The International 12 – Playoffs

Welcome to our home on all information regarding The International 12. We will be covering all the critical details surrounding The International as well as how it relates to those of you who are looking forward to the biggest Dota 2 betting markets of the year.

As we inch closer to the start of The International 12, there is a lot of information to clarify. Of course, we also have DreamLeague Season 21 ongoing which will be a large deciding factor in determining favourites for TI12.

What is The International 12?

The International 12, also known as TI12, is the 12th edition of Valve’s largest annual Dota 2 event. It is widely known as being a tournament that has consistently broken the record for having the biggest individual prize pool in all of esports. The International 10 currently holds the record for having a prize pool of $40,018,400 USD. It took place in 2021 and was won by Team Spirit. They took home over $18,000,000 in total prize money themselves.

This enormous tournament is the one event that all Dota 2 aspiring professionals want to attend. Even managing to qualify is a colossal accomplishment. And for many teams, it is a tournament that can make their careers. A top 12 position can secure earnings to support your esports career for some time.

Valve also supports this tournament by creating a ‘compendium’ or ‘battle pass’ in-game which allows people to contribute directly to TI’s prize pool. 25% of all money spent on this in-game feature will be added to the total prize money for the event. Now that we are approaching The International 12, we are soon expecting the next compendium!

When is The International 12 and what is the format?

There are a couple of stages to The International 12. There are two phases, the group stage and the main event bracket. Depending on each team’s performance, this will seed them moving into the main event. Or, if you do not perform, you will be knocked out of the largest tournament of the year before playing on stage.

Group Stage

This takes place from October 12 – 15.

This critical phase will determine a team’s progress moving into phase 2. No prize money will be distributed at this point unless you fail to qualify to the second phase.

Phase 1

• 4 Groups
• 5 Teams per group
• Round-robin format in each group
• All series played are Bo2 (Best of 2)
• Top 2 teams in each group will get matched with an opponent in 3rd or 4th place of another group
• 3rd and 4th of each group will get match with an opponent who is 1st or 2nd place of another group
• 5th in each group is eliminated

Phase 2

• October 20 – 22 (Playoffs Weekend)
• October 27 – 29 (Finals Weekend)

The remaining 16 teams of Phase 1 will then play eight Best of 3’s (Bo3) head to head matches to determine their placement in the main event bracket.

No teams will be eliminated here, it is purely whether you will play the main event from the upper bracket or lower bracket. There is a big advantage qualifying to the upper bracket since you get 1 extra life before you are eliminated from The International 12.

Phase 2 – Main Event

This is the stage that every player in Dota 2 wants to play on. This is where all the hype and excitement that is bubbling from the community every year takes place. Heroes are made here. It is not just Dota 2 fans, it is the whole esports industry watching through a magnifying glass. So often this tournament has set a precedent on what the next age of esports tournament production also looks like.

The format for this phase of the event is very simple:

• 8 teams start in the upper bracket
• 8 teams start in the lower bracket
• All series before Grand Final are Bo3
• Grand Final is Bo5

What is the prize pool for The International 12?

The prize pool is yet to be decided. We are soon expecting the Compendium to be released for Dota 2. This is the in-game feature which allows the community to make their purchases which contribute to the prize pool. Last year the total prize pool was $18,900,000+ USD. So we expect the prize pool to at least be around this level.

When is the TI12 Compendium being released in Dota 2?

Some information has recently come to light about this. We are now expecting the Compendium to be released on the week commencing 25th September. Some are speculating that, more specifically, it will be available for players on Thursday 28th September.

In many recent TI’s, they have referred to this feature as a Battle Pass. It is fascinating to see it referred to as a Compendium again as this is what existed in the earlier iterations of TI. We will talk more about the Compendium as information becomes available.

The International 12 Teams

This is where it gets really exciting! We now have 20 total teams secured for TI12. 12 teams qualified through the DPC system. Another 8 teams qualified via the Regional Qualifiers. You will see below list of teams.

Note that there have been some changes from the image above. For example, Topson has replaced Saksa on Tundra Esports.

Invited Teams

• Team Liquid
• Gaimin Gladiators
• Tundra Esports
• 9Pandas
• Evil Geniuses
• LGD Gaming
• Shopify Rebellion
• Talon Esports
• beastcoast
• Team Spirit
• TSM
• BetBoom Team

Teams Qualified via Regional Qualifiers

• nouns
• Keyd Stars
• Thunder Awaken
• Entity
• Quest Esports
• Virtus.pro
• Azure Ray
• Team SMG

The International 12 Groups Announced

Teams have now been split into groups ahead of the first stage. As of 12th October 2023, the teams will start fighting it out. With a lot of highly ranked teams in Group B, this is regarded as the group of death. We know that from each group there will be 1 team that drops out before moving into the next phase. Which matchup are you most excited for?

Group Stage Phase 1 Results

The biggest surprise in the first phase of the TI12 group stage is how PSG Quest performed. They are eliminated alongside beastcoast, Team SMG and Thunder Awaken and each receive prize money equating to $30,438 for positions 17th-20th.

Compared with the previous year, Thunder Awaken going out is unfortunate. However, the previous roster was bought by Evil Geniuses. So this roster being a lot less experienced was always going to struggle a bit more. That being said, Evil Geniuses only just survived the group stage. They narrowly avoid exit in Group A.

Group Stage Phase 2 Results

As we make our way towards the Main Event of TI12, we see in the image above the results of Phase 2. Group winners Team Spirit and Team Liquid selected their opponents and beat them 2-0. This was Shopify Rebellion and Evil Geniuses respectively. The teams who lost now have got their place in the lower bracket of the main event. Virtus.pro managed to beat TSM 2-0 while Talon Esports got a surprise 2-1 victory against one of the tournament favourites, Gaimin Gladiators. Definitely a match to watch back!

Out of the remaining group winners, one of the big surprises is nouns beating Tundra Esports 2-0. This sets the NA team to be in the winner bracket of the main event, potentially able to cause more upsets. One of the favourites of the tournament, LGD Gaming, won a decisive game versus Keyd Stars which cements their spot in the upper bracket of the main event. BetBoom Team will be upset to be in the lower bracket considering how well they played versus 9Pandas, definitely a team to watch still.

The International 12 Main Event Bracket

Main event bracket matches will commence on the 20th October 2023. In the above image you can see all the exciting games to be played. There are tons of thrilling matches to be played. A possible Team Spirit versus Team Liquid upper bracket match will be a nail-biter. Seeing whether Tundra Esports or Gaimin Gladiators can make a lower bracket run will also be a sight to see. Do take a look at our TI12 Betting Preview for more insight as well as information on where to bet on the tournament.

TI12 Playoffs Day 1

Day 1 of playoffs saw the upper bracket commence, pitting the best teams from the groups in best-of-threes throughout. 

The first match saw clear favourites from the groups and recent tournaments, Team Spirit, come up against Virtus.pro, in a battle of the Eastern European organizations. Team Spirit had dominated recent months, and continued that momentum through groups being undefeated. Virtus.pro, however, were a bit more of a wildcard, but made it to the upper bracket by taking down TSM commandingly 2-0. The match-up was certainly entertaining, with VP coming out strong and taking map 1. However, Team Spirit maintained their presence-of-mind to bring the series back to 1-1. VP took an early lead in game 3, and looked strong for a huge upset; but an amazing midgame by Larl and Yatoro turned the tide for Team Spirit to take the set. 

The second series of the day saw fan favourites Team Liquid continue their run against the Southeast Asian Talon. Talon looked all but set to push on in the first game, having had an incredible opening; but Team Liquid were able to stabilize and make a huge comeback through their incredible teamwork. Game 2 was a lot more even, but Talon never felt like they could push their advantage, with Team Liquid eventually strangling the map and cruising to victory.

For the final two sets of the day, we saw LGD meet 9Pandas, before nouns took on Azure Ray. LGD certainly came in as favourites given their continued form; but 9Pandas had built a scary reputation amongst teams given their experience and unorthodox playstyle. Despite this, they could not do enough to rattle LGD, who continued to show why they are seen as one of the top teams to take this TI. Finally, nouns came in as huge underdogs after taking down Tundra to ger here, in the biggest upset to date. They were unable to muster that same form and cheese tactics that got them here, and Azure Ray cruised to a 2-0 victory.

Where can I watch The International 12?

We are still waiting for a full announcement of all the talent who will be invited to provide coverage. Every year we get a star studded line-up of the best commentators, hosts and analysts who get their chance to work at TI. There are also spots for more members of talent to interact with the crowd and provide fun and engaging content.

However, while there are likely to be a variety of channels you can watch different games on. You can definitely save and follow the official Dota 2 TI English Twitch.TV Channel. You can expect games to take place here. We will provide more information on the different language locations as the information becomes clear.

Where can I bet on The International 12?

All esports betting sites are going to be packing their platforms up with markets for The International 2023! It is going to be very dependent on where you prefer to place your bets. Do you have a strong welcome bonus that you are trying to claim? Are you looking for a deposit bonus to extract more value? Are you already a veteran? All of these questions will determine where you should be betting. Perhaps you are very sensitive to having the best betting odds. Or possibly you want the most exciting and specialised esports markets available to you.

Make sure you take a look at our bookmaker reviews to get the best deal when betting on TI12. And remember, only ever bet with money you can afford to lose!

The International 12 FAQ