The International 2023 Explained

The International 2023
Game:Dota 2
Start Date:October 12
End Date:October 29, 2023
Administrator:Valve
Host:United States
Participants:20 teams
Purse:US$3,380,455
Champion:Team Spirit
Runner-Up1:Gaimin Gladiators
Runner-Up2:LGD Gaming
Previous:2022
Next:2024

The International 2023 (commonly referred to as TI 2023 or TI 12) was the concluding tournament of the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game Dota 2. The International is the concluding international tournament of the Dota Pro Circuit in different regions. The tournament ran from October 12 until the Grand Finals on October 29, 2023.

A total of 20 teams qualified to compete in The International with 12 teams qualifying through the Dota Pro Circuit while 8 teams qualified through the regional qualifiers. These eight teams were subdivided into allotments from different regions with two Western European and South American teams and one team from North America, Eastern Europe, China and Southeast Asia, respectively, qualifying through the regional qualifiers.[1]

TI 10 champions Team Spirit won The International 2023 following their early playoff exit during The International 2022. Team Spirit defeated North America's Gaimin Gladiators in the Finals 3-0.[2] Team Spirit is the second team in TI history to win two-world championship titles to the organization with OG being the first back-to-back world champions in 2018 and 2019.[3]

Venue

The International 2023's Group Stage were done through online live broadcasts on several platforms such as YouTube and Facebook with the Playoffs being held at the Seattle Convention Center. Meanwhile, the Grand Finals was done in the Climate Pledge Arena, also in Seattle.

United States
Seattle, Washington
Playoffs WeekendFinals Weekend
Seattle Convention CenterClimate Pledge Arena
Capacity: 8,000Capacity: 18,300

Format

The International 2023 followed a different approach in the Group Stage and Playoffs of the tournament. The event was split into two phases: The Road to The International and The International.

The Road to The International refers to the Group Stage where all 20 teams are set to be split into four groups to matchup into a single Round-robin tournament with Best-of-two matches. The first phase of The Road to The International was specifically made in order to determine the teams competing in Phase 2.[4]

The Top 2 teams during Phase 1 will be matching up with either the Third or Fourth Seed of a different group in a best-of-three match. Phase 2 was conducted in order to determine the placement per team in the 16-team bracket playoffs.

The International is the main playoff event. The teams that have competed in Phase 2 will be seeded accordingly in the Upper Bracket Quarterfinals while the teams who lost in Phase 2 will be seeded accordingly in the Lower Bracket's First Round.

Participating Teams

12 of the 20 participating teams qualified through the Dota Pro Circuit, a string of professional tournaments in every region to determine allocated points for teams to qualify to The International. The remaining eight teams qualified through the Regional Qualifiers.

!Region!Team Name
Dota Pro Circuit
EuropeTeam Liquid
Tundra Esports
Team Spirit
CISBetBoom Team
9Pandas
North AmericaTSM
Shopify Rebellion
Gaimin Gladiators
South AmericaEvil Geniuses
beastcoast
Southeast AsiaTalon Esports
ChinaLGD Gaming
Regional Qualifiers
North Americanouns
South AmericaKeyd Stars
Thunder Awaken
Western EuropeEntity
PSG Quest
Eastern EuropeVirtus.pro
ChinaAzure Ray
Southeast AsiaTeam SMG
Ref:[5]

Group Stage

Group Draw

The Group Stage Draw was released by Valve on 11 October 2023. The draw was not broadcast nor given prior to any eSports pages or enthusiasts. The draw featured four groups with five teams each.[6]

!Group A!Group B!Group C!Group D
9PandasAzure RaybeastcoastPSG Quest
EntityBetBoom TeamGaimin GladiatorsTalon Esports
Evil GeniusesShopify RebellionLGD GamingTSM
Team SMGTeam LiquidnounsTundra Esports
Team SpiritThunder AwakenVirtus.proKeyd Stars

Group Stage

Phase One

The Group Stage Weekend began on the 12 October 2023 beginning with Phase One. Phase One of the Group Stage Weekend will eliminate one team per group in order to determine the sixteen teams that would qualify in The International playoff bracket itself. Teams eliminated in Phase One would not be contending for the playoffs.[7]

Group D

Phase Two

The Group Stage's Top 2 seeds will face the third or fourth seed of certain groups. Phase Two will determine the placement of each team in the playoff bracket stage with the winning team being seeded in the Upper Bracket while the Losing team in the Lower Bracket.[8] All winning teams will be seeded in the Upper Bracket Quarterfinals against each other while the losing teams would be seeded in the Lower Bracket's Round 1.

Playoffs

Bracket

Ranking

Team NameFinal PositionPrize Pool
Team SpiritChampions$1,521,362
Gaimin Gladiators1st Runner Up$405,637
LGD Gaming2nd Runner Up$270,499
Azure Ray3rd Runner Up$185,898
Team Liquid5th-6th$109,925
BetBoom Team
nouns7th-8th$84,489
Virtus.pro
TSM
9Pandas
Talon Esports
Entity
Shopify Rebellion
Evil Geniuses
Keyd Stars
Tundra Esports
Team SMG
Thunder Awaken
beastcoast
PSG Quest
Ref:[9]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Saikia . Dhruv . 2023-07-08 . All Dota 2 Teams That Have Qualified for The International 2023 (TI12) . 2024-04-21 . AFK Gaming . en.
  2. Web site: Stubbs . Mike . Team Spirit Wins The International 12 To Become Two Time Champions . 2024-04-21 . Forbes . en.
  3. Web site: 2019-08-25 . OG becomes first-ever two-time TI champion with a 3-1 victory over Team Liquid ONE Esports . 2024-04-21 . www.oneesports.gg . en-US.
  4. Web site: 2023-10-14 . The International 2023: What you need to know about this year's Dota 2 world championship event . 2024-04-21 . Yahoo News . en-SG.
  5. Web site: List of teams qualified for Dota 2 The International 2023 . 2024-04-23 . India Today Gaming . en.
  6. Web site: https://hawk.live/posts/dota-2-group-stage-ti12 . 2024-04-23 . hawk.live.
  7. Web site: Get Ready For Group Stage . 2024-04-21 . Dota 2.
  8. Web site: 2023-10-30 . The International 2023: TI12 main event schedule, results ONE Esports . 2024-04-23 . www.oneesports.gg . en-US.
  9. Web site: Dota 2 Esports . 2024-04-23 . www.dota2.com.