The International 2025: Favorites, Rules, and Schedule of the Dota 2 World Championship!

The Dota 2 World Championship is shaking up the arenas of Hamburg, Germany! The Group Stage of The International 2025 wrapped up this past weekend, leaving only five teams still in the race for the title — and you can still follow the 14th edition of one of the biggest eSports tournaments on the planet!

After an intense Group Stage, we’ll have a three-day break before the competition resumes. Xtreme Gaming remains undefeated with four victories, advancing directly to the knockout stage along with BetBoom and TeamTeam Tidebound — who watched the Elimination Round to find out their potential opponents in the decisive phase.

Just a few days remain until the Dota 2 World Championship Playoffs kick off this Thursday, September 11, but you can already plan your picks and even choose which language to follow the tournament in. Ready to have fun and learn more about the competition that’s rocking the eSports scene? Then press Start and keep reading!

How does The International 2025 format work?

The Dota 2 World Championship features a total of 16 teams, half of them qualifying through regional qualifiers and the rest invited organizations. To begin, there’s the Group Stage, known as The Road to The International — played between September 4 and 7.

All matchups are decided through the Swiss System, always in Bo3 (Best of Three) format. Each team plays a total of five matches in this phase, with the top three advancing directly to the Playoffs and ten teams forced into the Elimination Round. Teams ranked 4th to 13th competed for the remaining five spots in the knockout stage, under the same rules as The Road to The International.

Now, only one stage remains: the Playoffs, or simply The International for insiders. The main change is the Double-Elimination system, keeping Bo3 to determine who advances. The winners of the Upper and Lower Brackets will meet in the Grand Final, which is played in a Bo5 (Best of Five) format to crown the champion.

What is the prize pool for The International 2025?

Valve and PGL set a base prize pool of US$ 1.6 million to be distributed, but don’t think that’s all the teams will receive. This year, the tournament continues with the sale of support kits for teams and fans, with 30% of the revenue added to the total prize pool of The International 2025 — with another 50% going to the content creator.

That’s why it’s impossible to determine the exact amount each team will win until the tournament ends. As of September 8, when we closed this article, the total prize pool was around US$ 2,512,874.

Check out the percentages that each placement will pay the teams:

• 1st Place: 42.5% (US$ 680k fixed + variable amount)
• 2nd Place: 13% (US$ 208k fixed + variable amount)
• 3rd Place: 9% (US$ 144k fixed + variable amount)
• 4th Place: 6% (US$ 96k fixed + variable amount)
• 5th and 6th Place: 5% (US$ 80k fixed + variable amount)
• 7th and 8th Place: 4% (US$ 64k fixed + variable amount)
• 9th to 13th Place: 1.8% (US$ 680k fixed + variable amount)
• 14th and 15th Place: 1% (US$ 28.8k fixed + variable amount)
• 16th Place: 0.5% (US$ 8k fixed + variable amount)

Which teams are playing The International 2025?

Eight teams secured their spots at the Dota 2 World Championship through the Regional Qualifiers: Western Europe will be represented by Natus Vincere, Nigma Galaxy, and Aurora Gaming; Eastern Europe will feature Xtreme Gaming; China qualified Team Nemesis; Southeast Asia will be represented by BOOM Esports; Wildcard earned the North American spot; and HEROIC claimed the South American slot.

In addition, eight other teams received direct invitations due to their strong performances: Team Liquid (champion in 2017 and 2024), Team Spirit (champion in 2021 and 2023), Tundra Esports (champion in 2022), PARIVISION, BetBoom Team, Team Tidebound, Team Falcons, and Yakutou Brothers.

Check below which participants are still alive in the race for the title, and who fell short in the Elimination Round and in The Road to The International 2025:

Directly Qualified for the Playoffs

Xtreme Gaming (China): Comprised of Singaporean poloson and the Chinese quartet Ame, Xm, Xxs, and XinQ, Xtreme Gaming led the Group Stage with four victories over Aurora Gaming (2–0), Team Spirit (2–1), Team Falcons (2–1), and Team Tidebound (2–0).

Boom Team (CIS): Led by Moldovan Save-, alongside Russians Pure, gpk, MieRo, and Kataomi. The team started poorly with a 2–1 loss to Nigma Galaxy, but recovered with wins against BOOM Esports (2–0), Natus Vincere (2–0), Aurora Gaming (2–0), and PARIVISION (2–1).

Team Tidebound (China): Featuring Chinese players shiro, Batch, planet, and y`, plus Malaysian NothingToSay, they finished third in the Group Stage, defeating Natus Vincere (2–1), Team Liquid (2–0), PARIVISION (2–0), and Team Falcons (2–1), but lost to Xtreme Gaming (2–0) in the fourth round.

Qualified for the Playoffs via Elimination Round

HEROIC (South America): Featuring Argentine Yuma, Bolivian Wisper, Peruvian Socfield, and Brazilians KJ and 4nalog. They started with two 2–0 losses to PARIVISION and Natus Vincere but bounced back with three 2–0 wins against BOOM Esports, Wildcard, and Tundra Esports, then defeated Yakutou Brothers 2–0.

Nigma Galaxy (MENA): Led by German KuroKy, with Pakistani SumaiL and Lebanese trio No!ob, Omar, and GH. They finished ninth in the Group Stage — beating BetBoom Team and Natus Vincere (2–1 each) but losing to Team Liquid and Yakutou Brothers (2–1 each) and PARIVISION (2–0). In the Elimination Round, they knocked out Aurora Gaming with a 2–1 win.

PARIVISION (CIS): Comprised of Ukrainian No[o]ne- and Russians Satanic, DM, 9Class, and Dukalis. They finished fourth in the Group Stage with 2–0 wins over HEROIC, Nigma Galaxy, and Team Spirit, but lost to Team Tidebound (2–1) and BetBoom Team (2–0). In the Elimination Round, they defeated Wildcard 2–0.

Tundra Esports (Europe): Featuring Dutch Crystallis, Bulgarian bzm, Indonesian Whitemoon, Macedonian Saksa, and Israeli captain 33. They placed 10th in the Group Stage, beating Yakutou Brothers and Natus Vincere (2–1 each), but losing to HEROIC (2–0), Team Falcons (2–1), and Team Spirit (2–1). In the Elimination Round, they eliminated Team Liquid 2–1.

Team Falcons (MENA): Led by Jordanian ATF and featuring Slovak skiter, Russian Malr1ne, Danish Cr1t-, and American Sneyking. They placed seventh in the Group Stage with 2–0 wins over Team Nemesis and Tundra Esports, plus a 2–0 win over Team Liquid — but lost to Xtreme Gaming and Team Tidebound (2–1 each). In the Elimination Round, they beat Team Spirit 2–0 to qualify.

Eliminated in the Elimination Round

Aurora Gaming (CIS): Fifth in the Group Stage, with losses to Xtreme Gaming and BetBoom Team (2–0 each), but victories over Wildcard, Yakutou Brothers, and Team Spirit (all 2–0). Eliminated after losing 2–1 to Nigma Galaxy.

Team Liquid (Europe): Finished eighth in the Group Stage with wins against BOOM Esports, Nigma Galaxy, and Yakutou Brothers (all 2–1), but losses to Team Tidebound and Team Falcons (2–0 each). Eliminated after a 2–1 loss to Tundra Esports.

Yakutou Brothers (China): Finished 11th in the Group Stage with wins against Team Nemesis and Nigma Galaxy (2–1 each), but losses to Tundra Esports and Team Liquid (2–1 each) and Aurora Gaming (2–0). Eliminated after a 2–0 loss to HEROIC.

Team Spirit (CIS): Wins over Wildcard (2–0) and Tundra Esports (2–1), but losses to Xtreme Gaming (2–1), PARIVISION (2–0), and Aurora Gaming (2–0) left them in 12th place in the Group Stage. Knocked out after a 2–0 defeat to Team Falcons.

Wildcard (North America): Losses to Team Spirit, Aurora Gaming, and HEROIC (all 2–0) and wins against Team Nemesis (2–0) and BOOM Esports (2–1) left them in 13th place in the Group Stage. Eliminated after a 2–0 defeat to PARIVISION.

Eliminated in the Group Stage

Natus Vincere (CIS): Beat HEROIC 2–0 but lost to Team Tidebound (2–1), BetBoom Team (2–0), Tundra Esports (2–1), and Nigma Galaxy (2–1).

BOOM Esports (Southeast Asia): Defeated Team Nemesis 2–0 but lost the other four matches against Team Liquid (2–1), BetBoom Team (2–0), HEROIC (2–0), and Wildcard (2–1).

Team Nemesis (Southeast Asia): Lost all four matches — against Team Falcons (2–0), Yakutou Brothers (2–1), Wildcard (2–0), and BOOM Esports (2–0).

Remaining Matches and Schedule of The International 2025

Also known as the Group Stage, The Road to The International 2025 began on September 4 and featured matches until Sunday, September 7. There will be a three-day break before the tournament resumes, with the Playoffs starting on September 11 and ending on September 14.

Check out the stages that will take place in the coming days of the Dota 2 World Championship:

September 11: Upper Bracket Quarterfinals

September 12: Lower Bracket Round 1 and Upper Bracket Semifinals

September 13: Lower Bracket Quarterfinals, Upper Bracket Final, and Lower Bracket Semifinals

September 14: Lower Bracket Final and Grand Final

The International 2025 Playoffs’ Bracket

The Upper Bracket of the knockout stage at the 2025 edition of the Dota 2 World Championship will feature the following matchups: Xtreme Gaming and Tundra Esports will face each other, with the winner advancing to play against the victor of PARIVISION vs. HEROIC for the first spot in the Upper Bracket Final.

Meanwhile, Team Tidebound and Team Falcons will battle to determine who will face BetBoom Team or Nigma Galaxy in the Semifinal — and, consequently, compete for the second spot in the decisive Upper Bracket match. The winner of the Upper Bracket Final will automatically qualify for the tournament’s Grand Final.

All other teams will compete in the Lower Bracket, starting with Round 1 between those eliminated in the first Upper Bracket match. The winners will go on to face the losers of the Quarterfinals, and those who advance will then face the defeated teams from the Semifinals of the other bracket.

Finally, the Lower Bracket winner will face the team that lost the Upper Bracket Final. Whoever wins will claim the Lower Bracket title and earn the right to play in the Grand Final of The International 2025!

Where to Watch The International 2025

Get ready for a variety of languages to choose from when following the matches: more than 16 languages will feature free broadcasts of The International 2025. For options in English, they are even broader, with four Twitch channels: dota2ti, dota2ti_2, dota2ti_3 and dota2ti_4, as well as Dota 2’s Official YouTube Channel.

If you’d like to watch in other languages such as German, Mandarin, Russian, or French, check the official Dota 2 page for the respective channels.

Bet on the Dota 2 World Championship at Blaze!

Now you know everything about the decisive stage of The International 2025, and it’s time to get ready for the thrill of the tournament. But wait — it’s still important to consider a few things before planning your picks.

Study all the data, statistics, and rules involved to bet in a conscious and responsible way. Take a look at our eSports betting guide for more tips on markets, as it explains everything you need to know!

Remember that betting is just an extra layer of excitement in tournaments like The International and should only be for fun. It is not a source of income, investment, or a way to make money. There are multiple risks to your mental and financial health that must be considered!

All set? Now you can head over to the Dota 2 World Championship’s page at Blaze and place your picks for this thrilling tournament!