The International 2025: Schedule, teams, prize pool and more

Eight teams were invited to TI14 / Image credit: Valve

TL;DR

The International (TI14) takes place from September 4-14.

The playoffs will take place in Hamburg, Germany, returning to the country for the first time since the inaugural tournament.

The base prize pool is $1.6 million with an additional amount coming from supporter packs.

Eight teams were invited directly to the tournament, with the other eight coming from regional qualifiers.

The International 2025, better known as TI14, marks the 14th run of Dota 2’s world championship. It pulls the best rosters on the planet into one bracket with one trophy that really matters: the Aegis of Champions. 

Since 2011, TI has shifted from a flashy experiment to a yearly ritual that fans circle on the calendar. Prize pools aren’t as astronomically large as they used to be, but the race and stakes are still at their peak for all teams and fans watching.

Before it begins, read on to catch up on everything you need to know for the International 2025. From when and where to watch to all the teams competing, we’ve got you covered from everything related to TI14.

What is The International?

The International 2025’s cosmic theme / Image credit: Valve

The International is Dota 2’s yearly world championship, loosely run by Valve, with PGL in the mix on production. It kicked off in 2011 and pretty quickly became infamous for prize pools that bordered on absurd, peaking at around $40 million in 2021.

The very first International was held in 2011 in Cologne, Germany. Its initial event was an invite-only marketing stunt that was meant to showcase Dota 2 to the public at Gamescom, but it has become one of the most important and most-watched esports events. 

As the season’s endgame, it brings only teams that’ve been racking up wins and points throughout the year. The International’s prestige cannot be understated; winning it is the summit in Dota 2, full stop. Champions will etch their win both literally and figuratively in the Aegis.

When and where is TI14?

TI14 runs September 4-14, 2025, with Hamburg playing host. The playoffs land in the city’s Barclays Arena in Hamburg, Germany. There’s a nice bit of symmetry here, too: the tournament returns to the country where it first kicked off.

The competition is divided into two phases: the group stage and the playoffs. From Sept 4-7, teams will play in a group stage called the Road to The International using a Swiss-system format. Sixteen teams play a five‑round Swiss with best‑of‑three matches throughout. 

Teams face opponents with the same match record each round. The top three teams qualify directly for the playoffs. Teams finishing 4th-13th move into a short Special Elimination Round to decide the last five Playoff berths, while the bottom three teams are out of the tournament. After the elimination round, only five teams will move to the next stage, with the remaining teams finding their way back home to the nearest airport.

Finally, the playoffs are The International itself. From September 11-14 at Barclays Arena, Hamburg, the final eight teams will battle through a double‑elimination bracket. All series remain best‑of‑three, except the Grand Final, which is best‑of‑five to decide the champions of the tournament. 

How to watch TI14

Audiences can watch TI14 on four dedicated streams on Twitch or the official YouTube channel. Valve’s also lined up licensed broadcasts in multiple languages (English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese), so no one’s left behind.

Additionally, there are also licensed community broadcasts, such as Filipino and Brazilian Portuguese, from local content creators covering the event. If you prefer watching with full control, navigate to the watch tab in Dota 2’s client. Then, in tournaments, click on the International 2025.

Of course, there are also numerous co-streams from your favourite streamers and content creators. Many of these streams are hosted by high-level players and even former professionals, offering their unique insights on the tournament.

Valve has posted the schedule for the first round of the group stages, and already, there are exciting matchups to watch:

Who are the teams competing at TI14?

Sixteen teams made the cut for TI14. Eight got invites on the back of their season performance and Valve’s ranking math; the other eight fought through regional qualifiers to grab their spots:

TeamQualificationRegionRecent winsTeam LiquidDirect InviteEuropeDefending Champions (TI13)
The International 2017 ChampionsPGL Wallachia Season 4 and 3 PARIVISIONDirect InviteCISDreamLeague Season 26ESL One Raleigh 2025ESL One Bangkok 2024BetBoom TeamDirect InviteCISPGL Wallachia Season 5FISSURE Universe: Episode 4BLAST Slam ITeam TideboundDirect InviteChinaClavision Masters 2025: Snow-RuyiTeam SpiritDirect InviteCISThe International 2023 and 2021 Champions
Esports World Cup 2025DreamLeague Season 25PGL Wallachia Season 1Team FalconsDirect InviteMENAFISSURE Universe: Episode 6DreamLeague Season 24BetBoom Dacha Belgrade 2024Tundra EsportsDirect InviteEuropeThe International 2022 Champions
BLAST Slam III and IIFISSURE PLAYGROUND 1Yakutou BrothersReplacement InviteChinaNatus VincereWestern EuropeCISNigma GalaxyWestern EuropeMENAAurora GamingEastern EuropeCISXtreme GamingChinaChinaWildcardNorth AmericaNAHEROICSouth AmericaSAPGL Wallachia Season 2BOOM EsportsSoutheast AsiaSEATeam NemesisSoutheast AsiaSEA

Team Liquid has great expectations as the tournament’s defending champions. However, Team Spirit is the clear favourite after a historically perfect run in EWC, though its stumble against Falcons in the most recent event keeps things interesting. Furthermore, its midlaner, Larl, has health issues that could affect his performance (or even appearance) in this tournament.

Falcons and Tundra Esports have a great shot of taking home the Aegis as well, while PARIVISION has been a dominant team this season and would make a deep run. But as fans have seen, any team can unexpectedly win The International.

There are also some important notes for those who need to catch up on the latest movements in drama leading up to the event:

Gaimin Gladiators was one of the direct invites for TI14. However, the organisation pulled its roster from the tournament, which led to the replacement invite for Yakutou Brothers. Due to legal reasons, both the organisation and players have been tight-lipped about what happened.

Natus Vincere has promoted their academy team, NAVI Junior, to the main roster after PGL Wallachia Season 5.

Whitemon, Tundra Esports’ position five player, is unable to attend the tournament due to a visa issue. Indonesia is currently under political turmoil from anti-government protests, which most likely affected him. Tobi, who won with Team Liquid as a stand-in, will replace him.

Another position five player, Poloson from Xtreme Gaming, couldn’t make it for health reasons. He’s replaced by Malaysian xNova, who last played for Azure Ray.

Despite that, fans shouldn’t expect anything but the best of Dota 2 during the event.

What’s the prize pool for TI14?

TI14’s prize pool sits at about $2.39 million. Valve seeds $1.6 million, and the rest comes from 30% of TI-themed in-game sales. Team bundles and supporter packs chipped in roughly $791,000, with more to come.

It’s a far cry from the prize pools of the past, but it’s a much more sustainable amount that’s in line with other major esports tournaments. The decline is largely due to changes in how the prize fund is raised. In past years, Valve boosted the pool via crowdfunded battle pass sales. However, they eventually ended the TI battle pass system and scaled back its support for the Dota 2 esports circuit, letting PGL handle the main event.

FAQs

When is The International 2025?

The International 2025 (TI14) takes place from September 4 to 14, 2025, in Hamburg, Germany.

What is the prize pool for The International 2025?

The TI14 prize pool is currently $2.39 million. These came from the base prize pool of $1.6 million plus the 30% from team and talent bundle sales.

How big is The International?

The International is the culmination of the Dota 2 competitive season, and it’s the ultimate punctuation mark to decide which was the best team of the season. Beyond the prize pool, millions of fans come to watch the conclusion of matchups and storylines. Last year, the event peaked with more than 1.5 million viewers.

Who won The International in 2024?

Team Liquid enter as the reigning champs after its 2024 run, beating Gaimin Gladiators 3-0 in the grand final. Given how Gaimin bulldozed most of the season and how much they’ve beaten Liquid, it was a neat conclusion to a year-long rivalry.

References

dota2ti on Twitch (Twitch)

dota2 on YouTube (Youtube)

The International on X (X)

The International (Esports Charts)