The International 2025 Dota 2 is about to begin

The International 2025, Dota 2's top annual tournament, will be held in Hamburg, Germany from September 4th to 11th. 16 top teams from six major regions around the world will compete for the Aegis of Champions and millions of US dollars in prize money.

This year's TI format has been completely upgraded, split into the Road to The International and the main stage. The first stage (September 4-7) consists of a Swiss-style group stage and a special elimination match. The group stage will be played over five rounds, each with a best-of-three format. Teams with the same record will advance with four wins and be eliminated with four losses.

After the end, 3 teams will advance directly to the playoffs, 3 teams will be eliminated, and the remaining 10 teams will be determined through special elimination matches to determine the final qualifiers. In the end, 8 teams will enter the main competition.

The playoffs (September 11-14) will follow the double-elimination system, with all teams starting from the winner's group. The finals will be a best-of-five series, and the rest will be a best-of-three series.

The participating lineup includes 8 directly invited teams: Team Liquid, PARIVISION, BetBoom Team, Team Tidebound, Gaimin Gladiators, Team Spirit, Team Falcons and Tundra Esports.

However, those who advanced through the regional qualifiers include Natus Vincere, Nigma Galaxy (Western Europe), Aurora Gaming (Eastern Europe), Xtreme Gaming (China), Team Nemesis, BOOM Esports (Southeast Asia), Wildcard (North America), and HEROIC (South America).

The prize pool is expected to consist of a base prize of $1.6 million USD provided by Valve and the TI 2025 Guide crowdfunding campaign, with the champion receiving approximately 45% of the prize pool. As the event approaches, players around the world are poised to experience a feast of strategic and exciting esports action.