After a year without TI, The International 10 is finally on the horizon. Following a grueling year of Dota Pro Circuit events, teams are now ready to compete for the biggest prize pool in Dota 2 and the largest ever in esports. And just so you don’t miss out, here are details of when TI10 is, where it’s taking place, and who’s competing.
TI10 is set to have the largest prize pool in history as 18 teams compete for a massive $40 million. (Image via Valve)
When is TI10?
TI10 will start on October 7 and run through October 17. The Group Stage will take place from Oct 7-10 with the Main Stage continuing from Oct 12-17.
TI10 was originally scheduled to run from August 5th to August 15th. This would see the Group Stage will last from August 5th – August 8th. Meanwhile, the Main Event would run from August 10th – August 15th. The Grand Finals would take place on the last day.
However, on June 21, Valve announced that Sweden did not accept esports into the sports federation. This lead to Valve needing to get TI10 classified as “an elite sporting event” by Sweden’s Minister of Interior. Unfortunately, the Minister of the Interior did not recognize The International as such. This means that those needing travel visas to enter Sweden, including those of the players, would be denied.
In the post, Valve would go on to say, “As a result, and in light of the current political situation in Sweden, we have started looking for possible alternatives elsewhere in Europe to host the event this year, in case the Swedish government is unable to accommodate The International – Dota 2 Championships as planned. We feel confident that in either instance we will have a solution that allows us to hold TI10 in Europe this year, and that we will be able to announce an updated plan in the very near future.”
Where Will TI10 Be Played?
TI10 will take place at the Arena Nationala in Bucharest, Romania.
The International had been scheduled to be played in Stockholm, Sweden, since 2019, when TI10 was initially announced. Despite its postponement in 2020, the event was expected to keep its home in 2021. However, the location of the event was thrown into question upon the revelation on June 21.
How do I get tickets for TI10?
After delaying the announcement of TI10 ticket sales for several months, Valve announced on September 3rd that it would release details soon. Twelve days later, the developer revealed that ticket sales for The International would start on September 22nd, giving fans just two weeks to get their tickets. Unfortunately, just five days before the start of the event, Valve announced that in-person attendance for TI10 was cancelled. This meant no press or audience would be able to attend.
Tickets originally covered the main event at the National Arena, which starts on October 12th until the 17th. They came in three bundles, for the 12th-13th, 14th-15th, and for the finals, 16th-17th. Tickets for the midweek editions cost 249 Romanian lei (around $60), while the finals will cost 999 Lei, or around $240. Tickets were able to be purchased from noon, Eastern European Standard Time (EEST), on September 22nd. Valve announced a refund for all tickets on October 3rd.
What is the Prize Pool?
The total prize pool for TI10 is $40,018,195. The winner is estimated to receive in excess of $15 million. The prize pool for T10 was funded partially by Valve, but the majority came from Battle Pass sales in 2020.
Who has qualified for TI10?
Twelve teams qualify for TI10 by gathering Dota Pro Circuit points during the regular season of the 2021 DPC. Additionally, teams from each of the DPC regions will participate in regional qualifiers, with the six winners joining the TI10 competition. Ultimately 18 teams will compete at the International.
Evil Geniuses
After winning the first season of the NA DPC league and securing second place at the Singapore Major, EG sat at 950 DPC points and was one of the first teams to lock in their TI spot. An additional 300 points from a second-place finish in season 2 of the NA DPC meant that by the time the AniMajor started, EG was already locked for TI10
Virtus.pro
Virtus.Pro won both seasons of their regional DPC leagues. This meant that a pair of disappointing finishes at both Majors wouldn’t affect their TI10 chances. This young squad will have to step up their game at the most important international competition in the Dota 2 calendar.
PSG.LGD
Despite two average results during their DPC season, LGD was able to secure a ticket to TI10 thanks to incredible showings at both Majors. This clearly a team that thrives on international competition and gets stronger as tournaments go on. They are one of five China region teams headed to TI10.
Quincy Crew
Just like rivals EG, QC’s second and first-place finishes in the DPC seasons meant that they’d easily secure TI placements. But the stack looked shaky at the Singapore Major. However, a deeper run in the AniMajor secured the team a locked spot after just a few days.
Invictus Gaming
During the first part of the DPC calendar, IG dominantly won their regional league and the Singapore Major in convincing fashion. However, after dropping off in the second season, the team failed to mage ground during the AniMajor. Luckily the team’s 1100 DPC points were more than enough to reach TI.
T1
T1 locked their place at TI thanks to a first-place finish in the second season of their regional league. And they did this despite taking a 30-point penalty due to a roster change. Their results and a much-improved showing at the AniMajor meant SEA would have at least two teams at TI10.
Team Secret
A first-place finish at DreamLeague Season 14 meant Team Secret was likely to secure TI off the Singapore Major. Finishing fourth there ensured that even another fourth-place finish during DreamLeague Season 15 couldn’t stop secret from heading to TI10. Their form and current power level remains unproven though.
Vici Gaming
Another of the five China region teams set for TI10, Vici Gaming’s constituent play over the season napped them a spot at TI. Despite only taking third place or lower positions in leagues and Majors, the team could book their ticket to Stockholm.
Team Aster
The fourth Chinese team to lock in a spot at TI10, Team Aster turning around their season and winning the Chinese DPC second season locked their spot. Despite not gaining points at the AniMajor and not even qualifying for the Singapore Major, this team’s in-season performance has made sure they’ll compete for the $40 million+ prize pool.
Alliance
After a second-place finish in the first DPC season, and a first-place finish to the second, Alliance have locked their spot for TI10. However, the team was helped along by the fact many other teams dropped down the rank at the Major. Having failed to perform at either Major, Alliance relied on their seasonal rankings alone to secure their spot.
beastcoast
Even with a heartbreaking end to season one that saw them miss the first Major due to health concerns, beastcoast finalised their accent to TI10 following the AniMajor. With the threshold set at 800 DPC points, the team scraped past once the likes of Team Nigma and TNC Predator were eliminated. The squad has been one of the best teams in South America for almost two years and finally gets a chance to show what they can do at The International.
Thunder Predator
Although they didn’t qualify for the AniMajor, Thunder Predator were able to leverage their season one score and a helpful elimination to secure their TI spot. With Team Nigma eliminated by Evil Geniuses at the final major, Thunder Predator’s DPC point total equaled exactly 800, securing their spot at TI10.
Regional Qualifiers
In addition to DPC points, six teams will head to TI10 after winning regional qualifiers
Eastern Europe Qualifiers Winner: Team Spirit
Team Spirit has gone from a middling CIS stack at the beginning of the year to challenging for TI10 in just three months. On top of a trip to the AniMajor, the squad has forged itself in non-DPC competition, taking a win at the Pinnacle Cup and Dota 2 Champions League. At the TI Qualifiers, a near-flawless run through the upper bracket saw them clash with Team Empire in the finals. And even though Empire was able to secure some well-earned victories, ultimately, Spirit’s top-level experience was too much for them. Team Spirit is only the second CIS/EEU team to qualifier for TI this year, a depleted number compared to the past.
South American Qualifiers Winner: SG e-sports
Battling through the stacked South American qualifiers and securing an unlikely victory, SG e-sports will be SA’s third representative at The International. They will also be the first entirely Brazilian team to compete at TI, out-pacing fellow Brazilians paiN Gaming who attended TI8 with Aliwi “w33” Omar in the solo-mid position. Additionally, the team beat out favorites of the qualifier No-Ping esports who fell in the lower bracket. Instead, SG ran the upper bracket to secure their TI spot.
North American Qualifiers Winner: Undying
Perpetual third place in the North American Upper Division, Undying secured their spot after two seasons of narrowly missing out. In a flawless, undefeated run through the upper bracket, the team swept through NA qualifiers. Taking out The Cut, Black N Yellow, and 4 Zoomers in both the Upper Bracket Final and Grand Final, Undying earned their slice of the pie at TI10 in decisive fashion.
Southeast Asian Qualifiers Winner: Fnatic
In one of the most stacked qualifiers of any region, Fnatic were still favorites to take it all. However, squads like TNC Predator, Execration, and OB Esports x Neon were also in the running. Fnatic were able to beat them all in qualifiers that came known for incredibly long games. The team was part of nine 40+ minute games, and three games that lasted over an hour. Eventually, the team were able to reverse sweep TNC in a full five-game series to secure their TI10 spot.
Western Europe Qualifiers Winner: OG
After months of falling short, missed opportunities, and roster changes, OG finally secured their trip back to TI10. With it, the reigning champions will have a chance of defend their title—and become the first ever three-time TI winners. Joining the three members of the team who are reigning champs, are Martin “Saksa” Sazdov and Syed Sumail “SumaiL” Hassan. The former has been to TI twice, and missed out twice. The other had one taste of the Aegis and would desperately want another. This is a scary and hungry team.
China Qualifiers Winner: Elephant
When people throw around terms like ‘super team,’ it rarely pans out. Elephant could have fallen into that trap as well, after squarely coming in fifth-place for the last six months. But in the China qualifiers, this team of all-stars finally reached their potential. Now, a squad that is all to familiar with the difficulty of TI is headed back. Two of them, Xu “fy” Linsen, Zhang “Eurus” Chengjun, came tantalisingly close in 2019. They’ll want their return to be more successful.
And those are the teams currently headed to TI10! The final qualifiers for TI10 kick off on the 7th of July. Keep your eyes peeled to Hotspawn for more TI10 information.
