Regional qualifiers for The International 2025 in Dota 2 are drawing to a close, and we already know most of the teams that have secured their coveted spots. In these qualifiers, the difference between tier-1 teams (who already hold invites) and tier-2 teams was quite evident in most regions.
The level of play was sometimes frankly laughable. What can be said when the main highlight of the qualifiers was the incident involving eSpoiled, who surrendered just seconds before the enemy Ancient fell? We encountered similarly unbelievable blunders across all regions, even in the finals (looking at North & South America and SEA). Against this backdrop, it`s challenging to imagine the winners of these regional qualifiers (with the possible exception of Aurora) realistically contending for anything significant at The International itself. However, TI history shows that teams emerging from the qualifiers are indeed capable of surprising us. In this article, we will explore what teams who survived the regional grindhouse have achieved at past Internationals.
The first The International did not feature any qualifiers; all participating teams received direct invitations. The system of qualifiers began with TI2.
At The International 2012 and The International 2013, qualifiers were divided into just **two regions**: East (SEA and China) and West (CIS, Europe, and North America). Each region was allocated one slot. An additional spot was contested in a Wild Card between teams that finished second in their respective regions.
Before The International 2014, the number of regions was **increased to four**: the East was split into China and SEA, and the West into Europe and North America. Each region received one slot, and a fifth spot went to a four-team Wild Card.
At The International 2015, the number of qualifier slots was increased once more. That year, two teams advanced to the main stage through the Wild Card. This proved to be a successful decision, as both Wild Card teams (CDEC and MVP Phoenix) performed exceptionally well in the main event, with the Chinese team even reaching the grand finals.
It was directly after CDEC`s success in 2015 that Valve drastically altered its approach to slot distribution: the number of direct invites was reduced to six, with all remaining spots allocated to qualifiers. Each region was given two slots, and two additional spots were contested in the Wild Card. This year became a spectacle for teams coming from the qualifiers. By the conclusion of **The International 2016, not a single invited team was found in the top 5**.
The results of TI6 demonstrated that regular season performance wasn`t as critical at the year`s main championship, suggesting it was time to increase the number of regional qualifier spots. Valve expanded the number of qualifier slots to 12, and at the same time added new regions: South America and CIS. This was also the first instance where regions began receiving an unequal number of qualifier spots. For example, SEA received three slots, Europe two, and the newly independent CIS only one. However, rosters from the qualifiers were unable to replicate the success of the previous year, and invited teams reached the grand finals.
In 2018, we saw a significant shift in the season`s structure and teams` overall approach with the introduction of the DPC (Dota Pro Circuit), featuring a transparent system for TI invites. The number of direct invites increased again to eight. This new selection mechanism compelled teams to perform consistently throughout the season and reduced the chances of relatively unknown rosters appearing out of nowhere right before TI. Although formally two teams from qualifiers (OG and EG) once again reached the top 3, both achieved this partly due to roster changes late in the season. If we exclude OG and EG, who arguably wouldn`t have been in the qualifiers under stable rosters, the gap between invited teams and those who fought through qualifiers began to become more pronounced again starting from 2018.
The DPC system continued and expanded. Now, similar to the early days of TI, the majority of participants received direct invites – 12 teams. The remaining six spots were allocated through regional qualifiers (one per region).
After a year`s hiatus, The International returned with an unchanged system (referring to TI10 in 2021). And yes, that year we witnessed the third victory by a qualifier team in history (Team Spirit), but this didn`t significantly alter the overall trend. Regional qualifiers gradually became a battleground primarily for tier-2 teams. Almost all top spots, except for first place, were occupied by invited teams.
In 2022, Valve expanded the number of teams at TI to 20, allocating the two new spots to a revived Wild Card format, albeit under the new name Last Chance, which was essentially a full tournament for 12 teams. This Last Chance format likely somewhat skewed perceptions of qualifier team success. On one hand, both Last Chance winners reached the top 3 (Team Secret and Team Liquid). On the other hand, no other team from the standard regional qualifiers even made it to the top 8. This suggests that the Last Chance participants received a significant boost from playing a full warm-up event before TI and adapting to the meta. However, the gap between other qualifier teams and invited teams was much more noticeable.
It was no coincidence that the following year Valve abandoned the Last Chance format (TI12 in 2023), despite its popularity with viewers. The organizers allocated the two freed-up slots to regular regional qualifiers. And for the first time in history, South America (alongside Europe) led in the number of slots: while China, CIS, and SEA each had one, SA had two. However, again, most qualifier participants were among the first to be eliminated. Only three teams truly surprised that year (VP, Azure Ray, and nouns).
As you know, last year (TI13 in 2024) Valve abandoned the DPC and returned to the 2016 format: six direct invites and ten regional qualifier spots. But the impact and surprises seen in The International 2016 were not replicated. Five out of six invited teams comfortably secured top spots (only Spirit underperformed). Qualifier teams, with the exception of two European representatives (the most competitive region at the time), were largely outmatched.
The history of qualifier teams at TI can be divided into three phases:
- Early Era (TI2-TI5): Characterized by limited qualifier slots (1-2 per region) and occasional strong performances, notably culminating with CDEC reaching the grand finals from the Wild Card.
- Qualifier Golden Age (TI6-TI7): A period where the number of qualifier slots significantly increased, and qualifier teams demonstrated peak performance, including winning the tournament and dominating the top placements.
- DPC and Post-DPC Era (TI8-present): The introduction and subsequent abandonment of the DPC saw invited teams generally regain dominance. While there have been notable exceptions (like a qualifier winner or strong Last Chance runs), the overall performance gap between invited and qualifier teams became more apparent again.
What do you think qualifier teams can achieve this year? What will be their best result?