday, September 4th and wrap up on Sunday, September 7th, with the eight remaining teams bound for Barclays Arena and a showdown for the Aegis of Champions set to begin on September 11th, culminating in the Grand Finals on Sunday, September 14th.

All this action gets underway in just over two weeks, so clear your calendars. Fans looking to join the fun live at Barclays Arena can grab tickets here.

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