TI14 Qualifiers: Wildcard upset Shopify, sneak into TI14 out of NA

Someone go ask Doctor Strange if this was truly supposed to happen, because Wildcard just shocked North America in the International 2025 (TI14) qualifiers. After doing much the same in the upper bracket finals, thus sending rivals Shopify Rebellion to the lower bracket, Wildcard held on in the grand finals as if they were the team of destiny, knocking Shopify out of the tournament in a hard-fought five-game series.

It’s true that Wildcard were the second best team in the North American regional qualifiers to begin with, but even then, I don’t think anyone expected them to upset the natural order like this. I predicted that Shopify Rebellion would run away with the win in NA, given that they’d been the one team that had played in several major tournaments throughout this season.

The Power of Friendship

But it turns out I was dead wrong, because Wildcard were on an absolute mission going through the NA qualifiers. They blazed a trail through the upper bracket, dropping not even a single map on their way to the grand final match. Yes, they did get a forfeit win in the first round because their opponents were unable to field a full roster, but still — being absolutely perfect until the last step is impressive.

Look what this means to them 🥹 pic.twitter.com/PS43LmOGWY

— Wildcard (@Wildcard_GG) June 13, 2025

And when they got there, they didn’t squander the opportunity. Team captain Danil “Bignum” Shekhovtsov must have given his teammates a really good pep talk, because they showed great poise and confidence despite the fact that their grand final series against Shopify went the full distance. Lesser teams might have folded under the pressure of a do-or-die game 5, but these guys didn’t.

So they now find themselves with an opportunity to really grow as a squad in Hamburg, Germany, once TI14 rolls around this September. It’s refreshing to see a team other than Shopify make it to The International coming out of North America, as I had assumed that Shopify’s attendance at TI14 was a foregone conclusion prior to the start of the NA qualifiers.

“It’s Ya Boi, Speeed”

Huge props to Paul “Speeed” Bocchicchio for this monumental achievement. For those who don’t know, Speeed is the primary Dota 2 content creator at GameLeap, and he’s been making hero and general Dota guides for years now while also playing professionally. To see him finally make it to TI is just heartwarming to say the least; it’s the culmination of tons of hard work and dedication.

Whether or not Speeed and the rest of Wildcard will avoid drowning at TI14 is another question entirely, but for now, they can celebrate as they are guaranteed to win at least a share of the prize pool — assuming Valve will be generous again this year and give a slice to every team that plays.

As for Shopify, this shouldn’t necessarily be the end of the road for them. They’ve still got the Riyadh Masters at the Esports World Cup to look forward to next month, especially after running roughshod over the entire field in the NA qualifiers for that tournament. They’ll be missing out on TI this year which definitely stings, but they’ve got plenty of opportunities to get back up and get better.